By Tom Washington
Moscow News
November 15, 2010
http://themoscownews.com/society/20101115/188202678.html?referfrommn
 |
The nuns of Svyato-Bogolyubovsky are not exactly on the run – but the controversial convent is attracting the wrath of the righteous.
Mother Superior Gerogiya and Archimandrite Peter were both fired by Father Yevlogy, archbishop of Vladimir and Suzdal, "in accordance with the charter of the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian legislation," Lifenews.ru reported.
The convent, which hit the headlines earlier this year over allegations of child cruelty, is also to be banned from housing youngsters, and its staff will be prevented from working with children.
Clearing the air
"The complicated situation around St. Bogolyubsky Convent was widely discussed in church and secular circles receiving absolutely different and sometimes contradicting assessments," the archbishop told RIA Novosti.
Father Innokenty, the secretary of the Vladimir and Suzdal archdiocese, said the archbishop has taken the situation in the convent and its boarding school seriously and acted to bring under them control.
"We will seriously revise the internal developments in the convent and the boarding school, examine the situation and correct any problems found," he said.
He added that the archbishop fired the clergy to make them feel responsibility for what was going on but there are no reports of criminal prosecutions.
History of abuse
The priest and prioress were sacked after the second complaint of abuse was lodged. Former pupil Valentina Perova wrote a letter to President Dmitry Medvedev and Patriarch a year ago telling of conditions in the convent and the nuns' treatment of the children, but an ensuing investigation found no basis for a prosecution.
Another escape this autumn highlighted the issue again and brought about the dismissals. Children have claimed they endured exhausting work in the convent's fields, eating cups of salt, starvation, being locked in cells and the strap.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.