Metropolitan Filaret Fires Priest Aliaksandr Shramko

According to Nasha Niva with reference to BelaPAN

On 15 May Minsk and Slutsk metropolitan Filaret, Patriarchic exarch of the whole Belarus signed the order to prohibit liturgical services to the clergyman of St. Intercession parish of Minsk, priest Aliaksandr Shramko, and put him out of the church staff till repentance.

Thus, Filaret followed the recommendation of the church trial which took place on 10 May under the supervision of the provost of St. Spirit Cathedral, archpriest Henadz Dzichkouski. The court recommended to the metropolitan to prohibit divine services to Shramko for having without the church’s blessing participated in a press conference of organizers of the campaign for protection of freedom of conscience and made public statements which contradict to the official position of the Belarusian branch of Russian Orthodox Church. In 1980 A.Shramko graduated from the institute of physics and electronics of Belarusian State University and since 1994 has served masses.

At the press conference the priest spoke of the repressive nature of the law On freedom of conscience and religious organizations. He said that this law limited the rights of the recently opened churches who want to actively work for increasing their influence in the Belarusian society.