The festive Theophany services were disrupted at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Sumy today when unknown perpetrators threw explosives at the narthex of the church. Fortunately, no one in the crowded church was injured, reports the Sumy Diocese website.
The explosion occurred during the services. Field investigators and bomb technicians promptly arrived on the scene.
Cathedral parishioners are inclined to believe the daring crime is a direct consequence of aggressive rhetoric inciting religious conflict, which is strongly supported on the official level. The inaction of the authorities and law enforcement especially increase the risk of the recurrence of such incidents.
The same cathedral was just vandalized with graffiti on January 15.
In late October, the three dioceses of the Sumy Province declared their loyalty to the canonical Church and its primate His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine: Sumy, Romny, and Konotop.
