News

Ukrainian Orthodox Church bishop stopped at Kiev airport deported to U.S.

Moscow, February 14, Interfax - Bishop Gedeon (Kharon), the vicar of the Tithe Monastery in Kiev and a vicar of the Kiev Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who was stopped at the Borispol Airport in Kiev on Wednesday evening upon returning from the United States, was deported back to the U.S. on Thursday morning.

"His Grace has been deported to the U.S.! Was escorted toward the plane by men armed with assault rifles, like a criminal!" Bishop Gedeon's associates wrote on his Facebook account.

Bishop Gedeon was stopped after returning from the U.S., where he told members of the Congress and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about discrimination against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church and delivered the church's official appeal to consider violations of the believers' rights and freedoms.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church's press service said the bishop had been detained just ahead of a Supreme Court session to hear a motion on invalidating the Verkhovnaya Rada's request for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant a tomos of autocephaly, at which Bishop Gedeon was to speak as a plaintiff.

The Ukrainian State Border Service said on Wednesday the bishop had been stopped due to problems with his documents.

"I wasn't admitted to Ukraine on the grounds that my citizenship had been annulled, although there were no problems and no court rulings 15 days ago, when I was leaving the country," Bishop Gedeon said in a video posted on his Facebook account.

Bishop Gedeon also said that the loss of his passport was alleged as a reason for his detention, although he has not submitted any reports on losing his passport.

"It's as simple as religious-political pressure," he said.

A post on Bishop Gedeon's account last night said that lawyers and Ukrainian parliamentarians had been barred from seeing him.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• ECHR finds no grounds for introduction of interim measures in lawsuit filed by banned organization Jehovah's Witnesses 21 March 2019, 15:57
• Two U.S. Mormons convicted in Kuban for illegal missionary activities leave Russia 20 March 2019, 20:56
• FSB suppresses operation of Jehovah's Witnesses group in Yalta 20 March 2019, 19:09
• Metropolitan Onufry believes Ukrainian Orthodox Church will overcome the schism 19 March 2019, 10:55
• Many-thousand processions with cross held in Ukraine 19 March 2019, 10:53
• Russian embassy to Estonia condemns anti-Semitic verbal attack on chief rabbi 19 March 2019, 10:47
• Erdogan invited to inaugurate Crimean mosque - Putin (updated) 19 March 2019, 10:40
• C. Asia's most unique mosque to be built in Astana - Nazarbayev 18 March 2019, 18:30
• Estonian PM calls chief rabbi to express support, condemns anti-Semitic verbal attack on him 18 March 2019, 11:05
• Georgian president calls on Armenian Church to change its mind regarding subordination of Abkhazian parishes 15 March 2019, 17:34
• Russian Culture Ministry suggests discussing future of Spaso-Andronikov Monastery in commission for liaison between Church and museum community 15 March 2019, 15:36
• Position on transfer of Spaso-Andronikov Monastery to Russian Orthodox Church unformed, presence of museum objects needs to be taken into account - Peskov 15 March 2019, 15:33
• Patriarch asking State Property Management Agency to give Spaso-Andronikov Monastery to Russian Orthodox Church 15 March 2019, 15:26
• Terror attack in New Zealand shocks with its cruelty and cynicism - Putin 15 March 2019, 11:45
• Irkutsk shamans pay 3,000 rubles fine for sacrificing camels 'to strengthen Russia' 14 March 2019, 18:20
• Greek Church again postpones issue of recognition of Orthodox Church of Ukraine 14 March 2019, 18:17
• UN calls on Ukrainian authorities to observe rights of Ukrainian Orthodox Church flock 14 March 2019, 17:59
• Some 25% of Russians worshiping Orthodoxy keep fasts – poll 13 March 2019, 14:06
• Putin donates money for icon for Russian Armed Forces' main cathedral – Peskov 13 March 2019, 12:54
• Ukraine's Constitutional Court refuses to consider legality of Rada decision to support autocephaly tomos 13 March 2019, 12:12
• Poroshenko promised Patriarchate of Constantinople Ukrainian property in exchange for autocephaly tomos (updated) 12 March 2019, 14:44
• The Russian Orthodox Church does not strive to set up a copy of Russian Orthodoxy in Asia - expert 12 March 2019, 13:47
• Russia's level of anti-Semitism is 'conditionally harmless' - FJCR president 11 March 2019, 12:50
• Krasnodar Territorial Court upholds deportation of 2 U.S. religious missionaries from Russia 07 March 2019, 16:53
• One of 2 U.S. Mormons detained in southern Russia to be deported 07 March 2019, 14:44
• U.S. Mormons to be deported from Russia for illegal teaching 07 March 2019, 13:03
• Peskov couldn't confirm media reports on detention of 2 Mormons in southern Russia 06 March 2019, 12:54
• Russian Orthodox Church rep notes Christians' role in ending Cold War 05 March 2019, 17:54
• Some 30,000 people leaving Venezuela every day - U.S. preacher 05 March 2019, 17:24
• Patriarch Kirill urges Russian, U.S. Christians to work towards overcoming standoff 05 March 2019, 17:22

Other news