Scandalous priest of the Russian Orthodox Church defrocked
The capital's Diocesan Church Court examined reports of church offenses by Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, a clergyman in the city of Moscow, and found him subject to removal from the priesthood.
This was reported on the official website of the Moscow City Diocese, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The court ruled that on April 21, 2020, an ordinary cleric published in his LiveJournal an offensive description of Archpriest Alexander Ageikin, who died that day from the consequences of coronavirus infection.
The court found signs of blasphemy against the Church in the statements of Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev. The court decision also refers to signs of slanderous activities by Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, in particular, accusations of the Russian Orthodox Church of “organizing a schism,” the report says.
Kuraev was summoned to court four times, but refused to appear, citing either his state of health or traffic jams in Moscow.
The court's decision will come into force if it is approved by the ruling bishop of Moscow - the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', and before that it can be appealed within the prescribed period.
In 2014, Kuraev, who often published in liberal media, opposed the reunification of Crimea with Russia. He initiated several scandals related to the Russian Orthodox Church. In the fall of 2017, penance was imposed on him.
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