Yesterday, unexpectedly for many, the seemingly unsinkable head of the Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society, Vsevolod Chaplin, was dismissed. He was right there, which caused a storm of discussion online. By the way, back in October I said that “the authorities, in conditions of a growing crisis and social discontent, may again try to rely on the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church, strengthening the political regime, but for this it is necessary to first clear governing bodies churches from the most scandalous and odious figures (like Vsevolod Chaplin, Dimitry Smirnov, Patriarch Kirill). Actually, this is exactly what the Kremlin has already done repeatedly with the same State Duma, pushing away deputies who are causing too much trouble. severe irritation in society." In other words, Chaplin's resignation may be an element of some great game related to the reformatting of forces in the Russian Orthodox Church as a whole.
April 25, 2012. Archpriest Chaplin allowed the legalization of Sharia courts in Russia
http://lenta.ru/news/2012/04/25/shariat/
May 13, 2012. The Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, supported the placement in a mental hospital of a Karelian blogger who criticized the Russian Orthodox Church.
http://www.rbc.ru/society/13/05/2012/650104.shtml
June 25, 2012. The Chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, said that he had a divine revelation that God condemns the members of Pussy Riot, who are accused in the scandalous case of hooliganism by a punk group in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. "I am convinced that the Lord condemns what they have done. I am convinced that this sin is both in this life and in future life will be punished," the priest said during a New Times roundtable on the line between art and blasphemy.
July 24, 2012.“There must be a person in the country - a president, a monarch, someone else - who would have the right not just in high-profile cases, but in any cases that require unclouded moral judgment, to an absolute pardon or an absolutely harsh punishment. This does not correspond to the Western political system, but this is precisely where it is wrong,” said Vsevolod Chaplin in an interview with the Orthodoxy and Peace portal.
August 2, 2012. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin: “The Lord himself does not forgive the sinner without repentance,” the priest recalled. “This is said in the Gospel more than once. The Lord compares those who persist in sin with unclean animals, calls them damned, dooms them to eternal torment with the devil and his angels. So God's forgiveness has limits and very strict limits. Moreover, the Lord says that many follow the path leading to destruction - only a few follow the narrow path to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whether Father Andrew likes it or not, the Lord says that many will perish. Exactly what percentage, I don’t know. Obviously, at least 51%. And this means that God’s mercy does not extend to the majority of people who are unrepentant sinners. To remain silent about this or try to argue with it is to try to argue with the Gospel - because this is what the Most Merciful Lord says."
August 27, 2012. The head of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, believes that clergy should not be embarrassed to accept expensive gifts, since people express their love through this
December 18, 2012. The chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society, priest Vsevolod Chaplin, told Gazeta.Ru that he actually supports the bill banning the adoption of Russian children by US citizens.
April 5, 2013. Another explanation of the Orthodox hierarchs’ craving for luxury was given by the head of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for interaction with society, mitred Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin. According to him, even the most modest bishops, in accordance with tradition, should use expensive things. “If we talk about the bishop, we must take into account: the tradition of the Orthodox Church has always assumed that he is surrounded by a certain honor. People make sure he has a decent car and residence. During worship, and sometimes at certain events, he sits on a throne; he has a special place in the temple - a pulpit, which elevates him above other people. This is Orthodox tradition. The bishop is the image of the reigning Christ, and this tradition in the Orthodox Church must be supported in every possible way,” Chaplin said in an interview with RBC.
May 17, 2013. Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Relations between Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, who spoke on Friday at the forum of party projects " United Russia", compared the current situation in Russia with 1917 and expressed hope that the current government will be able to cope with the "anti-patriotic" forces. "I am glad that the patriotic platform of United Russia, in general, the party sees the initiatives of the people and supports them," he noted Vsevolod Chaplin.
May 29, 2013. The head of the synodal department for relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, said that the Russian people have sympathy for the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. “I know how positively the Russian President, Mr. Putin, is viewed among the Chechen people; I know that the Russian people respect and sympathize with the Head of the Chechen Republic, Mr. Ramzan Kadyrov. But there are, of course, people who criticize him, but, please note “that, as a rule, these are the very people who, while in Russia, criticize Russia, and believe that its people are too stupid to decide their own destiny,” noted the head of the department for relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and society. “There is such a layer in Moscow and in some other Russian cities that does not respect any Russian authorities, not the most important thing - Russian people. These are the people who criticize today what is happening in Chechen Republic, and, as a rule, these are people who are not friends of either the Chechen people or the Russian people,” Father Vsevolod emphasized.
June 7, 2013. The Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Relations between the Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, called for norms of behavior in society to be prescribed in regional legislation. Speaking about this, the representative of the Church referred to the legislation of many countries of the world, where, in his words, “it is clearly stated what you can do in public space and what you cannot do.”
June 18, 2013. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin: "...must be avoided consumer attitude to communion. Many people come who receive communion only because their relatives, parents, and friends ask them to do so. Many come to the sacrament in order to alleviate their health condition or for other purely utilitarian reasons: before starting a new business, before going to the hospital. We also need to look at this quite critically."
June 25, 2013. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin: “Russia supports traditional Islam and should support it”
June 30, 2013. Chairman of the Synodal Department for Interaction of Church and Society of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin considers the punishment for insulting the feelings of believers to be three years prison term too soft, ITAR-TASS reports.
