Amsterdam responds to charges against Bishop Arseniy: "Constructed lies"
Metropolitan Arseniy. Photo: Sviatohirsk Lavra
Robert Amsterdam, an international lawyer representing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), stated in an interview with TRT that Metropolitan Arseniy has been imprisoned for nine months under fabricated charges brought by Ukrainian authorities.
In response to a question about the arrests of UOC clergy allegedly for disclosing Ukrainian military positions or storing weapons for Russians, Amsterdam called these accusations “constructed lies.”
“You know in in Bronx language I would have stronger terms,” he said. “I know exactly the case you’re talking about – Metropolitan Arseniy, a man without a stomach who has been in horrific conditions for nine months in a Ukrainian jail. And do you know what he did? During a sermon, he was angry that the police had stopped parishioners from coming to his church.”
Amsterdam underscored that the hierarch had been in conditions that are beyond horrible for nine months because the government fabricated these charges so they could steal his church.
“It is beyond horrifying what they are doing to priests,” the lawyer added.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Robert Amsterdam has also stated that disturbing the holy relics at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is complete blasphemy.
Read also
In Germany, a Bishop of Constantinople Prayed with Catholics and Lutherans
The ecumenical concelebration concluded with the distribution of safety carabiners to all those present as a symbol of support and trust.
Foreign Christians Repented in the Knesset for Weak Assistance to Israel
Foreign Christians' repentance in the Israeli parliament has been criticized on social media.
HUR: Opinion polls prove religious rights are not violated in Ukraine
A representative of the intelligence service, Andrii Yusov, stated that society does not confirm any facts of religious persecution in the country.
Mass production of kosher bread launched in Bukovyna
Representatives of the Jewish community called the mass production of kosher bread at the regional level one of the few examples in Ukraine.
Pat. Porfirije: people's faithfulness more important than number of pilgrims to Belt
The Serbian Orthodox Church reported the number of believers who came to venerate the Belt of the Mother of God.
Trump presents copy of Sitka Icon of Theotokos to monastery near St. Petersburg
The President of the United States gifted an Orthodox icon to the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage in response to Vladimir Putin's diplomatic gesture in Anchorage.