The Church of Sweden has called on its parishes to no longer have dealings with the St. Elisabeth Convent in Minsk.
The Church of Sweden has sent a recommendation to its parishes not to invite nuns from the Minsk St. Elisabeth Convent to their events. The reason given is reports of the convent's ties to the Russian state and support for the war against Ukraine: the official statement mentions "close contacts with the GRU" and subordination to the Moscow Patriarchate, writes "Christian Vision".
St. Elisabeth Monastery at one of the fairs in Western Europe. Illustrative photo
According to the Church of Sweden's estimates, 10-20 parishes collaborated with the Minsk nuns, where the sisters came to Advent and Christmas fairs to sell handicrafts. The Täby parish near Stockholm, where the nuns were last seen, has already apologized for this and announced a break in contacts "for the duration of the war."
Representatives of the St. Elisabeth Monastery themselves deny the accusations and claim that the proceeds from the fairs allegedly go only to help the poor and care for the elderly.
In the context of this discussion, the Swedish Minister for Migration Johan Forssell stated that he would discuss with the migration service the possibility of revising the rules of stay in the country for persons associated with the interests of the Russian state, stressing that Sweden "is not obliged to show hospitality to those who support Russian aggression against Ukraine."