Свято-Троицкая церковь в Берне. Фото: facebook.com/pfarrei.dreifaltigkeit
Nuns from the St Elisabeth Convent were spotted at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Bern, Switzerland. They were noticed by one of the parishioners, Daniel Henseler, who contacted the local parish and the diocese, the Swiss publication Blick reported.
Over the weekend, the nuns were selling candles, mugs, books, matryoshka dolls, and other goods at the entrance to the church. The sisters were unlucky: they were noticed by Henseler, a Russian language lecturer and Eastern Europe specialist, who knew that the convent is known for raising funds for equipment for the Russian army fighting in Ukraine.
Henseler sent a letter to the parish, the Bern parish bulletin, and the Diocese of Basel, demanding that the stand run by the Minsk nuns be shut down.
The church’s rector, Mario Huebscher, told the publication that the nuns had been granted permission to trade only for the past weekend.
“I was repeatedly assured in writing that the donations were used exclusively for their charitable activities,” he said. The rector explained that he was unaware of the convent’s reputation and expressed regret that the stand had been perceived as a political statement.
According to Huebscher, the parish will no longer invite the nuns “in order to avoid confusing associations in the future.”
The St Elisabeth Convent and its spiritual leader, Archpriest Andrei Lemeshonok, are known for their public support of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. The convent has repeatedly organized events in support of Russian aggression. In recent years, the nuns have been expelled from Christmas markets in several European countries. The most recent scandal involving the nuns occurred in Sweden.