Court Rules Russian Orthodox Church Prayers as Valid Form of Debt Repayment

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill arrives at the Jose Marti International airport in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Kirill is traveling through Latin America, visiting national leaders and the region's small Russian Orthodox communities. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)

MOSCOW—A Russian regional court has ruled that an Orthodox Church diocese can repay part of an outstanding debt in prayers rather than money.

In a ruling that went viral Thursday, the Nizhegorodsky Regional Court said the local Russian Orthodox Church diocese can repay 258,000 rubles ($3,244) it owes for the installation of a boiler system—along with an additional 65,000 rubles ($817) in fines and legal fees—by praying for the health of the company that installed the system.

According to the court ruling, which was issued in October, the procedure cost 916,000 rubles ($11,561), of which the diocese originally paid approximately half. The diocese still owes an additional 200,000 rubles ($2,525) for the boiler system, which the court said should be paid in money.