July 4, 2013. Member Public Chamber Russia and the head of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, announced the need to introduce criteria for legal capacity for Russian scientists
July 5, 2013. According to Chaplin, if in a parish where rich or at least non-poor people live, the priest is poor and is forced to constantly walk with his hand outstretched, “this is a shame for the flock, for that church community, for that social circle that is present in the place where this priest is serving." “You shouldn’t follow the lead of those people who insist that a priest cannot live with dignity in material terms,” summed up the head of the RECR.
July 8, 2013. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin condemned Western trends in the formation of a “new man”, devoid of nationality and religious, and sometimes gender differences.”
August 11, 2013. Countries with a majority Orthodox Christian population have a better chance of economic prosperity in the future. As Interfax reports, this was stated by the head of the synodal department for relations between church and society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin.
September 28, 2013. Vsevolod Chaplin about the Pussy Riot case: “I don’t see progress in their spiritual state. And the lack of this progress is unlikely to be affected by either continued imprisonment or release. I had to explain in a direct letter to Mrs. Tolokonnikova what she was wrong about. The sin she committed if he does not repent in confession, if she does not reconsider her attitude towards him, he will be punished by God much more terrible than the punishment of any earthly court: he will be punished with eternal torment.”
October 14, 2013. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin: “People have the right to expect that the criminal will be punished. And in this case, as in other similar cases, when the murder is accompanied by extreme cynicism, defiance moral standards and cultural norms, punishment should be especially harsh, inevitable, demonstrative"
January 29, 2014. The head of the Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, called on the authorities to legally prohibit any manifestations of blasphemy in art, in particular in the theater.
April 1, 2014. Vsevolod Chaplin: “We must ensure that the centers for generating ideas within Russia are actually Russian, managed from here and meet the interests of our own people. Therefore, it is very important that actors who aim to play a key role in own country in one field or another, including religion, would be studied only within the country.”
August 1, 2014. Western sanctions will give Russia the opportunity to make its economy more moral. This opinion was expressed by the head of the Synoidal Department for Relations between the Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin.
August 7, 2014. Restrictions on the import of a number of goods will help Russians “stop chasing Western consumption standards.” As RIA Novosti reports, this was stated by the chairman of the synodal department for relations between church and society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin. In his opinion, Russians will have to go through difficult times from an economic point of view, and not only in connection with the already introduced and possible new sanctions against Russia. These times, according to the clergyman, came even before the introduction of restrictive measures.
December 24, 2014. Vsevolod Chaplin believes that US dominance in the world is coming to an end and it is Russia that can finally bring it to naught. “It is no coincidence that we often, at the cost of our own lives, at the cost of a very serious physical weakening of the state, stopped all global projects that did not agree with our conscience, with our vision of history and, I would say, with God’s truth. This is the Napoleonic project, this is the Hitler project. Let’s stop the American project too,” Interfax quotes the priest as saying.
February 19, 2015. The Chairman of the Synodal Department for Interaction between Church and Society (SDOC) of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, admitted in an interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta correspondent Igor Gashkov that he writes stories under the pseudonym Aron Shemeyer and, like other users, posts them on the Internet. Chaplin's story "Machau and the Bears" shows Moscow in 2043 - the embodied antithesis of traditional morality. Krasnaya Presnya was renamed Blue, the Church dissolved itself, and the new social system, inspired by the ideals of the “Great Sexual Revolution,” rests on the bayonets of African legionnaires. Residents of Moscow in 2043 exist in a self-absorbed way, while the authorities focus on protecting minorities and promoting the bottom. Here is one of the characteristic examples of the author’s style of Aron Shemeier: “What a marvelous new world? - Masho started up. - So I came here. I'm intersex. I can be sado, maso, homo, hetero, zoo, pedo, necro, and techno. But I can - none of the above. Didn’t they explain to you what zero tolerance to discrimination is?”
March 7, 2015. The Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Relations between the Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, considers it wrong to identify Christianity with humanism and pacifism. He wrote about this in the article “True Christianity or the Cult of a Child’s Tears?”, published the day before on the Interfax-Religion website. “Humanity, humaneness is a Christian value, while humanism is an ideology that places sinful man at the center of the universe. This is the forerunner of the religion of the Antichrist. It is no coincidence that Western militant atheists call themselves humanists,” the priest writes in the article “True Christianity or the Cult of Tears baby?"
March 24, 2015. The Novosibirsk production of the opera "Tannhäuser" should be checked for the content of pornography and propaganda of homosexuality among minors, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Synodal Department for Relations between Church and Society, told Interfax. “If the management of the theater talks about good will in dialogue with believers, how can they ignore what believers say: the image of Christ (and the director admits that it is Christ who is portrayed) against the backdrop of scantily clad women kissing each other - this, of course, desecration of a symbol revered by Christians - the face of Christ, his image," he said.
April 2, 2015. Vsevolod Chaplin, who performed at round table in Moscow, expressed the conviction that Russia should implement a political system that would combine elements of strict centralized power and social state. “Sovereignty, justice and solidarity are three values on the basis of which we need to build a system that would unite monarchy and socialism,” the Interfax-Religion portal quotes the words of a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.
