Sumy Eparchy refutes fake news that SBU detained its cleric

SBU's statement about the detainee's affiliation with the Sumy Eparchy turned out to be false. Photo: open sources

The Sumy Eparchy refuted the statement by the SBU that the person detained on suspicion of working for the Russian Federation is its cleric.

"The press service of the Sumy Eparchy of the UOC informs the faithful and the media that the information spread in recent days about the alleged detention of a 'clergyman of the Sumy Eparchy of the UOC (MP)' does not correspond to reality. The clergyman depicted in the photos published in the media is not a cleric of the Sumy Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. None of the clerics of the Sumy Eparchy has been detained or accused of collaborating with the enemy," the message states.

The eparchy called on the authors of fake publications "to be responsible when covering sensitive topics, to verify facts, and to refrain from spreading unverified or false information". Whether this appeal is directed at the SBU press service, whose message is the source of the fake, was not specified by the eparchy.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the SBU arrested a UOC priest in Sumy region.

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