Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion Accused of Homosexual Misconduct
Hilarion is a theologian, writer, church historian, composer and conductor. He was Patriarch Kirill's right-hand man in Moscow from 2009 to 2022. Alfeyev (real name: Dashevski) is Jewish on his father's side.
In June 2022, Hilarion was suddenly relieved of several of his posts without explanation and demoted to Hungary. Some called it "the resignation of the year", claiming it was due to Hilarion's "anti-war stance".
Now a certain Georgy Suzuki is accusing Hilarion of homosexual harassment.
Suzuki is the son of a Japanese father and a Russian mother. He first met Hilarion in 2022, when he was 18 years old, and wanted to become his student.
Hilarion offered to help Suzuki. A few weeks later, Hilarion invited Suzuki to live in his apartment to help with the "housekeeping". Suzuki agreed.
In November 2023, Hilarion took Suzuki to a summer house on the French shore of Lake Geneva. There, Suzuki fell ill with a high fever. Hilarion undressed him and put him to bed, ostensibly for his health.
Back in Hungary, Hilarion began to visit Suzuki in his room in the evenings. Then, according to Suzuki, Hilarion forced him to share a bed with him naked. According to Suzuki, Hilarion said he wanted to "feel his skin". Hilarion "stroked him like a father".
When Suzuki said he wanted to leave Hungary, the Metropolitan said that Suzuki would regret it and would have "problems".
Suzuki started to make recordings. On one of these tapes, Hilarion answers Suzuki's question "What will happen if I leave?" by saying that Suzuki would "feel bad" and that nothing would work out for him.
In another recording, Hilarion forbids Suzuki to put on pyjamas before going to bed. Suzuki says he is cold, but Hilarion replies, "You are not cold".
Suzuki claims that he sometimes avoided contact with Hilarion at night with the excuse that he was ill. This upset Hilarion greatly, and the next day he was nervous.
In January 2024, Suzuki fled to Japan and stole €30,000 in cash and expensive watches from Hilarion's home. Hilarion initiated criminal proceedings. Suzuki is currently wanted by the Hungarian police and Interpol for theft.
Hilarion has commented on the allegations. He sees himself as a "victim of blackmail" without denying the authenticity of the recordings.
He claimed that his behaviour was "not sexual" and that Suzuki's allegations of sexual harassment were unfounded. Hilarion also said he would file a lawsuit for defamation.
NovayaGazeta.eu adds that Metropolitan Hilarion leads a luxurious lifestyle. Photographs show him on yacht trips, in a speedboat with friends, skiing in the mountains and sunbathing on a sandy beach. A life of luxury is not uncommon among Russian Orthodox hierarchs.
A villa Hilarion bought on the outskirts of Budapest cost €2.1 million. It has 14 rooms, a swimming pool, a gym, a wine cellar and parking for six cars. The video below shows Hilarion riding an electric scooter around the property.
He also owns a €1 million villa in Spain and a four-room apartment in Moscow.
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