According to the official website of the Moscow Diocese, by decision of the Diocesan Court of Moscow, the very well-known Abbot Peter (Eremeev), former rector of the Russian Orthodox University and Abbot of Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, was defrocked. The brief message stated: “The Moscow Diocesan Court of the Russian Orthodox Church, sitting on 02/08/2024 in the case of the banned cleric of the Moscow Diocese, Hegumen Peter (Eremeev), after summoning him three times to meetings of the church court, to which he did not appear, decided: “Recognise that, on the basis of the rule of the 25th Holy Apostles, Abbot Peter (Eremeev) is subject to canonical reprimand in the form of demotion from the priesthood.” The decision will come into force after approval by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’.”
The message further states: “This decision is published in order to give the banned Abbot Peter (Eremeev) the opportunity to familiarise himself with it within the time period established by Article 54, paragraph 2 of the Regulations on the Church Court.” This is an important remark so that there would be no talk later that the former Abbot, who, apparently, simply “fell silent”, was not informed, etc.
This news was republished by some telegram channels without any comments – apparently, they did not know how to react. And this is indirect proof of the sensational nature of the news. However, some people responded. Thus, the telegram channel “Bishop Lucifer” adds that Abbot Peter (Eremeev) “having robbed the church, went abroad.” According to our information, he fled to Bulgaria from prosecution by Russian justice.
A little earlier, the same channel recalled that from 2011 to 2021, Abbot Peter (Eremeev) was the rector of the Russian Orthodox University, and from 2013 to 2021, the Abbot of Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery. However, in October 2021, by patriarchal decree, he was first released from the post of rector of the RPU, and at the end of December of the same year, by decision of the Holy Synod, he was also released from the post of Abbot of Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery.
Let us add that at that time – apparently to sweeten the pill – the Synod nevertheless expressed gratitude to Father Peter for his labours as the abbot of the monastery, and the Patriarch left him as rector of two famous Moscow churches – the Church of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica in Dmitrovskoye, located on the prestigious Rublyovka , and the Church of the Resurrection of the Word at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.
However, less than two years later, in November 2023, he was first released from the rectorship in the Church of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessaloniki, and at the end of last year he was deprived of the rectorship in the Church of the Resurrection of the Word at the Vagankovskoye Cemetery and was banned from serving. And so, on 8 February, the church court of the Moscow diocese decides to depose him. However, we should not forget that this decision will come into force only after its approval by the Patriarch.
Quite a popular channel “Religion and Politics. Alexander Voznesensky” reacted to the incident with reference to the same channel “Bishop Lucifer” as follows: “At the same time, the channel has repeatedly hinted that Eremeev is allegedly a member of the “gay oyster” club. I heard a similar opinion on this issue from my interlocutor in the Patriarchate.”
So, for now it is reported that Abbot Peter is accused, firstly, of robbing the church. And it should be noted that the Church of the Great Martyr Dmitry of Thessalonica in Dmitrovskoye was not closed during Soviet times. It was famous for having many ancient icons that were of great value. And since the temple and its property belong to the state (according to established practice, the Church owns it on an indefinite and free lease), it seems that we are talking about the theft of not church property, but state property.
Secondly, we are talking about the fact that Eremeev was involved in the so-called “gay lobby” in the Church. Scandals in this regard have long been associated with his name. In 2005, Patriarch Alexy unexpectedly sent him – at that time a doctor of theology, executive secretary of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, vice-rector of the Moscow Theological Academy – to Khabarovsk, as vice-rector of the newly created seminary. In the Wikipedia article, which apparently was later edited by Abbot Peter, this is called a mission to get the new seminary off the ground. This, of course, is ridiculous – if this were so, then Fr Peter would be sent to Khabarovsk as rector. Then they whispered on the sidelines that the scandal with his harassment of a seminary student was to blame. But Eremeev was unlucky; the student’s fiancée turned out to be the daughter of a high-ranking Airborne Forces officer, who, having learned about the outrage, sent strong guys to the abbot for a ‘preventative’ conversation.
In 2010, the educated abbot was returned to Moscow, skilfully putting into the ears of the clergy the idea that the reason for his exile to Khabarovsk was his ‘progressive’ views on the need for state accreditation of religious educational institutions. Allegedly, these views were not shared by the inert circle of Patriarch Alexy and sent the advanced abbot away from Moscow.
Eremeev received high positions – he became the rector of the RPU, the abbot of Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, the rector of the Moscow churches mentioned above, and acquired connections among officials and businessmen. However, after some time, publications appeared online about his involvement in the creation of a sodomite den in Moscow. Moreover, these publications very transparently hinted that this was all a leak from the intelligence services. Be that as it may, in the fall of 2021, for no apparent reason, Abbot Peter was relieved of his post as rector of the RPU and abbot of Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery. There were rumours that a folder about his adventures was placed on the Patriarch’s table.In fact, what happened is an example of the moral cleansing of the Church.
Abbreviated from:
https://ruskline.ru/news_rl/2024/02/12/goluboe_lobbi_v_rpc_poneslo_tyazheluyu_poteryu
Editorial comment: We were wondering who will be next, when we heard that on 13 February Bishop Ignaty (Punin) has been relieved of his responsibility for the Diocese of Minusinsk. It seems that he too will be sent to a monastery for repentance like the other two homosexual Bishops Ignaty, or maybe even defrocked. Sources suggest that an order may have at last gone out from the Kremlin to cleanse the Church of these compromising figures, who are seriously destroying the unity and witness of the Russian Church. Other well-known, or rather notorious, homosexual bishops, about whom we too have known very well for decades, both inside and outside Russia, including in the Western world, must be quaking.
https://pravoslavie.ru/158675.html