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Corner image: Juan Michel/World Council of Churches. Big image: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
World News

Priest accused of not praying hard enough after satellite launch failure

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin from Moscow responded after a Russian theologian claimed he should be held to account after the Meteor M 2-1 weather satellite failed to enter orbit.

AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

Andrei Kurayev told the Govorit Moskva radio station: "It is very strange that the Church seemingly offers services but is never held liable for the quality of these services."

Eighteen micro-satellites from seven countries were also on-board a Soyuz-2 booster rocket which was launched from the new Vostochyn cosmodrome in the Russian Far East after being blessed by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin.

AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said the claim he was responsible for the satellite launch failure amounted to "quasi-Christian paganism", during an interview with the Nation News website.

Juan Michel/World Council of Churches

Meanwhile, the Russian Roscosmos space agency said it was working to establish what had happened after contact was lost with the Meteor M 2-1 satellite.

AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

Another Russian Orthodox Church priest was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as defending Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, saying: "Let's put it this way: if you bless a car that has an empty gas tank, it won't start."

"We address our prayers to God, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of human error or breakages."

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