June 19, 2015. In an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Interaction between Church and Society, expressed hope that calm and peace will soon end. In his opinion, too comfortable and quiet life harms society. “Secularism is a dead ideology,” Chaplin said during a discussion about the balance of secular and religious in Russia. - If a society lives in conditions of relative peace - calmness, satiety - for a certain number of decades, a couple or three, it can live in conditions of secularism. No one will go to die for the market or democracy, but the need to die for society and its future arises sooner or later. Peace does not last long. The peace will not last long now, thank God. Why do I say “thank God” - a society in which there is too much well-fed and calm, problem-free, comfortable life is a society abandoned by God, this society does not last long.
August 30, 2015. In Russian Orthodox Church called for replacing the “corrupt and cynical elites” ruling in Russia. This was stated by the head of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, on Sunday at the international Orthodox youth forum in Kazan. At the beginning of August, he already called on “young people with shining eyes” to change the elites. Now the most active “are going to ISIS,” he complained.
September 11, 2015. The Chairman of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for interaction with society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, said that the Russian Constitution of 1993 is illegitimate. He justifies this by the fact that the Orthodox did not participate in its discussion. Chaplin's statement was made in an episode of the Tsargrad TV video blog, published on YouTube back in August.
November 11, 2015. The Russian Orthodox Church intends to ensure that its voice is decisive in making any decisions. This opinion was expressed by the head of the synodal department for relations between church and society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, at a meeting with diocesan departments for relations between church and society. “We don’t need to act as aggressors, try to preach clericalism, that is, a system in which the clergy would rule the state. But we together, clergy and laity, have every right to have our voice, the voice of the majority, be decisive for making any decisions concerning the present and future,” Interfax quotes Chaplin.
November 19, 2015. Chaplin called for discussing the death penalty without regard to the opinion of the West. According to him, the basics social concept The Russian Orthodox Church says that it is better to do without the death penalty if the decision to abolish it is made by society, but when serious security threats arise, people may again decide that the death penalty possible.
November 24, 2015. Vsevolod Chaplin called for the ideals of the caliphate to be realized in Russia. As Interfax reports, the priest put the USSR, “Holy Rus'” and the “caliphate” on a par, calling for the ideals of these systems of government to be realized today. “People are looking for justice, higher meanings, reconstruction of the world. We need to give them the opportunity to achieve what they want in peaceful, legal, but very direct ways. We must unite these people. We must here, in Russia, implement the best ideals of Holy Rus', the caliphate, the USSR, that is, those systems that challenge injustice and the dictatorship of narrow elites over the will of the people.”
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Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin is one of the most odious figures at the top of the Russian Orthodox Church MP. His provocative statements most often become the basis for discussions in the media and blogosphere. Perhaps the most odious statement of this Orthodox PR specialist is that he knows exactly what God says on this or that matter (as if God had once spoken to one of the people).
And this is blogger Olga Shchelokova sharing her personal memories of the future father Vsevolod, while meeting her - a young employee of the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Father Vsevolod Chaplin, the current ideologist of the Patriarchate, appeared on my horizon at the very beginning of the nineties, when I worked at the Moscow Church Bulletin.
The actual Publishing Department of the MP was built by Metropolitan Pitirim in the depths of a cozy courtyard on Pogodinskaya back, if I’m not mistaken, in the seventies, representing a compact, but four-story building, made of flesh-colored brick. This mansion was not visible from the street, and only knowledgeable people flocked to it. In the early nineties, patriarchal simplicity still reigned there, and any person of relatively pious appearance could enter the Publishing Department, but behind the massive desk at the entrance sat the invariable watchman from the former sexots and inquired strangers who goes to whom and for what reason.
But in the late eighties, Metropolitan Pitirim became friends with a family of ordinary Soviet people Gorbachev, which immediately entailed the expansion of publishing holdings. The first step was to donate a huge communal apartment in an old building next door to the Department. The apartment was not renovated and was transferred new newspaper, "Moscow Church Bulletin", exactly in the form in which it was left by the previous residents who were resettled to who knows where. The communal apartment was full of old, greasy wallpaper; the windows with cracked frames hardly opened; It was not recommended to go into the water closet (the employees performed their natural needs in the main building). And yet, it was still an editorial office, although without any sign.
No one knows where the editorial staff were recruited from and on what basis (I was recommended there by a respected Moscow priest, one of the former metropolitan subdeacons). The percentage of citizens of Semitic origin there exceeded all conceivable limits, and all these citizens were engaged in some kind of cunning business there. They did nothing, in a word. They wandered from room to room, scratching their tongues, and on the day the issue was delivered they wrote some flowery hackwork with the invariable title “Revival of the Temple.” This charitable institution was headed by a natural retired security officer, an unemployed international journalist.
But in the main building of the Publishing Department, life was in full swing. There there were many clans and parties warring among themselves, each of which, in turn, suffered from splits and disorder. There was also a clan of adoring women, and there was also a clan of serving boys, whose duties included multilateral information. The boys constantly scurried between Chisty Lane, where the patriarch’s residence was located, and the mansion on Pogodinskaya. Most of the boys were double agents, that is, in Chisty Lane they snitched on Pogodinskaya, and on Pogodinskaya - on Chisty. The bishops were aware, but they still couldn’t do without boys, these Jolies-Garçons, because boys carried out the communication process.
