Former Insider Calls Russian Church a “Spiritual Catastrophe”

Photo: Sergei Chapnin/Facebook

NEW YORK — In a January 20 interview with journalist Yevgeny Kiselyov, former Moscow Patriarchate insider Sergei Chapnin delivered a scathing critique of the Russian Orthodox Church under Patr. Kirill. Chapnin, formerly editor of the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate and deputy chief editor of the Church Herald, now directs communications at Fordham University’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center.

Calling the Church “a spiritual catastrophe,” Chapnin states that “the Church of Russia is no longer Christian” and has shifted “from the Gospel to propaganda.” He argues the hierarchy now serves state power, supporting war and repression while labeling critics as traitors, warning that such actions “destroy the very essence of Christianity.” Chapnin identifies the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as the turning point, after which the official Church “finally stopped relying on the Gospel.”

He distinguishes between individual faithful and the hierarchy, noting that while some priests and believers remain Christian, “the official Church . . . has strayed” and functions as “part of the state machinery.” Patr. Bartholomew of Constantinople has made a similar observation, accusing Kirill of “anti-Christian preaching” and highlighting persecution of Russian clergy who oppose the war in Ukraine.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the Moscow Synod declared a day of prayer against abortion. 

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