In Sumy authorities forbids UOC to hold Intercession cross procession

On September 19, the City Council executive committee of Sumy for the first time forbade Archbishop Eulogius of Sumy and Akhtyrka to perform a traditional worship service in Pokrovskaya Square followed by a cross procession on October 14, the Feast of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin , reports UNIAN.

During the regular meeting of the executive committee, the corresponding draft decision, initiated by the Sumy eparchy of the UOC, did not collect the required number of votes: five out of ten members of the executive committee were "for", three – "against" and two – "abstained" in the voting.

In the text of the document, the Sumy eparchy requested for permission to conduct a divine service as part of the celebration of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin by Orthodox believers.

Deputy of the Sumy Regional Council Viktor Dubinko said that holding the cross procession of the UOC requires additional coordination. "This issue should first be coordinated with such organizations as the National Police and the Security Service because the event could provoke a civil confrontation," the deputy said.

As a result, Archbishop Eulogius was denied the religious procession. Earlier in Sumy, the believers of the UOC had held a cross procession annually in the city centre.