Pussy Riot gave a "concert" in Yelokhovo Cathedral two days before their action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

Moscow, March 19, Interfax - The Pussy Riot performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was not the first group's action in a shrine.

"On February 19, two days before their blasphemous escapade in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the same group tried to stage something the same in the Epiphany Cathedral in Yelokhovo. They tried to play the guitars, but parishioners stopped this action and removed them from the church," head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told Interfax-Religion on Monday.

According to him, the video filmed in the Epiphany Cathedral was then included in the video about their action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The video was posted in the Pussy Riot LiveJournal.

"This episode shows that the action was seriously prepared, many people organized it, including those who recorded it," the interviewee of the agency said.

He said it is important to determine all organizers and possible masterminds of the action, those who took part in its preparation, and those who disseminate the text and the video of the actions.

"I am convinced that this text and this video are extremist materials and their dissemination constitutes an extremist activity. Read the law on the prevention of extremist activities and you will see that it described exactly what we see in this video and text," the priest said, adding that the video and the text "clearly fan hatred against Orthodox people and allege their inferiority."

He said that "kindling hatred to Orthodox is evident, believers are considered defective."

"They say the believers are "crawling to bow". Religious feelings are insulted. The name of God is mentioned together with abusive words and it is certainly kindling hatred between believers and atheists. Provocative blasphemy and improper behavior in church are promoted. It is more than hooliganism, it's instigation to hatred between people," Father Vsevold believes.

The current debate on this performance is "the feud fanned by the organizers and participants in this performance," he said.

"They have declared war on Orthodox people, and there will be a war. However, responsibility for it rests with those who started it. If the blasphemers are not punished, God will punish them in eternity and here through people," Father Vsevolod said.

On February 21, the feminist punk group Pussy Riot gave a performance near the entrance to the altar of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The young women said their performance was "a punk prayer." A criminal case was opened on the basis of the Russian Criminal Code article dealing with hooliganism.