Needless to say, at the same time the Jolies-Garçons pushed each other and knocked on each other. Life was in full swing.
However, at the same time, the boys were listed as editors and received good salaries, although one of these Joly-Garçons graduated from only the eighth grade, began a career as a tractor driver, and then became a reader at one of the Volokolamsk parishes, where he was picked up by the compassionate Bishop Pitirim.
By the way, the most terrifying rumors circulated about the relationship between this cohort of Joly-Garçons and the ruler himself, and it was even hinted that he would form his own harem from them. Lies, lies and more lies! Why? Because Bishop Pitirim was a man of the finest taste and aristocratic morality, and therefore would not have been flattered by this physical and moral rabble under any circumstances. True, the bishop was a gentleman and therefore loved that the serving boys served tea to Raisa Maksimovna and that Raisa Maksimovna was jealous.
According to their appearance, Joly-Garçons were divided into two typological types - the type of Maxim Galkin and the type of Boris Moiseev.
Seva Chaplin belonged to the second type. But this is only in appearance, because Seva Chaplin’s range of interests corresponded to the range of interests of an elderly personnel officer, interested exclusively in the appointments and dismissals of personnel. His voluminous head contained colossal information about all bishops, including vicars, about their ordinations, resignations and behind-the-scenes scandals. In a word, Seva Chaplin’s circle of interests revealed in him beaten by life an elderly church personnel officer, although at the time he was barely in his twenties.
I can no longer remember how and with what instructions Seva Chaplin appeared in our communal apartment. Seva simply appeared, sat down on a chair in the room reserved for the reception, and began to listen. And sometimes he started conversations with me - about this, about that, about personnel composition, about the baseness of the interests of the clergy and about the need to “revitalize church life.” He was probably given this task.
However, I did not have any friendly feelings for Seva Chaplin. It was not very clear why on earth he, without my consent, included me in the list of activists of some new parishes, where “our people” were selected and where it was supposed to “revive church life.” However, I had no time for revival, no time for Seva and his career growth. But Seva, apparently, tried to complete the task assigned to him by his superiors as carefully as possible. Sometimes Seva accompanied me to the metro and tried to get me into a sincere conversation about where I came from and what my plans were. My plans were the most humble, but neither Seva nor anyone else should have cared anything about them.
One day I caught a cold and with pleasure, legally, rested at home, constantly blowing her nose into a wide handkerchief. And suddenly the phone rang. It was Seva. Seva found out the phone number in the office and expressed concern about my health. I said that my health was excellent, but I just had a runny nose. Nothing, in a word, I’ll be back in action soon. “Perhaps I should visit you? - asked Seva. “In a Christian way.” No, I don’t even need the Christian way. I wanted to take a break from people and blow my nose without being embarrassed by anyone.
However, a few hours later the doorbell rang, and, to my surprise, Seva appeared on the threshold with a huge string bag of completely green oranges, about five kilos.
I could never understand the reasons for human importunity, much less for incomprehensible purposes, but it was uncivil to drive away an uninvited visitor. Seva came in, sat down and began asking questions about where I came from, whose person I was and what I thought in general. And since the visit took place under the sign of Christian solicitude, I had to listen.
And then Seva probably made a report to his superior comrades and disappeared from my field of vision for a long time. And then for several years he sent me congratulatory letters, written as carbon copies, at Easter and Christmas.
And now he has soared so high. Herald of church life. Voice of the Patriarchy.
Patience and work will grind everything down, and our careers are always made by people who are not outstanding, but by those who know how to listen to who they order and report to whoever should.
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin often appeared on television screens, spoke a lot, expressed original thoughts, and shared his opinions. It was more scandalous than interesting. At first it was funny to listen to all this, then the priest simply got tired of him with disgusting statements and provocative nonsense.
The beginning of the way
Vsevolod Chaplin, whose biography did not stand out in any way, was born in 1968. He spent his childhood, adolescence and youth in Moscow. The family is intelligent, non-religious. While studying, the boy unexpectedly felt a sense of belonging to Orthodoxy. From then on he remained there. At school, the boy decided to become a priest and receive a spiritual education. Friends and classmates knew about this, and no one judged. This did not in any way affect the parents who belonged to the intelligent class. Vsevolod Chaplin considers himself Russian, despite numerous gossips who dare to claim that he is a baptized Jew.
The publishing department of the Moscow Patriarchate hired the young man in 1985 in the expedition service. He showed himself to be an intelligent, perspicacious and gentle employee. The novice worker sometimes played pranks and expressed “advanced” ideas. However, the mentors condescendingly forgave the nonsense of the young man, who timidly spoke out in favor of changing the Church Slavonic language. The restless innovator organized avant-garde exhibitions in church premises with the permission of the leadership. On the recommendation of Metropolitan Pitirim, Vsevolod Chaplin entered the seminary.
Stellar career
A significant event occurred in the 90th year. After receiving his education, Vsevolod worked in the Department for External Church Relations (DECR), headed by Metropolitan Kirill Gundyaev. A mentor became a young minister good wizard, who gave the green light to his church career. The young man started working as an ordinary employee in 1990, then headed the sector public relations in 1997. A year later, Vsevolod Chaplin became a priest. At the same time, he studies at the Theological Academy, which he graduated from in 1994.
