NON-VACCINATED MONKS WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE VALAAM MONASTERY

The abbot of the Valaam monastery, Bishop Pankraty, announced that Valaam would become a covid-free zone. All those who refuse vaccination will have to leave their cloisters.

The governor of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery noted that it is necessary for the clergy, workers, monastic brethren and hired workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Those who refuse to be vaccinated will be expelled from the monastery without any maintenance. The representative of the clergy admitted that there would certainly be such people.

Pankraty stressed out that the monastery can work normally as long as obedience to the hierarchy is observed.

The bishop believes that if there is no obedience, then ‘everything collapses’. He also added that such a serious issue as vaccination should not be left to free will.

Volunteers visiting the monastery will need a vaccination certificate or a fresh negative PCR test. Pankraty himself was vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine in the fall of 2020 and planned to be revaccinated, but fell ill with the Indian strain of Covid-19.

At the moment, 200 inhabitants live in the Valaam Monastery. About 100 thousand pilgrims and tourists come there every year.