| The priest left the parishioner's family without an apartment An unusual scandal is breaking out in the small town of Revda, Sverdlovsk region: a parishioner of the local Holy Trinity Church is trying to sue the rector for her own apartment, which she bequeathed to him in exchange for healing by the word of God. Anfisa Petrovna Selezneva wrote a deed of gift for her two-room apartment in Revda a little over a year ago. It was then that the pensioner suddenly became paralyzed, and she entered into a “cooperation agreement” with the rector of the local church, Mikhail Mikhailov. Father Mikhail promised that constant care would be provided for the unfortunate woman. At the same time, the clergyman swore that either he himself or one of the parishioners, who would finally have the opportunity to help a truly needy person, would provide care. The last argument that influenced Anfisa Petrovna was Father Mikhail’s promise to heal the woman with the word of God.
Since official medicine did not promise her any miracles, the desperate woman believed Father Mikhail. Naturally - at my word. You won’t demand from your confessor an official agreement “on the provision of healing services.” And how can one even require a clergyman to sign any papers when he is a model of morality and morality for the entire city. But for the priest, just one word was not enough. And therefore, the only document that appeared after long meetings and conversations between the pensioner and the rector of the church was a deed of gift for a two-room apartment in the name of Father Mikhail. According to this document, certified by a notary, after the death of citizen Selezneva, the property should pass to her confessor and guardian.
However, the pensioner did not receive any help from the rector of the church. Instead of other parishioners, she is looked after by her son, who only last summer accidentally learned that the apartment in which his mother lives no longer belongs to her and that its rightful owner is Father Mikhail. The young man tried to have a heart-to-heart talk with the clergyman, but Selezneva’s son was unable to convince Father Mikhail to return the apartment. Then the son convinced his mother to sue the deceiving priest. The Selezneva family lost their first trial - the Revdinsky City Court recognized that the owner of the living space is now Father Mikhail: the deed of gift in his name was signed by Selezneva of sound mind and, moreover, certified by a notary. The agreement on assistance, which existed only in words, did not become evidence during the trial.
Having lost the first time, the Seleznevs filed a cassation appeal with the regional court, which declared the decision of the lower court illegitimate and sent the case back to Revda for another hearing. However, the mother and son failed to regain their two-room apartment. The magistrate, who re-examined the claim, again recognized the deed of gift as legal, and all other statements of the plaintiff as unprovable. Now the family is again waiting for the decision of the regional court, where the cassation appeal has been sent again. At the same time, the Seleznevs also wrote letters to Patriarch Alexy II and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It is still unknown how the head of state and the first hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church will react to their complaints. And from the point of view of civil law, according to the clergyman’s lawyer Nikolai Parkyshev, the parishioner’s lawsuit has no special prospects, since, according to all documents, the apartment belongs to Father Mikhail. True, in this case a natural question arises - how strong are the moral foundations of the shepherd from the Holy Trinity Church, who violated one of the seven commandments and “desired the good of his neighbor.” At the last court hearing, the wife of Mikhail’s father, the mother of eight children, called to testify, barely holding back tears, said that if she had known under what conditions her husband received ownership of the apartment, she would never have accepted such a gift. But in fairness, it should be noted that before being summoned to court, this woman was unable or unwilling to convince her husband.
Parishioners of the Revda Church of the Holy Trinity have also not yet expressed any particular concern about the moral character of their pastor. Parishioner Alexandra Ivanovna, who keeps order in the church in the priest’s absence, said that she tries not to go into details of the scandal. “I know that Father Mikhail did not intend to evict anyone from the apartment, and I don’t understand why they filed a lawsuit,” shared Alexandra Ivanovna. - Yes, and how can a priest evict you from an apartment, deceive you? I can’t even think about it.”
Father Mikhail Mikhailov himself, as well as his colleagues in the Yekaterinburg diocese, are holding up surprisingly steadfastly. The information and publishing department of the diocese, which performs the functions of the press service, told the correspondent of the newspaper Vremya Novostei that they know nothing about the Revda conflict between the parishioner and the rector of the church. The response was similar in the missionary department of the diocese, known for its active struggle against various sects. At the same time, the clergy, who usually blame the sectarians for wanting to get as much property as possible from their followers, generally refused to comment, advising them to contact Father Mikhail himself. We were not able to talk with Father Mikhail, since the shepherd has been hiding from journalists for several days. Mikhail VIUGIN, Ekaterinburg |
|
