Unlike the post-Soviet “converted” politicians, Andrej Belousov is one of the patrons of the Diveevo monastery, the historical seat of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Since the early 2000s, the influence of “presidential orthodoxy” has been concentrated here, in the place that symbolizes a spirituality that at the beginning of the 20th century was considered too close to the heresy of the Old Believers, convinced of the superiority of the Russian Christianity over Byzantine.
Moscow () – The appointment as the new Minister of Defense of Andrei Belousov, an economist and son of a great Soviet economist, but above all an active member of an Orthodox fraternity, has attracted the attention of everyone in Russia. So much so that many wonder if his ecclesiastical service was considered more important than his own economic competence in his appointment. Unlike post-Soviet “convert” politicians, such as President Vladimir Putin himself, Belousov is in fact a full-fledged Orthodox and one of the patrons of the Diveevo monastery, historical seat of the Holy Seraphim of Sarov.
In fact, the Diveevo fraternity that administers the community elected him a few years ago as its main guardian, to take care of the good management of the so-called “mysteries of Diveevo”, the sacramental and prophetic graces that descend from the legacy of the saint of the 19th century, much loved even in the West as the Russian “Saint Francis.” In reality, Belousov is also a fairly recent convert, since he was baptized at the age of 47, in 2007, in his hometown of Pučkovo, in the Moscow province, accompanied by his younger brother, also an economist, who was already part of the community for years. Together, the two brothers served for years at the parish altar of Protoierej Leonid Tsarevsky.
Now he is the head of the fraternity attached to the great monastery located 600 km east of Moscow, considered the “mystical center” of contemporary Russia. In it, an orthodoxy mixed with healing practices and occultism is practiced, in which there is a great nostalgia for the Soviet era, when the entire area was prohibited to visits due to the presence of the Arzamas military center, a place of experiments with atomic weapons. . This makes Belousov’s war sensitivity much more significant than his own experience in the Government, where he served as Deputy Minister of Economy in Putin’s previous term, taking into account that the “special operation” in Ukraine is strongly motivated by religious visions, which precisely in Diveevo find one of their main sources of inspiration.
Today, the Monastery of Saint Seraphim inherits that “spiritual paternity” over the new Russia that about 20 years ago was entrusted to the Russian Association of Athos, which was taken care of by Vladimir Putin’s own presidential administration. The current state of schism with the Greek Orthodox Church has interrupted this historical relationship with the Holy Mountain of Chalkidiki; In the last year of ecclesiastical communion, 2018, more than half a billion dollars were allocated to Athos by Russian politicians and oligarchs, and now this heritage spills over into Diveevo, as well as other monasteries for which similar support structures have been created. , such as the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, those on the islands of Solovki, Valaam, Novyj Ierusalim and others.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow hastened to assume patronage of all these oligarchic-monastic associations, fearing that he would lose control over the entire ecclesial body, and the history of the Valaam group demonstrates how well-founded these fears were. Since the early 2000s, the influence of “presidential orthodoxy” has been concentrated here, which also prevails over patriarchal orthodoxy. Furthermore, this is precisely the history of the monastery, evoked since the centenary of the canonization of Saint Seraphim, proclaimed in 1903 by Tsar Nicholas II against the wishes of the Synod of Orthodox metropolitans and bishops (at that time it had not yet been restored the patriarchy), who saw in the very mystical and original saint a contiguity with the heresy of the Old Believers, the sect of those who believe in the superiority of Russian Christianity even over Byzantine. It is no coincidence that Putin has repeatedly shown his sympathy for the heirs of this “spiritual superiority” affirmed in the turmoil of the 17th century, and the appointment of the faithful Belousov today also redraws the dimension of the “symphony” between the State and the Church in Russia, where the Minister of Defense becomes the true spiritual guide of the people at war.
Add Comment