Censer on problems. As strip clubs consecrate in Russia, voting urns and nuclear missiles

In Krasnodar, employees of the State traffic inspectorate and traffic police, led by the priest, went through the procession along the section of the Temryuk-Krasnodar highway, where dozens of people die in car accident due to hunger and poor lighting every year. The Insider recalls other cases when, with the help of religious rites, Russians are trying to solve a variety of problems.

Expulsion of evil perfumes from Rutube servers

In March 2011, the Orthodox priest Father Victor consecrated the RUTUBE video hosting server, having expelled evil spirits from them. Rutube technical experts were worried that holy water could damage the equipment, but Father Victor assured them that "he was versed in the technical details of the sanctification of servers, since the Russian Orthodox Church has long been using the Internet to communicate with the flock."

Rutube proudly stated that the video hosting was the first Internet resource consecrated by the Russian Orthodox Church. The video portal also planned to receive the blessing of the Council of Mufties and the main rabbi of Russia.

Signing a strip club

In April 2015, in Chelyabinsk, Father Nikolai consecrated the Studio 74 strip club in the midst of Great Lent. “They decided to improve the atmosphere to become more positive,” they explained their decision in the club. The priest held a ceremony according to all the canons, and the strip club employees advised the words that "how you will pray, your salary depends on it."

The plot was lit by local television. When history became known to the public, a scandal broke out. The Chelyabinsk diocese said that Father Nikolai did not suspect that he was a strip club. He was allegedly sure that he was sanctified by a store or buffet. The press service of the strip club claim that they did not mislead the priest and directly told him what kind of institution we were talking about.

Prayer for help from mortgage borrowers

In March 2015, in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas, a prayer service was held on the sending of God's assistance to the mortgage borrowers who were on the verge of bankruptcy.

The borrowers themselves asked for the service after the fall of the ruble. They said that the situation with foreign exchange loans led more than 100 thousand Russian families to a deplorable situation.

“In the early 2000s, those who took the mortgage are ready to pay a double amount of mortgage rate, but even this is not enough. There are actually no state support for affected families, banking structures are cruel and unscrupulous, ”the press service of the Synodal Department on the relationship of the church and society said.

Prayers in support of import substitution

In April 2015, prayers were held in Moscow temples to help farmers, as well as in support of import substitution. “We hope that prayers will help farmers who want to work peacefully. People working on Earth are trying to raise our Russian agriculture, get a good harvest and, as a result, contribute to the process of import substitution in the country, ” - the deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for the interaction of the Church and the Society of the Russian Orthodox Church, Roman Bogdosarov.

The clergyman noted that in the current economic situation, state support is large agrarian companies, and farmers feel constant pressure both from the regional authorities and from producers of seeds that increase prices.

The expulsion of the falsification demon

In September 2015, the Kuban priest decided to consecrate the polling station and thus expel the “falsification demon”. He sprinkled electoral urns with holy water, after which he decided to consecrate the voters themselves. One of the observers could not stand it and tried to stop the priest by force, after which a fight ensued between them. Police delivered a priest and observer to the department.

“I was going to go through the polling stations of Krasnodar in order to consecrate them so that the members of the election commission did not have a temptation to falsify the elections. But he got to the police, ”said Father Nikolai.

Consecration of combat and space missiles and bombers

Since 1998, the Baikonur cosmodrome has existed a tradition to consecrate missiles before starting. The rite for many years is performed by the rector of the local temple Father Sergius Bychkov. “There were such cases - we were invited to sanctify the Proton ship. He went safely. After that, the enterprise had a discussion: is it necessary to invite priests? The next "proton" decided not to consecrate. It was 1999. And he fell after 70 seconds. We again consecrated another “proton”, and he started safely. Then again they did not consecrate. The next one is falling again, ”Bychkov said in an interview.

In April 2016, the historical launch of the first Soyuz-2.1a missile from the Vostochny cosmodrome was postponed one and a half minutes before the start, since automation revealed a breakdown in one of the devices of the control system. Before starting the rocket, the Bishop of the Blagoveshchensk and Tyndensky Lucian consecrated. The ROC ROC, Andrei Kuraev, then stated that priests should be responsible for the consecrated missiles. According to him, consecration is a type of professional activity: if the priest has consecrated something, this should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be under protection. If the priest consecrated the rocket, and it exploded, then he should be deprived of the dignity for security.

Priests are also often asked to consecrate various weapons: military missiles, bombers . So, for example, in 2008, the rector of the Church of Ilya Muromets of the Patriarchal Compound at the headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces (and there is such a farmste!), Priest Mikhail Vasiliev, consecrated four launcher installations of Topol missiles, six support machines, as well as several dozens of units of the Iskander-Tactical complexes and the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems. Later, Topol was consecrated more than once, for example, in 2014 in Serpukhov. And this year, the S-400 air defense system was consecrated in Crimea.

“Recognizing the war, the Church still does not forbid its children to participate in the hostilities, if we are talking about protecting neighbors and restoring the violated justice. Then the war is considered, albeit an undesirable, but forced means, ”the basis of the social concept of the Russian Orthodox Church says . The church has a special “military Trebnik”, which describes the ranks of the consecration of weapons, banners, warriors and others.

Sprinkling "Night Wolves"

In 2012, the head of the missionary commission at the diocesan council of Moscow Hieromonk Dimitri (Pershin) consecrated Easter cakes, Easter and eggs in the Night Wolves motorcycle club.

“These are my friends, with whom we have been consecrating Easter dishes, motorcels, and most importantly, our hearts and souls - in a joint prayer on the eve of Easter and other days significant for a motorcycle club,” said Father Dimitri.

Before consecration, he at the Cross, which overshadowing the motorcycle club, turned to bikers with a brief word, noting that there are much more common ones between them and the most ordinary parishioners of the Orthodox churches in general than it might seem at first glance. “Both of them challenge vulgarity and poppies, the world of consumerism and earthly attachments to break away from it and go upward. This impulse moved pilgrims and knights who sought to bring the truth of God to all corners of the earth, but today this impulse is replenished by the depth of Holy Easter when we are not scribbled to heaven, but the sky itself comes to us, ”the missionary noted.