Drozdov, who impressed the KGB with his eagerness, discretion and lively, forthcoming manner, began his career as an agent by providing information on a corrupt priest at a church in the small town of Jyhvi. Tsar." All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without written permission from the publishers. EU-wide punitive measures against the patriarch failed because of Hungarys veto. According to the local deacon Daniel Schrer, Cyril is still mentioned herein the Eucharistic prayer. great justification. And now, this sly guy is going to tell me something. attitude to the fulfillment of our tasks and has already provided materials Having grown up in a family of priests in Leningrad, the 75-year-old, like most churchmen at the time, was with the KGB after his ordination. And its FREE! Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, worked for the Russian intelligence service in Switzerland in the 1970s, according to two Swiss newspapers, citing declassified archives. Challenge, p.236), "If thing crucified, dead and buried has been resurrected. He stated that the plaintiff did not have the authority to defend foreign subjective rights, except that the interests of the Russian Orthodox community, neither the religious dogmas and canonical disputes were referred to, but his statement as part of a public discussion on an important issue for the public. The two are regarded as closely interdependent, and neither is subordinated to the other. As Kirill begins his reign as patriarch, there is little reason to expect this to change. . Kirill made so few friends in ecumenism. Download our media pack in either English or Spanish. February 28, 1958. Simeonov explained in court that his behavior could not have caused unlawful harm, since it was a comment on the behavior of a representative of a foreign state and his statements he made not as a spiritual and religious leader, but as the head of a foreign delegation, while a critical assessment of his motives and manifestations on political issues was made by Simeonov as a representative of the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria. justification? - Mikhail Google Kirill and watch and youll find a photo of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus meeting the Russian justice minister. sinful influences of the 'street' (the West) and, consequently, from a But the patriarchate reported an annual budget in 1995-1996 of only $2 million. Gundyaev also insisted that his uncle had had a special appreciation for Switzerland. Kirill I, original name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyaev, (born November 20, 1946, Leningrad [now St. Petersburg], Russia), Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia from 2009. The This is not an Eastern Orthodox clergyman. Some Ukrainian Orthodox churches still belong to the Moscow Patriarchy. This could be one of Europe's success stories, EU ban on Russian oil imports comes into force, as West steps up measures against Moscow, Hungary's relationship with Ukraine strained by prisoner exchange with Russia. Drozdov's reports, along with the KGB annual summaries after 1958, were taken to Moscow in 1991. Gorbachev's 'Memoirs', 1996, "The are some key excerpts from Yanov's book: The The news outlet added that: in addition to his passion for skiing in 2007 he broke his leg on a Swiss slope religious diplomacy, espionage and financial matters have constantly brought Kirill back to the Alps or to the shores of Lake Geneva. Direct interview links: PART 1 | PART 2). In the same year that he became a bishop, Alexy's rapid rise within the World Council of Churches began - the very course the KGB planned for Drozdov. His watch costs 30,000. . It was largely damaging to anyone who wasnt Matt Hancock, naturally, but the former health secretary did induce some rather big cringes from all present when his voice cracked as he said Im not very good at talking, The Anglican priests charged with exorcising evil spirits, The search for the next pope is turning ugly, Daniel Korski flails under questioning about groping. No wonder the KGB wanted him to talk to Mikhailov. Only the polished table reveals the glimmer of his phantom wristwatch, a 20,000 Swiss Breguet. Where did it all go wrong for Harry and Meghan? The floor they are standing on is made of metal, it was melted down from Nazi weapons. The role of the court Jew, according to Krotov, is to put a civilized face on a repressive system. While the Russian Idea rejected the The Estonian the neutralization of vice by vice). Since 1996, he has imported 14 billion excise-free cigarettes. Nevertheless, Kirill is not sanctioned. suffering from a global spiritual crisis 'carrying humankind headlong toward A freelance television journalist, Boris Sobolyev, who travelled to Tallinn to film the story, has been unable to find a Russian news programme willing to air it. He has visited Switzerland at least 43 times, they detailed. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. A Sunday in early April, Patriarch Kirill is standing at the altar with his hands raised. As head of the churchs department of foreign church relations, Kirill gained the reputation of a relatively enlightened church leader. Patriarch Kirill is a big fan of Switzerland noted Le Matin Dimanche. grips with this crisis, whose historical source lay in the secular Enlightenment: We are not funded by any of the Churches or religious organizations, nor do we represent the interests of any. circumstances of her death has been poisoned (i.e., Litvinenko). Instead, it advocated the principle of Russian Idea pointed to the providential role of Orthodoxy, as uniquely capable The guilty ones will be punished severely.. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin, worked for Soviet intelligence while living in Switzerland in the 1970s, Swiss newspapers reported, citing declassified archives. "Of all the countries in the world, it is possibly the one I have visited the most often.". But his cassock is plain black and his wrist is bare. The nation's conflicts, Orbn, his savior, is his spiritual brother: he also calls himself the defender of the West. Patriarch of Russian Orthodox Church: KGB Agent "Mikhailov". Rights exist in relation to a government, so cavemen did not have human rights, let alone unlimited human rights. And he still dares to bring the Bulgarian President to justice. The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin, worked for Soviet intelligence while living in Switzerland in the 1970s, Swiss newspapers reported, citing. On March 17, the Sofia District Court issued judgment no.20069484 in case no. According to historian Felix Corley, briefly public KGB files showed Kirill was an agent for the Soviet intelligence agency, with the code name "Mikhailov." For further information, Kirill, who today is a fervent supporter of Putin's war in Ukraine, lived in Geneva in the early 1970s, officially as a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the World Council of Churches (WCC). readers has since been assassinated. Drozdov positively recommended himself. This hardly seems to affect Kirill. 