The Synodal Information Department of the Belarusian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement in connection with the activation of pseudo-religious organizations and communities in the dioceses. As noted in the document, their activities are aimed at distorting the Orthodox faith, spreading false information and creating divisions among believers.
According to the Synodal Information Department, representatives of such associations may pose as Orthodox clergy and conduct non-canonical "divine services" in private houses and apartments decorated in the likeness of churches. They create fake pages of parishes, monasteries and clergy on social networks, publish false materials about the Belarusian Orthodox Church, and also distribute texts distorting church teaching on behalf of well-known clergy.
In addition, believers are encouraged to refuse to visit canonical parishes and join secret or underground religious communities. Some of these organizations, as emphasized in the statement, are recognized as extremist in the territory of the Republic of Belarus.
The Belarusian Orthodox Church urges believers to be attentive to information published on the Internet, to verify its accuracy and not to distribute materials of questionable content. Information about a person's membership in the clergy, as well as the authenticity of the pages of parishes and monasteries, is recommended to be clarified using official church sources.
In case of doubt, you can contact the office of the relevant diocesan administration, the diocesan Department for Anti-Sectarian work or the Synodal Center for Sectarian Studies named after St. Joseph Volotsky of the Belarusian Orthodox Church by e-mail: centernrm@gmail.com .
The statement also urges not to replace church life by watching questionable materials on social networks, but to personally participate in divine services and the Sacraments of the Church, to turn to prayer and communicate directly with the clergy in churches and monasteries.