The head of the northern northern diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church complains about the absence of those who wish to serve in these harsh conditions

Bishop Naryan-Mar and Mezensky Jacob spoke about the difficulties that he faces in his mission in the harsh conditions of the Far North.

“We have a large village of Nesa, there is an old temple there, a year and a half ago I flew there at a meeting of the villagers. Representatives of the administration talked about social problems, projects, plans. I also turned to the residents of the village and asked the fundamental question: is there someone who would provide a church care. Interview withthe Interfax religion portal.

According to the Orthodox hierarch, there were not a single one of the Russians among the inhabitants of this one and a half thousandth of the village. "What can we say about the Nenza?" - said the bishop of the northern diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He recalled how, in the 19th century, Metropolitan of the Moscow and Kolomensky St. Innocent (Veniamins), who became the first Orthodox bishop of Kamchatka, Yakutia, Amurlya and North America, described the same problem, although it was the era of the Orthodox state, when the temples and people were believers everywhere.

"In the seminaries and academies, he did not find a single person who would agree to go to Siberia, although the church was in the maintenance of the state at that time. Now the problems were aggravated. After all, the priest’s service is not the service of the officer and not fulfilling the professional duties of anyone. It should be the calling of God and a deep faith that would have exalted to sacrificial ministry of God and people," he emphasized Bishop Jacob.

He pointed out that the North was actually abandoned during the collapse of the state and this used the forces that represent foreign capital.

“Then, by and large, a slow -off mine was laid, an ideological sabotage was carried out. Baptist preachers, protesting pastors with American and Norwegian money carried out uncontrolled propaganda,” the bishop emphasized.

The drunkenness of the local population plus an atheistic environment - "on this basis, paganism is revived because a person cannot live without God," he said.

At the same time, the bishop stated that people are drawn to faith, and gave an example with the land of Franz Joseph, where the northern temple in the world is operating - the Church of St. Nicholas on the island of the earth of Alexandra.

“This is the north of the archipelago, there is a border outpost - 28 people with wives and children, a priest arrives at them, and the service is performed. When you arrive on Franz Joseph, the first question that you hear from the inhabitants of this extreme northern point of our state: will there be a service. So thank God, the times of favorable, much depends on the priest and his prayer assistance to people,” he added.