Dutch city tells floating Georgian monastery to cast off

 

Father Abbot Abibos poses on the front deck. A boat intended as a mobile Georgian Orthodox monastery, featuring a chapel decorated with wall frescos, has been at anchor in the Dutch harbour town of Vlissingen for two years while being refurbished. The monastery expects to set sail from Vlissingen in spring, to visit Georgian communities around Europe, Vlissingen, Netherlands December 30, 2019. Picture taken December 30, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

 

VLISSINGEN, Netherlands (Reuters) - A tiny Georgian Orthodox monastery being built atop a ship in the Dutch port of Vlissingen is facing an uncertain future, after the city ordered it to set sail by March 1.

 

The unfinished monastery is the dream of Abbot Abibos, who has overseen two years of renovations on the ship -- re-christened the Elia II, after the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church -- including having frescoes painted on the ceiling of its small chapel.

 

Abibos said a floating monastery, with living space for himself and two nuns, Sister Elisabeth and Sister Nino, makes sense.

 

On the one hand, "it is not in the city and is a quiet place for a monastic life", he said. On the other, it would allow the monk and nuns to occasionally welcome fellow worshippers. The church has several hundred members in the Netherlands and Belgium.

 

"We cannot be far from our parishioners", Abibos said.

 

He had hoped the Elia II would be able to have a regular berth in Vlissingen.

 

But Alderwoman Els Verhage said the city had been granting permits month by month for the ship's renovation on the understanding Abibos would soon "sail away to serve fellow members of his faith".

 

"Establishing a church in the harbour is not allowed and would be a hindrance to development", Verhage said in a statement. "Abbot Abibos has been informed in writing that his ship is no longer welcome."

 

Now Abibos says he is racing to have the ship finished by the March 1 deadline and looking for other options, while he and the sisters lodge in Vlissingen, a city of 40,000 in southwestern Netherlands.

 

"Through everything we do every day we try to honour God," he said. "Whether that is praying, working, eating. Even while resting, we try to do that in God’s name."

 

(Reporting by Toby Sterling, editing by Larry King)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-02

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A living space for him and 2 nuns????

Sounds more like a floating knocking shop.

10 minutes ago, colinneil said:

A living space for him and 2 nuns????

Sounds more like a floating knocking shop.

Where's the soap? Yes, it does, doesn't it.

16 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Where's the soap? Yes, it does, doesn't it.

Where's the candles.

Yes. but they last longer than the soap.................

Thai monks are missing a trick here - look and learn at falang ways Ajarn Somchai !

17 minutes ago, URMySunshine said:

Thai monks are missing a trick here - look and learn at falang ways Ajarn Somchai !

Oh I don't know, the floating nun attraction seems to pull in tourists in Kanchanaburi.

(I hesitate to say that if she floats she's a witch. No one has burned her so far)

 

Edited January 2, 20206 yr by bluesofa
misprit

nothing a torpedo wouldn't fix..

A floating collection plate.  He'd better be wary of the local preachers who don't like visitors cutting in on their gettin'.

 

 

2 minutes ago, car720 said:

and he has a different 2 nuns in every port. 

This one is probably 'superior':

5 hours ago, webfact said:

"Through everything we do every day we try to honour God," he said. "Whether that is praying, working, eating. Even while resting, we try to do that in God’s name

I went out with a nun at a fancy dress party .. At least until the following morning I thought she was .. She was right into God yelling " I'm coming .. God I'm coming " just before the resting bit .. 

3 hours ago, bendejo said:

A floating collection plate.  He'd better be wary of the local preachers who don't like visitors cutting in on their gettin'.

 

 

May one wonder if the local "authority" would also want, or dared, to sent the ship away if it was a mosque?

Do t think so.

Here we go...

You are all jealous because you did not think of it first. 

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

A living space for him and 2 nuns????

Sounds more like a floating knocking shop.

Note self. Put down bottle and focus.

Looks like his project is "all at sea"!!

22 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Looks like his project is "all at sea"!!

As it's religious wouldn't that be 'all at see'?

I wonder if Jesus came back he would just Walk on By.......

What a novel scam lol all the tax breaks begging under the guise of religion pretty creative lol much better than telling the lady’s to sin or swim lol