The coordinator of OROiK of the Gomel diocese took part in a webinar on the fight against depressiontranslated

On October 1, 2026, the coordinator of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Gomel Diocese of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, Svetlana Aleksandrovna Khomets, took part in a webinar on the topic “Depression: an epidemic of the 21st century. How to help a person? The view of a psychiatrist and a priest."

The meeting was hosted by Priest Vladimir Novitsky, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra - the Patriarchal Metochion at the Straw Gatehouse in Moscow. The priest has a specialized medical education as a psychotherapist and many years of experience in this field, which allows him to deeply see the problem at the intersection of science and faith.

During the webinar, participants discussed the phenomenon of depression as one of the main medical and spiritual problems of our time. The lecturer examined the problem in detail from two angles: medical science and spiritual practice. Particular attention was paid to methods of recognizing the first signs of illness, rules of communication with people in crisis.

“To effectively overcome this illness (depression), it is extremely important to unite the efforts of psychotherapists, psychologists and priests in helping people,” emphasized Priest Vladimir.