Bereaved father punches priest who refused to bury his toddler son

A bereaved father has punched a priest who refused to bury his toddler son because the family belonged to a rival Church.

The son of Roman Polishchuk died when he was struck by a man committing suicide by jumping from the eighth floor of a building. His father was with him and witnessed the tragedy and the boy's mother came out of the building seconds after the incident, but paramedics were unable to save him.

Priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate. Reuters

The city in the central Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia is dominated by the Orthodox Church loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. Because the family belong to the rival Kiev Patriarchate, the priest they asked to conduct the funeral, Yevgen Molchanov, refused to do so and a scuffle broke out inside the church.

Polishchuk told local news site Forpost: 'The priest said our baby was unchristened and our church was a sham.

'My wife cried and threw herself before him on her knees, but this did not help.'

Molchanov told Forpost: 'I am very sorry. I feel for those people. But there are certain lines I cannot cross. A child christened by the Kiev Patriarchate remains unchristened – and the Kiev Church itself is a hoax.'

The boy was eventually christened posthumuously to allow the funeral to proceed.

Orthodoxy in Ukraine splintered into factions loyal to Moscow and Kiev when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and the two Churches are bitterly hostile to each other.

A spokesman for the Kiev Patriarchate, Yevstratiy Zorya, wrote on Facebook: 'There is no official document from the Moscow Patriarchate saying this must be the case. This is all completely arbitrary and based on some verbal orders that are issued under the guise of secret "canons".'

News
The woeful ignorance of Justin Welby - Part Two 
The woeful ignorance of Justin Welby - Part Two 

Polyamory and open marriages are the next frontier for progressives. Yet the Church seems to be sleeping at the wheel.

Christian family expelled from Indian village after forced conversion attempt
Christian family expelled from Indian village after forced conversion attempt

Chhattisgarh is increasingly becoming a concerning place for Christians

Ugandan Christian convert killed by Muslim relatives while praying at home
Ugandan Christian convert killed by Muslim relatives while praying at home

A 37-year-old Christian convert in eastern Uganda was killed by members of his own family on Friday 18 July after they forced their way into his home and found him praying in the name of Jesus, according to local sources.

The Bible and food: why it's so much more than eating
The Bible and food: why it's so much more than eating

Eating - and eating together - is never a side note in the biblical story. It is one of the ways God forms community, renews covenant, and reveals Himself.