Hrmmm...Russian Priest That Lead Navalny's Memorial Service Suddenly 'Dismissed' By Moscow Church

By Maria Angelino | Thursday, 25 April 2024 01:50 PM
Views 1.4K
Hrmmm...Russian Priest That Lead Navalny's Memorial Service Suddenly 'Dismissed' By Moscow Church
Image Credit : Photo by John Smith for Reuters

The Russian Orthodox Church has suspended Dmitry Safronov, the priest who conducted the memorial service for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, for a period of three years.

The Moscow Diocese did not provide a specific reason for the suspension, according to a report by Reuters.

Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, passed away in an Arctic penal colony in February at the age of 47. Supporters of the opposition leader have alleged that his death was a murder, a claim that the Kremlin has vehemently denied.

The Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement on its website, signed by its head, Patriarch Kirill. As reported by Haberler, the statement read, "Priest Dimitri Safronov, a cleric of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin on Lyschikova Hill in Moscow, is released from the duty of obedience, is prohibited from the priesthood for a period of three years without the right to give a blessing, wear a cassock and a priestly cross and is sent for three years to the church of St Pimen the Great in New Collars in Moscow to perform the duties of a psalmist and fulfil those assignments which the abbot will determine for him."

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The statement further mentioned that a decision regarding Safronov's future priestly service would be made after the period of penance, based on feedback from his place of obedience.

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At the time of his death, Navalny was serving a 19-year prison sentence on charges of extremism, which he had dismissed as politically motivated. He was incarcerated upon his return from Germany in January 2021, where he had been recovering from a nerve agent poisoning in 2020, an incident he attributed to the Kremlin.

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Navalny had begun writing his memoir in 2020, which is scheduled to be published in October by Alfred A Knopf. The book, titled "Patriot," has been referred to as Navalny's "final letter to the world."

Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's widow, released a statement earlier this month through the publisher. She said, "This book is a testament not only to Alexei’s life but to his unwavering commitment to the fight against dictatorship – a fight he gave everything for, including his life."

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