Shops refuse to sell products blessed by the Orthodox Church
A state enterprise decided to have its production blessed, but such decision prevented it from sale. The shops thought that "orthodox" food would scare away Catholic and Muslim consumers. In the beginning of August the priest Andrej Smolski, after the corresponding blessing of Archbishop of Vitsebsk and Vorsha Dzmitry, blessed the equipment and production of Vitsebsk fruit and vegetable processing plant. The plant produces food for chidren, pregnant women and nursing mothers.As it was explained by the Head of the sector of external economic activity Siarhej Ryzhou to the European Radio for Belarus, they invited the priest to the plant after they had conducted necessary marketing researches.
Siarhej Ryzhou: “We have conducted certain marketing researches, interrogated respondents who made a series of suggestions on how to improve our production. About 80% of the respondents said they would like to see products blessed by the Orthodox Church, on the shelves. Such wish was declared, in the first place, by pregnant women and nursing mothers”.
The priest visited the plant on August 6. According to Siarhej Ryzhou, the enterprise was going to ship first lots of its production to the shops on August 9, but came across an unexpected unwillingness of the administration of the shops to sell the blessed children's food.
Siarhej Ryzhou: “There are establishments in our regional center, which refused to take production blessed by the Orthodox Church point blank. We haven't received an official refusal from them, but there has been a verbal resolution of their directors, that if they see this production on the shelves of their shops, they will fire the goods managers who accepted it”.
According to him, the shops administrations demanded a written confirmation from the eparchy, that their priest had indeed blessed the production of the plant. However, even after they received an official confirmation, the shops failed to accept the children's food, blessed by the Orthodox priest.
The European Radio for Belarus called a food shop in Vitsebsk, asking whether they had blessed juices and canned food for children, in order to check this information.
Shop assistant of the Shop No. 137: “We haven't had such - blessed - production yet”.
Almost half of the food shops in Vitsebsk belong to the joint stock company "Vesta". The representative of the trade department of the company explained to the European Radio for Belarus, that they hadn't ordered the production of the local plant because there hadn't been such a necessity. However, such necessity will soon arise. Nevertheless, they are not willing to take the blessed juices and puree without a corresponding permit from the local executive committee.
Representative of the JSC "Vesta": “We do know about the initiative of the plant's administration, but we haven't taken any decision in this regard yet (to take production for realisation - European Radio for Belarus). Do you think I should leave the shop without purchases if I am a Catholic and want to buy children's food? There are a lot of confessions in the country, and in Vitsebsk as well. What can I say to such reproaches of the buyers? I would like the authorities to comment on that”.
Moreover, she said she wanted the priests to comment on that as well. For example, what if the blessed package from the children's food will be thrown away after use.
Representative of the JSC "Vesta": “I would like them to answer these questions and give the trade establishments an opportunity to do the right thing. Because today we turn our faces to our clients. I don't want to hurt the feelings of Muslims, Catholics or Orthodoxes. If this is correct from the Churh's point of view - then everything's good”.
The Head of the Administration of Trade and Services of Vitsebsk city executive committee Iryna Suprun did not believe the information that local shops refused to take the production for realization only because it had been blessed by the Orthodox priest.
Iryna Suprun: “It couldn't be so! Every shop has a special section for children's food. The question, or the answer to it, must have been misinterpreted".
She promised to deal with this problem at once. According to her, if anyone needs a push from the city executive office to start trading the blessed children's food, they will get this push.
The priest Andrej Smolski is also surprised that the blessed food has not appeared on the shelves.
Andrej Smolski: “Maybe someone was worried and wished to clarify the situation, in order to be secure. But that's good - we have blessed not only the children's food, but the production for pregnant women and nursing mothers”.
He added that the priests of the eparchy did not understand why the blessed production was still not on the shelves.
Siarhej Ryzhou: “We have conducted certain marketing researches, interrogated respondents who made a series of suggestions on how to improve our production. About 80% of the respondents said they would like to see products blessed by the Orthodox Church, on the shelves. Such wish was declared, in the first place, by pregnant women and nursing mothers”.
The priest visited the plant on August 6. According to Siarhej Ryzhou, the enterprise was going to ship first lots of its production to the shops on August 9, but came across an unexpected unwillingness of the administration of the shops to sell the blessed children's food.
Siarhej Ryzhou: “There are establishments in our regional center, which refused to take production blessed by the Orthodox Church point blank. We haven't received an official refusal from them, but there has been a verbal resolution of their directors, that if they see this production on the shelves of their shops, they will fire the goods managers who accepted it”.
According to him, the shops administrations demanded a written confirmation from the eparchy, that their priest had indeed blessed the production of the plant. However, even after they received an official confirmation, the shops failed to accept the children's food, blessed by the Orthodox priest.
The European Radio for Belarus called a food shop in Vitsebsk, asking whether they had blessed juices and canned food for children, in order to check this information.
Shop assistant of the Shop No. 137: “We haven't had such - blessed - production yet”.
Almost half of the food shops in Vitsebsk belong to the joint stock company "Vesta". The representative of the trade department of the company explained to the European Radio for Belarus, that they hadn't ordered the production of the local plant because there hadn't been such a necessity. However, such necessity will soon arise. Nevertheless, they are not willing to take the blessed juices and puree without a corresponding permit from the local executive committee.
Representative of the JSC "Vesta": “We do know about the initiative of the plant's administration, but we haven't taken any decision in this regard yet (to take production for realisation - European Radio for Belarus). Do you think I should leave the shop without purchases if I am a Catholic and want to buy children's food? There are a lot of confessions in the country, and in Vitsebsk as well. What can I say to such reproaches of the buyers? I would like the authorities to comment on that”.
Moreover, she said she wanted the priests to comment on that as well. For example, what if the blessed package from the children's food will be thrown away after use.
Representative of the JSC "Vesta": “I would like them to answer these questions and give the trade establishments an opportunity to do the right thing. Because today we turn our faces to our clients. I don't want to hurt the feelings of Muslims, Catholics or Orthodoxes. If this is correct from the Churh's point of view - then everything's good”.
The Head of the Administration of Trade and Services of Vitsebsk city executive committee Iryna Suprun did not believe the information that local shops refused to take the production for realization only because it had been blessed by the Orthodox priest.
Iryna Suprun: “It couldn't be so! Every shop has a special section for children's food. The question, or the answer to it, must have been misinterpreted".
She promised to deal with this problem at once. According to her, if anyone needs a push from the city executive office to start trading the blessed children's food, they will get this push.
The priest Andrej Smolski is also surprised that the blessed food has not appeared on the shelves.
Andrej Smolski: “Maybe someone was worried and wished to clarify the situation, in order to be secure. But that's good - we have blessed not only the children's food, but the production for pregnant women and nursing mothers”.
He added that the priests of the eparchy did not understand why the blessed production was still not on the shelves.