In 1997, Chaplin headed the DECR Secretariat. His work was rewarded with his elevation to archpriest. Three years later, Vsevolod was given the highest confidence - he was approved as Deputy Chairman of the DECR. The secretariats, communication services and the publications sector came under the new manager's attention. He participated in official events and meetings, including negotiations on the relations of the Russian Orthodox Church with the Vatican and state power. In 2009, Gundyaev became patriarch.
At the zenith of glory
Vsevolod is valued and respected, showing this. Russian people's council elects an archpriest as deputy head of this forum. In 2009, Chaplin became chairman of the Department of Church-Society Relations. Patriarch Kirill appointed reliable people to positions. Since then, his confidant has led the ideology and dissemination of teachings, being the eyes and ears of the church in contacts with public institutions. The priest continues to give sermons in the capital's church and lectures at the university, and appears on radio and television.
Chaplin's work has won awards. This is how a person treated by power would live and rejoice. But the harness got under the priest’s tail - and away we go. This did not happen immediately; the preconditions had happened before. Priest Vsevolod Chaplin was distinguished by his original views and often produced elegant pearls. For example, he advocates legitimizing the mandatory wearing of clothing that does not cause sexual lust, in accordance with the traditions of the Orthodox Church.
Outlook on life
Vsevolod’s statements are original. He advocates the creation of squads that will monitor people for wearing “statutory” attire and observing rules of behavior in public places, so that the feelings of believers are not offended. The priest calls for using force to convince those who do not understand of the need to comply with this. He rejects the theory of evolution of the organic world based on natural selection according to Darwin. This is a hypothesis that has not received convincing evidence in science, says Vsevolod Chaplin. Faith and life are two inseparable concepts.
Chaplin's statements about revolution and civil war. He condemns the position of the believers of those years and argues that the Orthodox showed passivity in military operations to destroy the Bolsheviks. Chaplin's performance and position towards the members of the female expressive group caused outrage. Official church did not forgive the apostates. Sharp criticism of the archpriest came after speaking in defense of the bohemian life of the clergy.
Excessive severity
The priest said that the members of the hooligan women's group would be punished, and the church would not yield to pressure from supporters of lawlessness. The Orthodox are challenged in an arrogant, aggressive form - dancing in a holy place. Religious representatives expressed hope that such antics will be excluded in the future. At the same time, the church does not have the right to influence the investigation, being a distant state.
There is no malice towards the participants of the “action”. But cynical blasphemy has been committed against sacred objects. Hooligans must be severely punished. Father Vsevolod Chaplin urged not to send criminals to a colony if there is a full admission of guilt. There was no repentance. But they petitioned the patriarch. Nothing is said about the fact that one will have to answer for blasphemy. Such petitions show how Christianity is confused with humanism. Forgiveness of sin is alien to Orthodoxy, so the perpetrators were sentenced to two years in prison.
On the luxury of clergy
Church funds are not wasted on pomp. The visible pomp is exclusively gifts from caring, generous parishioners and donations from wealthy citizens. Fortunately, there are many of them. Chaplin considers it fair that the patriarch has a luxury watch, a car park, and his own residence. Those who give such gifts strive for perfection, so that His Holiness is in no way inferior to representatives of secular power, and there is no shame. And people don’t regret it - they bring offerings. This happens in every religious community in the world. What identifies God is decorated. Chaplin called people who reproach the church for luxury as evil ill-wishers and made a comparison with Judas, who proposed not to waste the ointment for the body of Jesus, but to waste it and give the money to the poor. The call for rational spending of money on pressing, emerging problems is nonsense. And dedicating savings to those symbols that remind of the presence of God is a good thing.
Changeling
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin is a colorful personality. He always felt the spirit of the times and easily, like a chameleon, changed with the situation. A liberal in the 90s, he advocated for the Orthodox Church to keep up with the times. With the change in the social climate, Father Vsevolod also made a turn. He was reincarnated as a patriot. There was nothing forbidden in what Chaplin told his listeners. It's disgusting that there is no faith behind this, and everything looks like a game. The church as an administrative structure is subject to the same shortcomings: there is a struggle for power, career advancement.
Vsevolod Chaplin justified the murder of “internal enemies” and compared with God's blessing. This shocked radio listeners. The priest compared Vladimir Putin and Ivan the Terrible - both leaders destroyed internal enemies and expanded borders. Chaplin's statements are signs of spiritual decline. This is not something a person says to the church; it is incompatible with God. Between the methods of a priest and what is prohibited in Russia Islamic State equal sign - justification for murder " God's will" Vsevolod Chaplin forgot the expression “don’t be a fool.” In December 2015, he was stripped of his post as chairman of the department for church-society relations and membership in the Interreligious Council.
