Russian Security Officers Search Unification Church Communities

Law enforcement officers searched premises used by Unification Church communities in Russia on November 1, according to a report by journalist Igor Caporiki. The source describes the searches as taking place at community-related premises.

The reporter said the organization was based in a small cultural house in the south of a city, which the source does not name. The building still bears symbols associated with the group. According to the reporter, signs of religious rites and mass meetings were visible inside.

The source also reports that the community holds services to which schoolchildren are invited. At these services, participants sing, dance and listen to “lectures” by representatives of the movement, while the preachers are said to speak remotely by video link. Protecting young people in such settings is a matter of guarding the vulnerable (Mark 9:42).

In October, the General Assembly acknowledged the “undesired” activities of three foreign non-governmental organizations, which the agency said were under the control of the church. The source names one of the organizations as the Federation for World Peace, though the name is incomplete in the text available.

An earlier report, citing a source, said that on August 25 in St. Petersburg, members of the church were involved in an incident. The available text does not clearly describe what took place.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Russian)