Murdered abbess laid to rest in Belarus

The newly-departed abbess Mother Vasilissa (Medved) of the Convent of St. Ksenia in the Borisovo region of Minsk province, Belarus was prayerfully laid to rest on January 8, the feast of the Synaxis of the Theotokos—the abbess and guide for all monastics, reports Foma (Thomas) with reference to the site of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

The Divine Liturgy and Funeral were celebrated by Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, and Bishop Benjamin of Borisov and Marinogorsk in the church of St. Seraphim of Sarov at the St. Ksenia Convent.

At the end of the Liturgy, Bishop Benjamin fervently thanked Metropolitan Pavel for his attention and care to the sufferings of the St. Ksenia Convent and asked for a word of consolation following the tragic death of Mother Vasilissa.
After the Liturgy, Metropolitan Pavel and Bishop Benjamin celebrated the Funeral service for Mother Vasilissa.

Meanwhile, the woman accused of killing the abbess, who had been temporarily living at the convent, has been officially charged, as reported by a representative of the Belarus Investigative Committee for the Minsk Region Tatiana Belonog .

The suspect, charged with stabbing Mother Vasilissa to death, is being detained, charged under article 139 of the Criminal Code (murder), and awaiting a psychological examination.

As reported by the UOJ earlier, Mother Vasilissa (Medved), murdered on the night of 6 January, was the abbess of the convent in Belarus for more than 10 years. Mother Vasilissa comes from Ukraine.