http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=4688
19 May 2008, 15:51
St. Petersburg diocese demands to ban the advertising of the false relics
St. Petersburg/Moscow, May 19, Interfax - The St. Petersburg diocese
calls to put an end to the activity of a schismatic group headed by
Vadim Lurye, which disseminates false advertising messages
encouraging believers to visit the Holy Relics of St. Nicholas and
Great Martyr St. Panteleimon and order church services in the Mount
Athos monasteries.
As reported before, such advertising can be seen everywhere in the
central streets of St. Petersburg. The Church of St. Elizabeth was
mentioned as a place where the relics were allegedly brought for
public worship. Lurye is the dean of this church.
"We are receiving a lot of complaints from people and have already
forwarded several requests to the relevant authorities asking to
restrict the advertising of the false relics," said Monday the head
of the missionary department of the diocese Fr. Georgy Ioffe.
Earlier, the St. Petersburg diocese made a special public statement
claiming that "the Relics of St. Nicholas stay permanently in Italy
(Bari) and have never been taken outside of the city," and "the
actions of this "church" (the Church of St. Elizabeth at the mortuary
of St. Elizabeth Hospital - IF) misleads many orthodox believers and
discredits the activity of the Russian Orthodox Church."
According to the diocese members, billboards and posters promoting
the relics carry no identification signage that the organization in
charge of this adverts has no relation to the Orthodox Church, and
therefore, says Fr. Georgy, Orthodox believers had to add their own
leaflets which read: "Beware of sect!"
In his turn, Director of the Center for Human Rights Protection of
the World Russian People's Council Roman Silantyev, referred to the
above situation as being outrageous.
"We have received complaints before, which claimed that the community
of the so called "hegumen Lurye" had distinct criminal inclinations
and was supervised by gangsters who made their money on reading the
burial services and scheming with false relics, but mostly on the
mass production of paid prayers," said Silantyev to Interfax-Religion
on Monday.
Silantyev also reported that the Center for Human Rights Protection
is currently drafting an appeal to the St. Petersburg City
Prosecutor's Office "requesting to inspect such evidences and take
the most efficient measures to stop such shady deals."
Besides, the human rights activist also told IF about his intention
to ask the chief physician of St. Elizabeth Hospital a few questions
about what "alive swindlers headed by "archbishop" Sebastian Zhatkov
who had served his sentence for pedophilia, and is known to
theologians as "pedophiles' sect" or as the sect of
"neopedophiles-luryeists" are doing in the hospital's mortuary."
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