Story By: Gheorghi Caraseni, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
This adorable baby girl parents claim a local priest has refused to baptise the cute tot because of her birthmark.
Maria Khvostantseva, 22, says her local priest in the city of Kurgan in west-central Russia’s Kurgan Oblast refused to baptise her one-month-old daughter because of the tot’s large birthmark.
The mother says she showed a photo of her daughter to the unnamed priest but he refused to baptise the tot because he did not know if the birthmark was contagious or how other parents would react.
He reportedly offered to baptise the tot individually but said he would charge 4,000 RUB (48.5 GBP) for the privilege.
The mother wrote on social media: “I don’t think it should cost that much to baptise a child. For now, we decided to postpone it.”
She also said that the priest had asked her to not share the case in social media because it’s “not divine”.
Spokesperson for Kurgan Metropolis, Mikhail Nasonov, said that this type of behaviour is unacceptable for a priest.
He added that the diocese cannot launch an investigation because the girl’s mother had not specified the priest’s name nor where it happened.
The mother said the birthmark covers 80 percent of her child’s body and doctors had told her to look for private treatment if she wants it treated.
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