Priests conducted a blessing from the sky in honor of Sobriety Day in Russia. INQUIRER.net stock photo
Priests of the Russian Orthodox Church flew in a plane over Tver, Russia to pour holy water over the city in the hopes of ending “drunkenness and fornication.”
The unorthodox way of blessing the city was to honor All-Russian Sobriety Day on Sept. 11, reported Tvernews.com via Moscow Times on Sept. 12.
The news site posted a video of the aerial blessing, where a priest was seen reciting a prayer service before water was poured out through the open door of the plane. The plane flew up to 300 meters before the blessing took place.
Besides 70 liters of water, the priests brought the Inexhaustible Chalice, a venerated icon in the Church known for healing those who suffer from alcoholism, and an icon of Saint John the Baptist. The chalice was used to pour water out of the plane.
Father Alexander Goryachev explained the logic behind the method to Tvernews.com: “Any disease is from a virus, and a virus is a demon. Therefore, any disease is primarily a spiritual disease.”
Addressing those who might mock their actions, he said, “What is the joke? That we’re trying to help people get rid of diseases? We promote stopping alcohol consumption, drugs and fornication — is this laughable?” Niña V. Guno/JB
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