Not all members of the Russian Orthodox Church clergy share the opinion of the ROC leadership about the need for mass vaccination against coronavirus.
The cleric with the Minsk Elizabethan Convent of the ROC’s Belarusian Exarchate, Archpriest Andrei Lemeshonok, offered his parishioners what he believes are “strong arguments,” responding to the question about the need for getting jabs, Ahilla reports.
The ROC cleric first said everyone has freedom of choice, adding that he chose instead to follow in the footsteps of “Europe’s last dictator” Alexander Lukashenko so he won’t get vaccinated.
“Illness is not accidental, and death is neither. Everything is in God’s hands. And no matter how much we vaccinate, no matter what we do, you and I will not live on this earth for an extra minute,” Archpriest Andrei Lemeshonok said.
At the same time, Ahilla recalls that throughout the pandemic period, the cleric has been an outright covid-dissident, opposing mask regulations, and up to the last moment denied the fact of mass COVID-19 infection at the monastery.
In turn, it will be recalled that the Elizabethan convent of the ROC’s Belarusian Exarchate was earlier embroiled in a no lower-profile scandal. In May of this year, the acclaimed regent and church composer, nun Iuliania (Denisova), along with the entire professional choir she led had quit from the monastery.
While Nun Iuliania (Denisova) never publicly spoke of her decision, the local priest, Archpriest Andrei Lemeshonok, commented quite sharply, claiming that Denisova “didn’t understand monastic life, didn’t want to live in obedience,” and therefore fell into “Satan’s paws.”
