Moscow, June 13, 2013
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| Church of the Synaxis of Saints of Moscow in Bibirevo. Photo: temples.ru |
"The man is, according to preliminary information, a Tajik citizen. He burst into the Church and began to destroy everything around, at the same time wildly shouting anti-Christian slogans and insulting all those present," reported to a correspondent of Interfax-Religion Yuri Ageschev, coordinator for the Orthodox Brotherhood Union and assistant of the Rector of the Church on missionary work.
According to him, the Cossacks who guard this Church, along with ordinary parishioners, halted the vandal.
The law-enforcement bodies arrived to the site of occurrence efficiently.
According to Y. Ageschev, the man was taken to a psychiatric hospital for mental health inspection.
The Rector of the Church of all Saints of Moscow at the St. Lazarus cemetery is the famous missionary Igumen Sergy (Rybko). Last year he wrote instructions for his parishioners what to do in case of sacrilegious acts, according to the Krestovsky Most newspaper.
"Because of attacks on churches and desecration of Orthodox shrines, which have become more frequent, I ask all to pay a particular attention to suspicious visitors. In cases of any possible intention to commit outrages, theft of icons and relics, and, in particular, attempts to get onto the ambo or into the altar, immediately take measures.” This notice was placed at the entrance of one of Father Sergy's churches.
The priest called upon parishioners in such cases to loudly call for help, to notify the guards, not to feel ashamed to stop the troublemakers themselves with physical force".
The rector also posted Cossacks as security guards at the gates of the church and installed video surveillance cameras.
