According to news agencies, a few days ago, the coronavirus has infected Dmitry Smirnov, Archpriest, rector of the Church of St. Mitrophan of Voronezh on the farmstead in Moscow and Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on family, motherhood and childhood.
69-year-old Abbot of the temple in the hamlet known to Russians for his public statements, including in relation to pandemic coronavirus. “Life and death does not dispose of the corona virus, he said in March on radio “Radonezh”. – Life and death dispose of one Lord God”.
Earlier, in February, when Italy was already raging pandemic and when the local government has imposed severe restrictive measures, the Russian Orthodox priest urged Italians not to obey the authorities, if they close the temples. And their closure with the subsequent prohibition of the Church and convinced the priest that “the government of the ungodly,” and he, these processes are called the “beginning of the end”.
And not to lose the patronage of Heaven, encouraged the believers to hold services in secret, at night.
However, when the same restrictive measures against coronavirus beginning to gradually introduce the Russian government, he refrained from such comments. Because then, according to his logic, would that the President of Russia Vladimir Putin with his team – also atheists? While we all know that it is not so. GDP with his retinue in the great Church holidays always attend the temple and in General is often found with the Patriarch.
In General, here the priest wisely said nothing. And most recently, on may 3, celebrated the Liturgy, stressing that remained in their principles. “Pandemic is an extremely useful phenomenon, which allows to develop love for others”. “Only suffering disease, one gains the important quality of the soul: patience, as the main Foundation of all virtues”.
However, now the Archpriest there is an opportunity in a hospital bed to have a debate about the philosophy of being with their colleagues. According to Natalia Zubova, the wife of one of the priests with him in the hospital being treated and other priests: Archpriest Alexander Shargunov, Vladislav Sveshnikov, Nikolai Krechetov – all dumped, but did not break new pneumonia Kovid-19.
this father, too, see God’s Providence. Because the Church fathers believed God’s gift of health and disease – “priceless gift”.
As previously reported, in April from the coronavirus died Protopriest George Breev, rector of the Cathedral elohovskom Alexander Ageikin, Bishop of Zheleznogorsk and Lgov Benjamin.
