The Russian orthodox church has excommunicated a journalist for writing “satanic lies” about nuns.
In a move which puts the UK Press Complaints Commission in the shade, the Pskov diocese in western Russia has taken action against journalist Oleg Domentyev for accusing the abbess of a monastery of intimidating locals into selling their homes for “peanuts”, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters, a court found Domentyev guilty of libel for an article headlined: “A wasp’s nest under golden domes” which also accused sisters at the monastery of smoking and drinking in their robes.
Domentyev told Reuters: “There is no question that corruption has appeared at the monastery.”
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