In September 2024, a message spread in social networks that the Ukrainian priest did not catch the dead soldiers of the Armed Forces, since they were baptized in churches subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate. We found out whether this news corresponds to reality.

A video about a priest who came into a conflict with a crowd of people with Ukrainian flags began to spread on the network on September 7. It was published in such Telegram channels as "Dmitry Nicotin"(383,000 views at the time of writing this analysis),"Ukraine.ru"(144 000) and Alex Parker Returns (113,000 views), as well as in X, Facebook And "VKontakte". The signature of the video says that its author captured the priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (PCU), who refuses to sake the dead Ukrainian soldiers baptized in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of the Moscow Patriarchate. It is specified that the conflict occurred in Chernivtsi.

Two main Orthodox churches operate in Ukraine: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which received autocephaly from the Constantinople Orthodox Church. Moscow Patriarchate He thinks PCs Raskolnichesky and in 2018 even abandoned the Eucharistic communication with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. This meant that the priests of the UOC and PCU could not serve together, and people baptized in the PCU could not be communed in the temples of the UOC (and vice versa).

May 27, 2022 Cathedral of the UOC declared About the complete independence and independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and removed from its name the phrase “Moscow Patriarchate”. However, in Ukraine, many still consider the UOC to be closely related to Russia, and on August 20, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law On the prohibition of the activities of religious organizations related to the Russian Orthodox Church. Soon the document was signed by the president of the country Vladimir Zelensky. Supposedthat after the transitional period, the authorities will be able to close parishes that maintain relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.

The content of the viral roller does not fully correspond to the signature. A man standing in the crowd really asks: “On what basis are you not allowed our two dead guys to catch here? Where is your conscience? " However, in the response of the priest there is not a word about church jurisdiction, to which the deceased belonged to: “I will tell you why you understand. Because I cannot serve with them. If you want the funeral of Capellana or PCU to serve, then I ... do not ask me to bring them to the church. ” At this moment, he indicates a young man standing nearby in a protective color T -shirt. In combination with the signature to the video, this dialogue sounds strange: if the author of the video captured the priest of the PCU, then why can't he “petition with the PCU”?

"Verified" studied the video using the person recognition service Pimeyes. Judging by the results of the analysis, a man in a protective -colored T -shirt is actually a chaplain (military priest) PCU Vladimir Ridny (Pedko), and a man in priestly vestments - Archpriest UPC John Lavrishin.

On the left - about. Vladimir Ridny (screenshot Instagram), on the right - about. John Lavrishin (screenshot of official site Cherkasy diocese of the UOC)

FACHECHERS from the project "ґvara Medіa" Installedthat the video was shot not in Chernivtsi, but in the village of Irkliev of the Cherkasy region. Lavrishin was the senior priest of the Trinity Cathedral located there. June 2, 2023, the inhabitants of Irkliev and several neighboring villages voted for The transition of the community From the UOC to the PCU, however, the Cathedral's Counter refused to leave the temple, not recognizing the decision made by the parishioners. In fact, the Trinity Cathedral transferred to the control of PCU only on August 10, 2023 - the Moscow Patriarchate Name These events raider seizure.

Then, that is, more than a year ago, a viral video was shot - "verified" discovered It is in the profile of the Ridny on Instagram. On August 9, 2023, Capellan published him along with the signature: “The priest of the UOC MP refused the relatives of the soldier who gave his life, protecting Ukraine, to bring the coffin to the church for funeral service. He explained this simply: he did not want the chaplains of the PCU, who should be shoulder to the shoulder on the forefront with the military, buried him with him. P. S. There are not a single priest from the UOC MP among the chaplains on the front line. ” The description of events in this explanation corresponds to the dialogue on the video. In its next post on August 10, Ridny reportedthat in the Trinity Cathedral the village of Irkliev, the PCU worship took place for the first time.

The earliest publication of the video, accompanied by an incorrect description of what is happening and discovered “verified”, was posted on September 7 at 11:10 Moscow time in the Telegram channel “The whisper of the front"(80,000 views). Previously "verified" already repeatedly Cauced This resource c distribution inaccurate information.

Thus, the video shows not a priest of the PCU, refusing to sing along the Ukrainian military baptized in the parishes of the UOC, but a priest of the UOC, refusing to perform the rite with the "colleagues" from the PCU. At the same time, the video was not shot in Chernivtsi in 2024, but in the Cherkasy region in 2023.

Photo on the cover: a screenshot of a viral video