Russian Monks will Read Your Prayers Before Miraculous Image of the Virgin...



For a Price



From the The Scotsman - International:



MONKS at one of Russia’s most famous religious retreats, the Holy Lake Monastery of Our Lady of Iberia, have struck on a new scheme to raise cash - selling prayers on line.



Visitors to the monastery’s website (www.iveron.ru) can now complete a prayer form and send it to the monks, who pledge to read it aloud in front of the "miracle-working" Iberia icon of the Holy Virgin.



A single mention in prayers costs 25 roubles (50p), while an "eternal" mention costs 1,000 roubles (£20).



Payment can be made by post, bank transfer or using an internet payment scheme. The prayer service has provoked a torrent of criticism from believers, who have recorded their protests in the monastery’s on-line visitors’ book.