In the photo — the abbot of the Elokhovskoye Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate Alexander Ageikin with a delegation of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Russia.
The ecclesiastical environment of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was shaken by a new scandal after facts came to light about the support of open Freemasons by the abbot of a prestigious Moscow church, who is said to be close to Patriarch Kirill.
It all began after the Grand Lodge of Freemasons of Russia published a detailed photo report on its website about their visit to the Elokhovskaya Church, which was warmly received by its abbot, Alexander Ageikin, who blessed its icons. Naturally, this news caused a real shock in the Orthodox community, where the Freemasons have been considered almost the spawn of hell for centuries.
However, instead of calming the Orthodox faithful, Father Alexander Ageikin’s comments only added fuel to the fire. On the one hand, he stated that he was not aware of the Freemasonry affiliation of the people who came to him. «The well-known icon collector Mikhail Boldyrev brought people who asked for the blessing of old icons. Of course, we assumed that they were Orthodox. A prayer service was held and the icons were blessed — that’s all. This is the first time I have heard that someone in this group belongs to a Masonic lodge,» he said. He should have stopped there and the incident could have been resolved.
After all, it is impossible to ask an Orthodox priest, a Muslim imam, or a Jewish rabbi to inquire about the beliefs of every person who comes to their temple, especially when the realities of the information society allow such a person to post photos on social media and present them as evidence of his or her support of the spiritual figure. On the other hand, the abbot of the Elokhovskoye Cathedral did not stop there and continued his remarks about Freemasonry in a very benevolent spirit.
«For some, these are Freemasons, but I don’t ask people about their political beliefs, the main thing is whether you are a Christian or not! How should I know if they are Freemasons or not, these are their ‘toys’,» he said. In other words, the priest presents Freemasonry as «political beliefs» and «toys-rattles» that are fully compatible with church membership.
Meanwhile, in 2007, the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP) merged with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), whose council excommunicated members of Masonic lodges from the church in 1938. The question is, whose position is shared by the leadership of the ROC MP — the ROCOR church, which excommunicated members of Masonic lodges, or the abbot of the Elokhovskoye Cathedral, who believes that they are «toy rattles» that do not interfere with being a Christian?
In this regard, the authoritative religious website Portal Kredo points out that Father Ageikin is no ordinary priest, but «has the reputation of being particularly close to Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev)» and «served as a protodeacon under the head of the ROC MP. Religious scholars also write of widespread rumors in the church community about Gundyayev’s own closeness to Freemasonry, which he «got to know» in his youth while living and serving in Geneva. Many people also recalled the very strange behavior of the main patron of the ROC deputy — Vladimir Putin. He even baptized himself in public with his left hand, which can be explained on the one hand by his complete religious ignorance, but on the other hand, in the rituals of Satanists, it is customary to invert symbols and rituals of Christianity (inverted crosses, etc.), and the triangle is one of the central Masonic symbols…