Moscow patriarch punishes priest who led funeral service for Navalny

The Russian Orthodox Church has punished the priest who led a funeral service for the leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny, according to media reports.

The Moscow clergyman Dmitry Safronov has been banned from holding services for the next three years, several Russian media reported on Wednesday, citing a decree by Moscow Patriarch Kirill.

He is no longer allowed to give a blessing, wear a habit or priestly cross, they said.

He was also dismissed as a deacon in the Church of the Assumption in Moscow. Instead, he is now to perform relief work for the priest there as a psalm singer in another church. The decree states that his further fate as a clergyman will then be decided on the basis of an appraisal of his work there.

Safronov presided over the funeral service at Navalny's grave 40 days after his death. In the Orthodox Church, it is customary to commemorate the deceased on the 3rd, 9th and 40th day after their death.

Navalny, who was considered the most prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in a prison camp north of the Arctic Circle in February. His supporters say he was murdered.

From the point of view of the Russian Orthodox Church leadership, however, Safronov was guilty of further offences. For example, he had signed a letter from clerics to Putin demanding that Navalny's body, which had been hidden by the authorities for days, be handed over to his relatives.

Safronov had also refused to read a prayer for victory in the Russian war against Ukraine, which the Moscow Eparchy has been demanding of all churches under its jurisdiction since the autumn of 2022.

Patriarch Kirill is considered a loyal ally of Putin and a supporter of his war against Ukraine.