Conference "Counseling and social assistance to prisoners in prisons", which was held on the basis of Vitebsk Seminary, gathered Orthodox and Catholic bishops from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Austria, as well as law enforcement officers and scientists specialists in the penitentiary system of higher education.

However, they understand how to better organize post– theological education and training of priests carrying the service in prisons so that they could fully provide spiritual and pastoral, psychological, legal and socio-adaptive assistance to prisoners.

At the end of the forum foreigners have shown what conditions are created in our country for persons serving sentences. The guests visited the medical-labor dispensaries in Novopolotsk and in Vitebsk colony. For example, in the IR-3, they got acquainted with the conditions of life of residents visited the local church. In addition, there was signed the resolution on the results of the conference.

"We took a very important document that is associated with the organization of the educational process for the prison clerics. Especially for those who in the future will be a staff member of the penal system of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, – said the chairman of the Synodal Department for Prison Ministry of the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop of Krasnogorsk Irinarkh (Grezin). – We are grateful to all who participated in the conference, including the Austrian Bishop Franz Charles".

Pleased with the results of the trip to Belarus and Dr. Karl Drexler, the public prosecutor in Vienna. According to him, the adoption of the resolution – a major step in the development of relations between our countries and improvement of methods of work with the people to stumble, allowing them to return to normal life.

Vitebskiye Vesti