Russian Orthodox cleric denies link to white substance found in car by Czech police
Russian Orthodox cleric denies link to white substance found in car by Czech police
ReutersMon, May 25, 2026 at 2:15 PM UTC
0
FILE PHOTO: Metropolitan Hilarion, Chairman of external relations department of the Moscow Patriarchate and permanent member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, speaks during a news conference in Minsk, Belarus October 15, 2018. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko/File Photo
LONDON, May 25 (Reuters) - A former senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church said on Monday that Czech police had found small containers of a white substance in his car during a search a day earlier, and denied any connection to those items.
Metropolitan Hilarion, whose secular name is Grigory Alfeyev and who headed the church's external relations from 2009 to 2022, accused police of not following correct procedure during the search in the Czech Republic and called for an independent investigation.
He also "categorically denies any involvement in the illegal possession of prohibited substances and considers what happened to be a provocation," a post on his Telegram page said.
Police did not inform Hilarion why his vehicle had been stopped and did not allow him to witness the search, the Telegram post said.
Advertisement
The statement said the incident was preceded by a long period of pressure on Hilarion and the Orthodox community he serves in the Czech town of Karlovy Vary, including anonymous and sometimes violent threats.
A spokeswoman for the Czech police's National Drug Headquarters, responding to a request for comment, said the agency conducted a search after receiving an anonymous tip.
She did not comment directly on whether a substance had been found, on the identities of those involved or provide further details, citing ongoing criminal proceedings.
(Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Source: “AOL Breaking”
