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On Wednesday, the SKP said that it suspects that an Orthodox priest with links to St Petersburg’s FK Zenit sexually abused two children during a holiday trip to a Greek island. Law enforcement officials said that they have put Fr Gleb Grozovsky on an international wanted list over allegations that he abused two underage girls at an Orthodox summer camp earlier this year. Grozovsky, 34, is suspected of abusing the two girls, aged 9 and 12, in June at a hotel on the grounds of the Philadelphia Orthodox Travel Club on the Greek island of Kos, as well as committing “a range of similar crimes in St Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast”.
On Wednesday, Grozovsky wrote on his page on the VKontakte social networking site, “… The accusations are fabricated and result from my social activism and firm civil stance”. He said that parents and children’s camp staff were present during the trip and had “seen everything with their own eyes”, adding that he’d been accompanied on the holiday by his family, including his four children. The Diocese of St Petersburg suspended Grozovsky pending the probe, meaning that he retains his clerical status, but he isn’t allowed to carry out any public duties.
The SKP noted that the clergyman, who formerly served a rural parish in Leningrad Oblast, was an adviser to FK Zenit’s general director. A spokesman for Zenit said that Grozovsky, who studied at one of the city’s specialised football schools, doesn’t hold any official office at the football club, but observed that some of the club’s players turned to the priest on an individual basis, saying, “We’ve known Gleb since 2007 and can give positive references”.
Last Friday, a court issued an arrest warrant for Grozovsky, who’s thought to be on a work-related trip to Israel. His defence appealed the ruling. The charges launched against the priest carry a maximum punishment of up to 20 years imprisonment. The accusations are a rare incidence of paedophilia-related cases involving Russian Orthodox clergy. On Wednesday, Fyodor Gorbunov, the mayor of the village where the priest formerly served said that he was “amazed” to hear about the allegations, and gave a positive assessment of Grozovsky’s work, telling RIA-Novosti, “Young people are drawn to him, and he’s a good organiser”.
6 November 2013
RIA-Novosti
Editor’s Note:
THIS is why the Mother Church is more honest. It has to operate in the full glare of scrutiny from the media and government. Here in the diaspora, the Church is small enough to “fall below the radar horizon”, which means that feral sorts such as Lyonyo, Paffso, Potapov, Dreher, Royster, Bobby K, Ray Velencia, and Erickson get away (and got away) with murder. Trust me, had the Iliff affair (click here and here) happened in Russia, they wouldn’t have buried it. To put it bluntly, it’d sell MK millions of copies, and that’s why the media covers stories… to get audiences for their paid adverts. The Church moved quickly after MK broke the story of the sex abuse scandal in the Vladimir Diocese. Watch for similar fast action here… if for no other reason than to scotch the flames. Grozovsky smells like a goner to me…
BMD
Voices from Russia 
St Petersburg Police Foil Attempted Race-Hate Clash Provocation
Tags: Eid al-Adha, Islam, political commentary, politics, Religion, Religion and Spirituality, Russia, Russian, Saint Petersburg, St Petersburg
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On Wednesday, St Petersburg Police Chief MVD Major General Sergei Umnov said that cops forestalled an attempt by nationalists to incite interethnic clashes during important Islamic holiday celebrations in Russia’s second largest city. He said that nationalists planned to stir up unrest in the city during the festivities for Eid al-Adha, celebrated in Russia from Tuesday to Thursday this year, in a bid to “to square off natives of St Petersburg against immigrants from the Caucasus and southern borders”, who are predominantly Muslims.
According to police, unidentified leaders of nationalist movements paid two young men to pretend that Muslim emigrants injured them in attacks. One of the young men gave himself a self-inflicted knife wound, whilst an accomplice shot the other in the back with a non-lethal firearm. Later, both took pictures of their wounds and posted them on social websites, claiming they came from attacks on them by emigrants, calling on people to take to the streets in response. A spokesman for the cops said that the two young men confessed that the attacks were shams after investigators doubted the credibility of their allegations during questioning. The police added that the youth who staged the gunshot wound to his back said that the perps paid him 20,000 roubles (625 USD. 645 CAD. 655 AUD. 460 Euros. 390 UK Pounds) to agree to stage the injury.
Umnov said that the SKP opened a criminal case on charges of incitement of racial-hatred, and police are looking for the organisers of the foiled plot. The incident comes after Moscow witnessed a major surge of inter-ethnic tensions last weekend, which flared up after an emigrant, believed by police to be foreign, stabbed a native Muscovite to death last week. On Sunday and Monday, cops detained hundreds of people overnight in response to the violence that erupted in Moscow’s southern Biryulyovo neighbourhood, where the stabbing took place, after protests over the murder turned into a mass riot.
16 October 2013
RIA-Novosti
http://en.ria.ru/crime/20131016/184185287/St-Petersburg-Police-Foil-Attempted-Race-Hate-Clash-Provocation.html
Editor’s Note:
Islam is one of the Big Four Traditional Religions (Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism) of Russia. Any questions? The authorities treat Islam and Muslims with respect… as does the Church. The American konvertsy who echo sectarian hatred of Muslims are chock fulla shit. As for me, I agree with HH and with VAC… they respect Muslims and treat Islam with full courtesy. It’s up to you to choose your stance. I’ve chosen mine… it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where I stand… and I’m NOT alone…
By the way, there are extremist Far Right elements in ROCOR who echo the nationalist haters in Russia. These are the same folks who sucked up to (or, are still sucking up) to Langley (do remember how they brought that provocateur John Herbst to the talks discussing unity with the MP). Don’t fall for their lying cant. Most probably, it’s a provocation to weaken and discredit the Rodina. Look at who associates with whom… both now and in the past… after all, shitbirds of a feather DO flock together.
BMD