Authorities demand money not only for opposition actions but also for... sacred procession

Authorities demand money not only from organisers of opposition actions but also from organisers of religious processions.

A traditional religious procession in honour of St. Anthony of Padua, patron of the city, fails to be held in Mahilou for the second time, Radio Svaboda reports.

To hold a religious procession the Mahilou Roman Catholic observance of the Assumption of the Virgin must pay for services of militia, public utilities bodies and medical workers. This requirement was submitted by the department of the ideological work at the Mahilou city executive committee, clergymen say.

The organisers of the religious procession have cleared out: an hour of work of one militiaman cost 80 thousands rubles. But 6 persons are needed to protect the religious procession. The organisers refused to find out how much services of medical workers and public utilities bodies cost. “We don’t have money even for militiamen,” clergymen say.

Last year Mahilou Catholics didn’t organise a sacred procession due to repair work on Lazarenka Street. Traditionally, believers walked down this street from Church of St. Stanislaus to chapel of St. Anthony on the Catholic cemetery.

Saint Anthony became a patron of the city at the end of the XVI century. His wonderworking icon was carried to Mahilou by Franciscan messengers.

In the first half of the XVII century a medallion was stricken, on the one side of which an icon of our Lady of Byalynitsy was depicted, the other side icon of Saint Anthony was embossed.

The icon of Saint Anthony disappeared during the World War II. Saint Anthony is deified both by Catholic and Orthodox churches. The orthodox christians call him Anton.