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Belarusian convent's French sales raise questions over war funding

A stall with goods from the St. Elizabeth Convent in a church in the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne in the Vendée department of France. Photo: OUEST-FRANCE
A stall with goods from the St. Elizabeth Convent in a church in the town of Les Sables-d'Olonne in the Vendée department of France. Photo: OUEST-FRANCE

On a quiet August morning, two Orthodox nuns from Belarus set up a small table outside a French church. They laid out wooden icons, hand-painted dolls, and religious souvenirs for sale. A sign said the proceeds would help orphans and psychiatric patients back home.