RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Controversy follows death of famous clergyman

R.P.Ts. REFUTES RUMORS THAT PATRIARCH FORBADE BISHOPS TO PARTICIPATE IN FUNERAL OF ARCHPRIEST VSEVOLOD CHAPLIN

Interfax-Religiia, 30 January 2020

 

The Russian Orthodox Church (RPTs) disavowed rumors to the effect that Patriarch Kirill forbade representatives of the higher clergy to participate in the funeral of the priest Vsevolod Chaplin, which was held yesterday in Moscow.

 

"Rumors about a prohibition on the episcopate to participate in the funeral of Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin are fantasies," a source in the synodal Department for Cooperation of Church with Society and News Media told Interfax on Thursday.

 

The famous priest, the rector of the church of Theodore the Studite, who was the former spokesman for the RPTs for long years, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, died suddenly on 26 January from a heart attack. In the four years before this, he was relieved by the patriarch of the post of head of the synodal Department for Cooperation of Church and Society, and he also was removed from public and governmental structures where he had served as the representative of the RPTs.

 

On the day of the funeral of Father Vsevolod, there appeared on the internet articles to the effect that the patriarch had forbidden bishops to appear at the priest's funeral. In particular, as the former chief editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sergei Chapnin, wrote on his Facebook page, several bishops "at their own peril and risk" arrived yesterday in order to serve brief litys at the grave, but there were no bishops at the funeral itself.

 

Meanwhile, according to a representative of the synodal department, everybody who attended the funeral knows that the liturgy was performed by Archpresbyter Vladimir Divakov, who, acting in the capacity of the ruling bishop of the city of Moscow, was blessed for this by Patriarch Kirill.

 

"Vicar bishops from Moscow and several diocesan bishops preferred to bid farewell to Father Vsevolod and to serve litys the day before. None of the bishops with whom we communicated confirmed the existence of any prohibition," the news agency's source added. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 January 2020)

 

PATRIARCH KIRILL HONORS MEMORY OF ARCHPRIEST VSEVOLOD CHAPLIN

Interfax-Religiia, 30 January 2020

 

Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill and members of the Inter-council Presence of the Russian church prayerfully commemorated Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, who passed away last Sunday.

 

"Upon the conclusion of today's plenary session of the Inter-council Presence, participants in the session, at the suggestion of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, sang 'Eternal Memory' to the recently deceased Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, a former member of the Presence," Vladimir Legoida, the head of the Department for Cooperation of the Church and [Society and—tr.] News Media, wrote Thursday on his Telegram account.

 

The Inter-council Presence is an advisory body that assists the higher church authority of the RPTs in drafting of decisions concerning the most important issues of the internal life and external activity of the church.

 

The famous priest, the rector of the church of Theodore the Studite, and former spokesman of the RPTs for long years, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, died suddenly on 26 January from a heart attack. The burial of Father Vsevolod was held on Wednesday at the Troekurov Cemetery of Moscow. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 January 2020)

 

PATRIARCH KIRILL DID NOT COME TO BID FAREWELL TO VSEVOLOD CHAPLIN; FORBADE BISHOPS TO PARTICIPATE IN HIS FUNERAL

News.ru.com, 30 January 2020

 

Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill did not want to assist with the burial of Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin and he forbade bishops to appear for his funeral, Sergei Chapnin, the former executive editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate, described on his Facebook page.

 

He noted that the patriarch did not come to bid farewell to Chaplin, who was his aide and "for long years fixed his messes." The burial of the archpriest was arranged by friends of the deceased. The head of the RPTs "forbade his vicars even to show up for the funeral of Fr Vsevolod," although "at their peril and risk several bishops came yesterday and served brief litys at the grave."

 

"Patriarch Kirill is a heartless and vindictive person. Friends, beware and restrain yourselves from communication with such people," Chapnin summed up.

 

The same day as Chaplin, Archpresbyter Matfei Stadniuk died, who was the former rector for decades of the Elikhovsky Epifany cathedral of Moscow and one of the most influential priests of the soviet period. The Akhila publication called attention to the fact that in condolences regarding Stadniuk's death on the website of the Moscow patriarchate, the patriarch spoke in detail and praise about the deceased, while in the text about Chaplin's death only the forgiveness of the deceased's sins is mentioned.

 

In addition, the patriarch himself conducted Stadniuk's funeral, joined by several bishops, and he noted that father Matfei "never dissembled," was wise, and was beloved by his flock.

 

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin died on 26 January near the church of St. Theodore the Studite at Nikita Gates in the fifty-second year of his life. News media identified the cause of death as a heart attack. He was buried on 29 January in the Troekurov Cemetery. From 1997 to 2001, Vsevolod Chaplin was the secretary for cooperation of the church and society and then he became the vice-chairman of the department, and in 2009 he headed the new synodal Department for Cooperation of Church and Society. But in 2015 the RPTs removed Chaplin from office and abolished the department he had headed.

 

Chaplin said that he was deposed because of conflict with the patriarch. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 January 2020).

 


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