Stalin “Icon” for Sale on eBay… to raise funds for a Church?

Hat tip: F.S.

An “icon” of the notorious Soviet leader and persecutor of Orthodox Christians, Joseph Stalin is for sale on eBay, advertised as “Saint Stalin Russian Orthodox Church Commnunist Russia”. According to the monk who brought it to public attention on an Orthodox e-list, it is apparently being used to raise funds for St Sava Orthodox Church. Noting that the “icon” has no official backing, the advertisement points out the growing popularity of venerating Stalin in Russia and the popular idea of making him a “saint”, something we have been reporting on since last year.

We at NFTU have to ask: was a bake sale out of the question?