Church vertical
A person who gave 25 years to the Patriarchate can argue with His Holiness, Vsevolod Chaplin is sure. Orthodox politics carried out one-sidedly. Disagreements began due to the complicated situation in Ukraine. It was not possible to convince the authorities of this country to hear the voices of citizens who are in favor of developing relations with Russia. Time was wasted, this is the direct fault of the patriarch. Sole power is unacceptable, His Holiness imagines himself knowledgeable and ready to resolve such issues, and this is dangerous for him and his business. To prevent the patriarch from being accused of heresy, problems must be solved collectively, by the church. This is not a vertical, but a parody of it. This is believing solely in yourself. Because of this, ill-considered steps are taken. Power in the diocese is necessary. Patriarch - the inviolability of spiritual foundations. These are non-administrative and personnel functions. The authority of the church head has little connection with the work of the administrator. This is possible in the case when the decisions of the leader cease to be individual and part of the powers are transferred to dioceses and other church institutions.
Criticism against the patriarch
Chaplin claims that the Lord does not have a holistic view of what is happening. Much in sermons and statements was said to please the authorities, to please them. Things are even worse with letters. The Patriarch himself will not write the text coherently, as his memory fails. He does not understand that the amendment made to the content contradicts the meaning. It's not a matter of age, it was constant.
Previously, written reports for the patriarch were created by people with formed views under the leadership of Father Vsevolod. With the departure of the ideological elite, changes occurred; there were more spontaneous, illiterate speeches on major issues. His Holiness will lead the management of the Russian Orthodox Church into a dead end. Decisions are made individually and without discussion, on the run, Vsevolod Chaplin convinced. Where despotism serves, there will be chaos. Trying to stop the slide into the purity of personal charisma, the priest expressed dissatisfaction that the patriarch did not make sharp statements towards the authorities due to his reluctance to lose favor. The conversation between the church and state representatives should be open.
Attacks
Vsevolod Chaplin demands that communities be given guarantees for the nomination of candidates for clergy and bishops. In reality, the bishop appoints another favorite as rector of the parish, and this is unacceptable, says Vsevolod Chaplin. Where there is unity of command, initiative dies, and the first signs of a dying structure are the cowardice of the environment and personnel shortages. The shortage of bright personalities puts pressure on the church, and the voice of one patriarch is heard. Where this happens, decisions are made without discussion with the people. This model is not viable. In the church, only the words of the Holy One are important. But the situation is changing, and the attempt to drown out other voices has failed. Today, power belongs to those who influence society.
If you listen to these bold and, at first glance, correct statements by Vsevolod Chaplin, you can see evil words and the desire to humiliate. If after leaving the church a person has changed dramatically and rushes at the offenders, then this says a lot. Apparently, it was in vain that they moved him up the career ladder, introduced him into a narrow circle of trusted people, and treated him in a friendly manner.
The price of ambition
Father Chaplin, leaving the Patriarchate, slammed the door noisily. After bright speeches on the radio, where bitterness and irritation for misunderstanding were felt, an unequivocal accusation was made from church circles. Such a bright person with original judgments clearly does not understand what he has set his sights on. Vsevolod Chaplin, whose photo you can see in the article, is ruthless in his nature.
In 1991 there was a collapse big country. It seemed that everything was over, and there was no return to the old way. Nevertheless, Russia was resurrected, and the Orthodox Church took part in this. It plays a formative role in the state, sometimes replacing its institutions. Therefore, undermining the authority of the patriarch does not elevate the country, but causes harm. Around famous person There is always a mythical essence swirling around - positive or destructive. If it is negative, it destroys the environment in which it developed and lives. The mythological aspect of Patriarch Kirill and his personality is very important. In the transitional period of Russian history, the merits of the church pastor are enormous and undoubted. Any attacks on him will negatively affect the atmosphere within the church.
At the Broken Trough
A well-known public spokesman for state media found himself under an information blockade after his removal. A striking type of Gogol's plot is a swindler who is cheated in a game without rules. The resignation of Vsevolod Chaplin was expected and did not cause any bewilderment. It seems, the priest believes, that in some media there is a taboo on expressing disagreement with the patriarch. He is not a sacred cow, but a man with all the shortcomings, and his politics can and should be discussed. Chaplin believes that the transfer of architectural buildings for religious purposes to the church is a natural process. What was stolen by the state must be returned. We need a rotation of elites. Young people should take the place of those who have already lined their pockets and keep their property and money behind the hill. It is necessary to declare the truth everywhere, says Chaplin, and to tell the truth.
Another reason for leaving is plausible. The archpriest stated that in Syria our troops are waging a holy war against terrorism. The Foreign Ministry expressed dissatisfaction such a statement- this is a clear inconsistency with common sense. This conflict was given interreligious status for centuries. The departure of the priest became convenient for interested parties. The wishes of the government coincided with the personnel leapfrog of the church. The Patriarch easily parted with employees who did not meet job requirements. But life goes on, but Vsevolod Chaplin remains a priest and rector of the Moscow parish.
In the spring of 2016, the disgraced archpriest was spotted at McDonald's, where Vsevolod Chaplin was eating a hamburger at Lent! It cost the priest last position. He was removed from the Inter-Council Presence. He likes to be the center of attention.
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, dismissed the day before from his post as head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for Relations between Church and Society, said in an interview with the radio station "Moscow Speaks" that Patriarch Kirill "ceased to understand that he is a collective project and must express not only his own opinion."
“I think he won’t last long. I think that this contradiction between belief in personal charisma and the surrounding reality will only intensify,” Chaplin said.
