Patriarch Kirill appeared in public with a stolen panagia of the Ukrainian metropolitan (photo).

The panagia, stolen by the Ukrainian metropolitan, has found a new owner

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, wore a panagia that was stolen in 2016 from the residence of the Ukrainian metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynka). The medallion belonged to the late Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan). This was reported by 'Hromadske' with reference to the Spiritual Front of Ukraine.

The panagia was stolen from the safe of Metropolitan Oleksandr in Khodosivka in Kyiv region in 2016. On April 6, 2017, during a special operation by the National Police, a group of individuals was detained while trying to sell part of the stolen property worth $500,000, and part of the stolen property belonging to Metropolitan Oleksandr was seized.

Among those arrested, according to law enforcement data, were two priests of the Moscow Church: Stepan Bents and Oleksiy Savenko. The latter is still the rector of the Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian in Poznyaky (Hryshka Street 1). However, only the now-deceased priest Bents was under suspicion. Subsequently, he made a plea deal, and according to the victim’s side, it was done without their notice and consent. Other identified persons pointed out by Bents have not been held accountable.

Subsequently, the investigation stalled. Part of the stolen property remains unaccounted for.

The panagia (from Greek 'most holy') is a small icon of the Mother of God (less often Savior, Trinity, saints, crucifixion, biblical scenes), most often of a round shape, worn by bishops on the chest. The right to wear a second panagia is a privilege of the heads of local churches and is also awarded for special merits.

We remind you that the Security Service has gathered evidence against 14 high-ranking Russian clerics who promote the Kremlin regime in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The 76-year-old Metropolitan Ionaфan of Tulchin and Bratslav of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (in the world - Anatoliy Yeletskykh) received a sentence of five years in prison with property confiscation. According to the Supreme Court's ruling, this verdict has entered into force and is not subject to appeal.

Analysis

This article examines the case of the theft of church relics and their appropriation by individuals associated with the Moscow Church. It highlights the problems related to the religious sphere in Ukraine. The mentioned events are part of a larger issue of separatism and destabilization of society through religious questions.