When a Russian Orthodox diocese couldn't pay back its debt, it settled in court to ‘pray it back’

The Nizhny Novgorod Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church has agreed to pray for the health of employees at a contractor company, in order to settle an outstanding debt. The settlement was formally concluded in a local arbitration court.

According to court documents, the diocese previously signed a contract with the “Era” company to complete certain design work, but the church only paid half of the bill. The company then brought the matter to court, demanding payment of the remaining 500,000 rubles ($6,300), but both sides were able to reach an amicable agreement before the trial began: the church would pay back another 200,000 rubles ($2,500), and it would pray for the health of the company's general director and sales manager.

According to the website Petersburg Legal Portal, this is the first time in Russian legal history that prayers have been made a condition of a court settlement. The site also points out that there's no way to supervise the offering of prayers, though the court is legally mandated to verify that both sides of the settlement meet their obligations.