Russian Metropolitan Detained In Czech Republic With "white Colored Substance"

He may have ties to Russian security services.

Metropolitan Ilarion was detained in the Czech town of Karlovy Vary with a "white-colored substance."

A report about this appeared in the metropolitan's official Telegram channel. It claims that on May 24, police officers stopped the car in which the Metropolitan himself and the cameraman accompanying him were. This happened after driving away from the Orthodox Church of the Holy Faithful Apostles Peter and Paul.

According to the authors of the publication, during the search of the car in the trunk they found "four small containers with a substance of white color". The composition, origin and nature of the substance are to be established during an expert examination, the post said.

No confirmation of Hilarion's detention was found in other sources at the time of publication.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) is one of the most prominent hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, long considered an influential diplomat and theologian of the Russian Orthodox Church. He headed the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate (2009-2022), was a permanent member of the Holy Synod and one of the public representatives of church diplomacy in the international arena.

In June 2022, he was transferred to Budapest and appointed head of the Hungarian diocese, but already in 2024 found himself at the center of internal church proceedings. The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church temporarily suspended him from the diocese, explaining it by the need to check the situation in the church administration.

The scandal was triggered by accusations made by his former assistant (kelejnik), who alleged possible cases of inappropriate behavior and abuse. He was then transferred to Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. Later, the Czech media reported about Hilarion's ties to the Russian security services.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com