Penza, 7 August 2012. PenzaNews. Staff of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs of Zemetchinsky district, the Penza region opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 158 of the Criminal Code “Theft” on the fact of a robbery of the Holy Trinity Church in the village Malaya Izhmora. “The report about the robbery came from the priest of the church, who pointed out that during the night on July 29 the attackers broke two padlocks to get into the church, and left with 8 wooden icons of the late XIX century,” informed the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Penza region.

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According to the local newspaper “Vash sobesednik” (Your interlocutor), the total value of the stolen amounts to several million rubles.

“Within over 25 years of my service in this church I have not seen such sacrilege. We could not even think that one day something like this would happen. Don’t these people realize that robbing a church, they rob themselves? And if God has not yet punished these wicked people, it only proves his mighty patience. He is always ready to forgive the sinners if they repent and come to the righteous path. It is a pity that not everyone understands this,” pointed the abbot of the Holy Trinity Church Father Vasily.