the Number of deaths from novel coronavirus infection among the Russian clergy has been steadily increasing – until Wednesday, may 13, died four priests and a monk. This was announced on the social network public figure Sergei Chapnin. According to him, now we are dealing with the “Easter” burst – ill and die, those who could be infected during services on Easter weekend. In addition, there is reason to suspect that not all the death priests fall in the statistics “coronavirus”.
the project “Sobornost” (an informal organization created to follow the news of the Russian Orthodox Church during a pandemic) reported: only may 13, 2020 from complications of coronavirus infection died, five of the clergy. This is Archpriest Alexander Gryzunov (73), Archpriest Vasily Alexandrov (45 years), Archpriest Alexey Penkov (51), hieromonk Peter Mushrooms (55 years) and a monk Vyacheslav Peleni (77 years).
meanwhile, the official Telegram-channel Working group under the Patriarch said yesterday about only two deaths: Oleksiy Penkov and Peter Gribova, although the rest of the clergy – according to the information shared in the social networks of their loved ones – it was diagnosed with coronavirus infection.
what is the reason for the discrepancy between “official” and unofficial statistics, while difficult to say. However, there is a hypothesis that the priests themselves may seek to conceal the fact of infection of their brothers in the faith COVID-19, as it directly affects the ritual of burial.
– it is possible that some monasteries and parishes, trying to hide the cause of death of priests and to obtain a death certificate, which is not a diagnosis of “coronavirus infection”, – shared his thoughts Sergey Chapnin, former Executive editor of “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”. – If the deceased person has been infected, you’re supposed to be buried in a closed coffin and the funeral will be minimized. And here from the point of view of the Church tradition there is a big problem: the priests read the burial service by a special rite and placed in a coffin in full priestly garb.
the Refusal of full funeral service – this is an extremely painful decision. Many were shocked when they saw how they buried the infected priests in Moscow. And it is quite understandable the reason why monasteries are seeking is hidden the diagnosis. However, you have to admit that the result of such manipulation we do not and will not be objective statistics on who died of coronavirus infection of the priests and the monks.
Chaplin suggested that the surge of deaths among the clergy in the last few days can be called “Easter wave”: in cities where the temples were not mandatory quarantined during Holy week, parishioners gathered on the services without the necessary precautions.
– the Picture would be complete, if we could at the same time to count the number of infected parishioners and pilgrims. But such statistics, of course not, and I’m afraid that will not be, – said Chaplin.