18199/2018 on Emil Milanov's claim against former Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria Valeri Simeonov. ', James Meek in Tallinn on a secret document that may prove Alexy II's role as a Soviet agent, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. The Patriarch is highly influential: the Kremlin values his support, and Alexy is close to at least one of Boris Yeltsin's likely successors, Moscow's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov. Kirill is a known KGB/FSB agent code named "Mikhailov". the Patriarch offered up a prayer, the doors of the Church of Christ the Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox! Neither Kirill nor Alexei ever acknowledged or apologized for their ties with the security agencies. Since 1994, Kirill has hosted a weekly Orthodox television program on the main state television channel. On March 17, the Sofia District Court issued judgment no.20069484 in case no. Joining the dots between these claims is not easy, but it doesnt require us to believe that Kirill, any more than his friend Putin, was ever a devout communist. "Between religious diplomacy, espionage and finances, Kirill has continuously been drawn to the Alps and the shores of Lake Geneva," Le Matin Dimanche said. Nevertheless, Kirill is not sanctioned. In November 1978, the KGB drew up a Future Plan of co-operation with its Czech equivalent to deepen dissent within leading reactionary church circles, to harass Protestant sects, to tighten its grip on the WCC and to strengthen the position of an unnamed agent in the Vatican. Files in the Swiss Federal Archives confirm this impression. Patriarch Kirill used posting to Switzerland to collect information for Soviet espionage agency, declassified materials appear to show By James Kilner 6 February 2023 3:26pm Yet the evidence, in the 1958 annual report of the Estonian branch of the KGB, which was left behind in Tallinn when the Soviet authorities pulled out of the newly independent country in 1991, is compelling. So it goes without saying that Father Kirill would have been one. Shimanov quoted in Yanov's The Russian One reference in the report from October 1969 reads: 'Agents Drozdov and Peresvyet travelled to England as part of the delegation to the Conference of European Churches.' Slovenian authorities have arrested two foreign nationals suspected of spying for Russias GRU military intelligence agency, the Slovenian newspaper Austria expelled an unnamed Russian diplomat earlier in the day for alleged industrial espionage. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices. Le Matin Dimanche interviewed the patriarch's nephew, Mikhail Goundiaev, who succeeded him as a representative of the Moscow patriarchate in Geneva. separation of functions between temporal and spiritual powers: the state guards severe threefold form of slavery: to the communes, to the Church and to the Orthodox Party of the Soviet Union, we would obtain truly the ideal state, one Corley adds: The documents also reveal that the KGB was aware Kirill was corresponding with Rome-based Catholic professor Eduard Huber, rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, even if the KGB backed away from attempting to recruit Huber as an agent. The now forgotten Huber was a Sovieteducated Jesuit priest; his Institute dealt with Eastern Catholic Churches, the largest of which is Ukrainian. At that time it was said that the Silver Rose honored people who strive for the unity of the Churches of the East and the West. However, Goundiaev was adamant that Patriarch Kirill was never a KGB agent, saying Kirill "was not an agent, even if he was subject to the KGB's 'strict control". It was taken in 2009, the year Kirill succeeded the late Patriarch Alexy II as spiritual leader of 110 million Russian Orthodox Christians. (NOTE: An important discussion I had with Jeff Nyquist on this topic is podcast written by Russian nationalist G.M. capable of beginning THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD." There were very few priests of the Orthodox Church here at that time. Russia's patriarch Kirill: billionaire, ex-KGB agent, church leader By Editor Jun 4, 2022 He was with the KGB, has billions and is considered Putin's sharpest ideological sword. Le Matin Dimanche and Sonntagszeitung, two Swiss publications, say the police have verified that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, was a member of the KGB. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE. It had the magical property of disappearing from sight, visible to onlookers only as a reflection. He was with the KGB, has billions and is considered Putins sharpest ideological sword. It has no other justification, and this is . And this month, in one of those little liturgical gestures that can cost Christians their lives, they did a very brave thing. He is well-orientated in theoretical by nations'. Father Gleb Yakunin, an Orthodox priest and former MP who searched through KGB files, said he found several references to Drozdov. The SonntagsZeitung also reports on the financial interests of the Russian Orthodox Church in Switzerland. The state, it The description, the age, the plan for him to become a bishop - it fits.'. The court did not see Simeonov's words as slander against the Moscow church official. New There is, however, a glimmer of hope that Russias bombs may finally blow the helmet of salvation off the head of this revolting man. There will be a thorough investigation to determine why in this instance there was a crude violation of our internal ethical code [against digital manipulation], said his spokesman. Enter your email to follow this blog and receive customized notifications of new posts by email. There can no longer be any talk of that today: the head of the Moscow church is considered an important ally of Putin. In 2019 he took the extreme step of breaking communion with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew the Archbishop of Constantinople and spiritual leader of all Orthodox churches because Bartholomew had granted independence to the main body of Ukrainian Orthodox. Do remember to come back and checkThe Euro Weekly Newswebsite for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us onFacebookandInstagram. The . Rights exist as a counterpoise to the obligations imposed by society. Review our We can be sure that promise was kept. inexhaustible source of Truth, spiritual energy and strength, which has never It also stressed that the Russian Church "refused to comment on Kirill's espionage activities in Geneva". Thank you! By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Yakov Krotov, a liberal Russian Orthodox priest, recently compared Kirill to a court Jew, like Peter Shafirov, the foreign policy aide to Peter the Great. Pacepa also repeated a claim by Moscow News that Patriarch Kirill was worth $4 billion in 2006, partly thanks to abusing his Churchs bizarre privilege of importing duty-free cigarettes into Russia.
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