More than 100 Russian Orthodox believers have been hospitalised after drinking holy water in Irkutsk, Siberia.
Those affected, including 48 children, are being treated in hospital for acute intestinal pain after drinking water from wells around a local church last week.The believers were celebrating Epiphany which is traditionally commemorated by Orthodox Russians on January 19.
Spokesman Vladimir Salovarov said a total of 204 people required some medical treatment. However it is too early to say exactly what caused the illness. Many Russians consider any water obtained on Epiphany to be holy. The water is typically bottled for consumption later. Tap water in most of Russia is undrinkable.
3 comments:
Silly peeps! Don't they know Holy Watter is for external use only?
Test the water! Wells are notorious for badness!
The secretary of the Irkutsk diocese, Father Maximilian, said an ice hole was made in the lake for bathing, in line with an old Russian tradition, not for drinking, Babr.ru and other Russian online editions reported. He said water from the lake could have caused poisoning.
The head of the church's Sunday school called media reports on the mass poisoning a provocation.
"I believe holy water could not cause all that," Lyudmila Belyayeva was quoted by Newsland portal as saying. "These are lies against our church which is very popular. Somebody wants people to begin harboring doubts."
- RIA Novosti News Service, January 25, 2010
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