Archpriest Andrei Lemeshanok complained about inspections. And called the trips of the nuns of St. Elisabeth Convent around Europe "heroic"
Andrei Lemeshanok, confessor of St. Elisabeth Convent, admitted that he has been summoned for many years, writes "Christian Vision".
Vladimir Putin with Andrei Lemeshanok. Photo: kremlin.ru
"Here I am, truly, on a powder keg for many years now, because I don't know who will write what about us, and I get summoned. You understand, it's easy to say when you are responsible for people, it's completely different, you understand? It's completely different. But it allows you not to relax, though at some point it becomes very difficult. Very difficult, honestly, yes. And you want some respite," he said during his broadcast on YouTube.
A year ago, the monastery temporarily stopped accepting notes on-site – this was due to a financial audit, "Christian Vision" points out. The audit was initiated by both the leadership of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and state bodies. The reason was complaints about financial abuses in the monastery.
Lemeshanok also admitted in the broadcast that the sisters of his monastery continue to trade in France and Switzerland. He said that they had only recently returned from a trip.
Lemeshanok called their journey in Western European countries with Belarusian license plates "heroic".
St. Elisabeth Convent is known for supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine.
Last year, Putin personally awarded Lemeshanok the Pushkin Medal – "for a great contribution to the preservation and popularization of the Russian language and culture abroad." Hegumenia Gavriila of Grodno also received the same medal.