A conservative priest who lost his high-level job at the Russian Orthodox Church assailed Russia’s “immoral elites” on Friday and predicted a national catastrophe if the country fails to allow free public discussion.
Father Vsevolod Chaplin — who headed the Moscow Patriarchate’s department for cooperation between church and society — was relieved of his duties on Thursday and his department was disbanded. The church’s Holy Synod explained the move by citing the need to increase efficiency.
Chaplin sharply criticized Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill for failing to listen to critical voices and predicted that Kirill would be replaced soon.
Chaplin hadnot issued any public criticism of Kirill before being relieved of his duties, and in the past had staunchly defended the Patriarch against accusations of indulging in luxury.
Chaplin told a news conference on Friday that Russia would face an “inevitable catastrophe” if the authorities fail to allow “live discussion and live public process.”
“Immoral elites are hampering the nation’s development... to prevent a revolution, we need to actively offer models of peaceful reforms,” Interfax news agency reported him as saying.
His view that the Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church should have taken a stronger action in support of pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine had caused tensions between him and the patriarch, Chaplin told RBC news portal.
Chaplin, 47, has long attracted public attention with controversial statements.
He once said women should dress more modestly to avoid provoking rapes.
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