In turn, the head of the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Alexander Volkov, noted that he “leaves Chaplin’s statements on his conscience.” “It doesn’t seem advisable to enter into a meaningless debate,” he added in an interview with the radio station “Moscow Speaks.”
Let us remind you that Holy Synod The Russian Orthodox Church explained Chaplin's dismissal by changes in the structure of the Moscow Patriarchate: the department headed by the archpriest was merged with the Synodal Information Department (SINFO). The new structure was headed by the head of SINFO, MGIMO graduate Vladimir Legoida.
Chaplin himself, who headed the Department for Relations between Church and Society since 2009, later stated that the reason for his dismissal was disagreements with the patriarch. He emphasized that in conversations with Kirill he condemned the Church’s ingratiation to secular authorities and corrupt officials, but did not find support from him.
The night before, Chaplin gave a lengthy interview to the Ekho Moskvy radio station, in which he made several sharp attacks against the head of the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. According to him, he never held onto a position that was deprived of him, since it took almost all his strength.
"Now I can breathe full breasts. It appears, obviously, free time, there is an opportunity to talk more, pray more, argue more with those in power and those who are now building intra-church relations. So I have more freedom, which I'm very happy about," he said.
At the same time, he suspects that the reason for the changes made by the Synod is not only in optimization of work and not only in considerations of efficiency, as was presented in the official message. “I know that in the Church there are many much less effective institutions than the department that I created and which I headed until recently. This also applies to some synodal institutions, this applies to the apparatus that personally serves His Holiness the Patriarch: in office work and in residences, during religious services. It seems to me that the question of efficiency is not the main issue here,” Chaplin said.
"I used to disagree on some issues with His Holiness. This concerned, first of all, the tone of church-state relations that we have in Russia, and in Ukraine, and in some other places. I believe that we are too complementary. Perhaps be more critical. We need to not be afraid to call out the most complex topics church-state relations into the public space, rely not on persuasion and negotiations, but on the support of the people. I believe that there is no point in trying to reduce everything in the Church to one voice - the voice of His Holiness the Patriarch.
My voice is no less significant, the voice of many of our other thinking and active priests and laity is no less significant. Therefore, I believe that at some point His Holiness the Patriarch is simply offended that, due to his current position, he cannot say what he could say as a metropolitan. This bright man, he is a thinking person, but due to his current responsibilities, the opportunities for his statements are quite limited. And, probably, at some point he is offended that many speak better than him, many speak more directly than him. Well, that’s his fate,” said the priest.
The second issue on which Chaplin, according to him, argued with the Patriarch was the state of church governance.
“I recently wrote him a report that more systematic decisions should be made in church administration. Unfortunately, today this is not the case. Many decisions are made during spontaneous conversations somewhere in the corridor, I’m not running - I mean decisions on very fundamental questions. This is impossible. I am convinced that a system in which there is no systematic - excuse the tautology - decision-making taking into account the position of experts, taking into account the position of non-core institutions, will not last long," the radio station's interlocutor believes.
According to Chaplin, many decisions in the Russian Orthodox Church are made only by the patriarch personally. “The volume of these decisions is now large. He cannot cope with these decisions, he is not able to digest the volume of documents that involves making a decision, which means that we still need to transfer powers and give people the opportunity to take responsibility, which is what I have always tried to do ", said the priest, adding that he free man and that no one has the right to limit his position.
“I believe that my position, more than anyone else’s, reflects today the sentiments of the majority of people who are present in our church, and those sentiments that are associated with its deepest intuitions. I will continue to behave as a free person. I have already said that there is quite a lot of freedom, I am very happy about it,” Chaplin emphasized.
Meanwhile, he connects his dismissal not only with his personality, but also with deep tendencies that reflect a certain schism in the church.
He considers himself to be “the only person who can, in response to the position of the Patriarch, express his position, which will not always coincide with his position,” and which, in his opinion, is in some sense more promising from the point of view of the future .
Having shared his plans for the future, Chaplin said that he would now rest, pray, and most importantly, he would “speak directly with the authorities and with society, and with church authorities, and I will say what I consider necessary.”
As for money, according to Chaplin, as head of the synodal institution he Lately I received almost nothing. “Half of my salary was cut, then I refused the second salary. Something - in my opinion, 20 thousand rubles or so are paid to me in the church where I serve. I can live quite calmly without this money. I don’t need money “I told everyone about this many times,” the priest concluded.
The main reason for Chaplin’s resignation on the eve of New Year 2016 was his sharp disagreement with the patriarch’s position on Ukraine. The conflict reached such proportions that the patriarch not only fired the archpriest, but also dissolved the Synodal Department headed by him, merging it with the Information Department, headed by Vladimir Legoida.
O. Vsevolod, who had a reputation as an “apostle of war,” called for open support from the Russian Orthodox Church for the “Donbass militia” and almost anathematization of the “Kyiv junta.” Patriarch Kirill, fearing the loss of 14 thousand parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine, which is almost half of the entire Russian Orthodox Church, tried to play a more balanced game.
The Moscow Patriarchate did not even formally recognize the “annexation of Crimea”: its three Crimean dioceses remain part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and are subject to the autonomous synod in Kyiv, and not the central synod in Moscow...
