Bishop gets suspension after giving priest a slap
An irritated bishop gives a blow to a priest. Still from YouTube
Eastern Europe
The Russian Orthodox bishop Theophylact of Mytishchi has been suspended from his leadership over the monastery in Moscow. Patriarch Kirill gave him a cooling-off period after it became known that he had given a slap to a priest during the service.
On Russian news portals about the church, there is a video on which it is to watch that the bishop gives his companion a blow on his head. A person near the camera is singing and seems not to notice the incident.
Several websites are reporting this, like Orthodox Christianity, Ria Novosti as well as TASS.
The video has been recorded in St. Andrew's Monastery in the southwest of Moscow. Bishop Theophylact has been leading this centre since 2013.
The 72-year-old bishop has been in trouble earlier because a video showed that he hit a priest who was co-serving with him in a service.
According to Ria Novosti, a spokesperson of the Patriarchate said that the bishop's behaviour could not have any moral justification.
The reports don't tell how long the suspension will be. Patriarch Kirill has appointed caretakers for the work the bishop does. Since a bishop is concerned, a more profound investigation in the matter will be done.
Related Articles
