UGCC monk in shorts expels women from church for indecent clothing
Abbot of the UGCC Monastery Ihnatiy Holynsky expels a woman from the church. Photo: galka.if.ua
On July 16, a resident of Yaremche posted a message with a video recording showing a man in shorts forcefully expelling two women from the St. Elijah Prophet Monastery of the UGCC in Yaremche, allegedly for their indecent appearance. According to the Ivano-Frankivsk media 'Galka', citing the message's author Valentyna Zaichyk, the women were expelled by the monastery's abbot Ihnatiy Holynsky.
Valentyna's mother and sister came to pray for her son and brother Yuriy Zaichyk, a soldier of the 68th Brigade, who went missing on July 7 in the Pokrovske direction. According to one of the women, the monastery's abbot, Father Ihnatiy Holynsky, said they were improperly dressed. "Get out of here. Leave the church," he said to them while pushing them out of the church.
"When you don't care how you look, when you're monitoring every message hoping it's about your brother, trying to find him... Church representatives are engaged in violence and sexism. Many believers may take sides, but I don't need division; I want church representatives to stop fighting... To be fair, does he look appropriate in church? In shorts and a t-shirt?" wrote Valentyna, posting the video and photos of the incident.
The Syncellus for Monastic Affairs of the Lviv Archeparchy of the UGCC, Hieromonk Justin Boyko, responded to the message and assured that he would investigate the conflict and apologized.
"Father Ihnatiy behaved very inappropriately. This must be acknowledged. Although he is indeed a good monk. If possible, accept my apologies on behalf of the monastery for this incident. I will personally do everything to ensure that this does not happen again, and that Fr. Ihnatiy apologizes to you," wrote Justin Boyko.
As reported by the UOJ, with the words "we need to fight, not build a church", a UGCC parish is expelling its priest.
Read also
Shevchuk tells Budanov of UGCC’s “state-building role”
The head of the Uniates told the head of the Presidential Office that his Church was ready to partner with the state and presented him with a book on the work of special services in the Church.
Authorities decline to disclose Ukraine’s population size
The State Statistics Service acknowledged that it has up-to-date population estimates for the country, but has decided not to make them public.
Lithuanian govt vows to protect Orthodox Church from Russian intelligence
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry has called for curbing the influence of Russian intelligence services on the Church, while an adviser to President Nausėda warned against labeling the entire structure a security threat.
During Ramadan, Patriarch Theodoros hosts Islamic iftar at his residence
Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria hosted a meal for Muslim workers breaking their fast in the courtyard of the Patriarchate and thanked a sheikh for his “brotherhood.”
Lawsuit filed against Patriarch of Constantinople
A Turkish official has accused Patriarch Bartholomew and dozens of clergy of “illegal activity” and violating the Treaty of Lausanne.
OCU cleric buried with Church Slavonic funeral shroud
In the Ternopil Eparchy of the OCU, a cleric was buried under a funeral shroud bearing inscriptions in Church Slavonic.