Chaplin is currently performing with new program the fight against heresies and moral corruption of the clergy, for which he headed the Church-Public Commission to study violations of the holy canons and church regulations. It unites both clergy and laity, some speaking anonymously, fearing reprisals from the hierarchy, and some openly.
— Who is on your commission? What methods do you intend to fight against “lawlessness”?
— Our commission was organized by several people, including the priest of one of the dioceses not far from Moscow (he has not signed our documents yet), the leader of the Christian Revival Union Vladimir Nikolaevich Osipov, Messrs. Druz, Morozov, Deacon Ilya Maslov. There were a lot of disputes regarding the format, some proposed creating a union of clergy, others - something else. From the very beginning I had the idea to attract some of the liberal public. But she either proposed unacceptable figures like Sergei Bychkov, or called for the topics to be too narrow, leaving only the fight for the rights of priests. I personally am least interested in this topic.
I see that a significant part of the leaders are “non-remembering” ( protest clergy who refused to commemorate Patriarch Kirill at services. — A.S.) strives only to create alternative platforms for making demands and making money. I like this selfish human rights movement least of all, because more fundamental questions need to be asked.
— So what exactly violations is the commission going to fight against?
— Priority topics: compliance with the canons and church charter, exclusion of any individuals associated with an open and shameless violation of both canonical rules and statutory norms. I believe that the norms of the Gospel, canons and current regulations cannot be ignored. Some apology may have taken place in conditions of unfreedom or diaspora, but for a free Orthodox people living in unconstrained conditions, there is no such apology.
— It is unlikely that the church authorities will fulfill your demands - after all, it is precisely this leadership that you mainly denounce? What remains in this case: appeal to the authorities, to civil society?
- Yes, we believe that it is possible to change the way of life and the attitude towards doctrinal norms, towards church rules in society - the examples of religious Zionism and the Islamic Revolution in Iran convince us of this.
But for now we are trying to avoid the dirtiest topics, such as evidence of some clerics searching for homosexual partners, although we receive such impulses. If they are evidence-based, we will do this too. Very often these impulses are associated with gossip, with falsified materials, especially when the source is anonymous.
— What does ecumenism mean to you, which has been actively supported by the Russian Orthodox Church for the last 60 years?
— I consider ecumenism a heresy. The issue of anathematizing ecumenism should be discussed at the Council. Moreover, not only ecumenism as a practice should be condemned, but also ecumenical language, the ecumenical heritage in our theology. This needs to be discussed with the participation of liberal and conservative circles. I am convinced that if everyone is allowed to speak, if there is no pressure to select participants, which His Holiness likes to do, then it will become clear: the vast majority of people in our church are against ecumenism. There cannot be two churches, two truths. Mutually exclusive statements cannot be equally true.
At the same time, I believe that all those who joined alternative Orthodox groups today made a mistake.
If they push me out of the church, then I’ll look for somewhere to go, but I’m not going to leave myself, because we need to fight for cleansing and returning logic to the large church body.
In addition, I know how much dirt there is in these alternative organizations, in some cases more than in the Russian Orthodox Church. It is known how they are fragmented, how quickly they move to the position of small sandboxes, where people are engaged in small-scale commerce. A great tragedy occurred with some of those priests who, after the Havana meeting ( Patriarch Kirill with Pope Francis in February 2016 — A.S.) left the Moscow Patriarchate. They turned out to be led by those who were looking for a way to make money independently.
— What has the commission already done?
— We accepted 5 documents, including a letter to the Patriarch about the inadmissibility of removing the clergy by oral orders, lawsuits in the courts of the Moscow and St. Petersburg dioceses against the creators of the film “Matilda,” etc. But in order to sue the bishops, you need to overcome serious problem: a claim against a bishop can only be filed by a clergyman of the diocese of the same bishop or an ecclesiastical institution of the diocese. Now we are arguing with the fairness of this provision. It turns out that only a person subordinate to him can sue the bishop.
— So, as a cleric of the Moscow diocese, you can only file a complaint against the patriarch? Are you going to do this?
— I don’t plan to file a complaint against my bishop (patriarch) yet. There is no clearly obvious reason. The Havana Declaration he signed - controversial issue, is a residual ecumenical language that was gradually abandoned after the scandal that resulted from the declaration. I consider this a great achievement, but this language must be abandoned at the level of direct formulations, and not quietly. It is necessary to ensure that it is clearly stated about the so-called Catholics and Protestant groups that are moving further and further from Christianity - whether they are churches.
At one time, we developed a draft document on the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards non-Christian religions, but it was blocked on the direct orders of the then Metropolitan Kirill. Of course, an Orthodox person cannot believe that we believe in the same God as Muslims or Jews.
— How do the patriarchy and church court to your requests?
“In response to our appeals, the tactic of silence was chosen; the court does not respond to our appeals and statements. In some cases there is an appeal procedure, but it does not apply to refusals to transfer cases to the church court. However, there are cases of grave moral actions, when one can remember that some of these offenses are economic, criminal crimes, and here silence cannot be eternal, because there are Russian and international authorities where this information can be sent. If accounts are frozen somewhere, it will have an effect.
Now we have taken a pause and are studying the information that comes from different people. There are very interesting cases...
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