Campaign in defence of Father Gavriil results in dozens of complaints against Apti Alaudinov

An appeal not to demand the reinstatement of Schema-Abbot Gavriil as the rector of the Sochi metochion in the Valaam Monastery has been posted in a Telegram channel where the priest’s sermons are collected. The “Sorok Sorokov” (Forty Forties) Orthodox movement continues its campaign demanding that Apti Alaudinov be punished for his words about the Orthodox priest.

Schema-Abbot Gavriil calls for not speaking out in his defence

On June 10, a message was posted in the “Sermons of Schema-Abbot Gavriil” Telegram channel calling for not speaking out against his dismissal from the post as the rector of the Sochi metochion in the Valaam Monastery.

“Schema-Abbot Gavriil categorically does not bless writing or signing any petitions in his defence or committing other similar actions! Any rebellion in our Church is unacceptable! Including against the decisions of the Church authorities!” the message states.

At the same time, it has been noted that “many radical elements from the near-Orthodox environment have also become active under the case.” The message expresses hope that everything “will gradually settle down.”

The “Sorok Sorokov” (Forty Forties) Orthodox movement claims that it has not voiced demands to reinstate Schema-Abbot Gavriil in his position and to bring Apti Alaudinov to responsibility.

“Over the 12 years of its active and multifaceted activities, the ‘Sorok Sorokov’ (Forty Forties) Orthodox movement has never allowed itself to demand anything from the Mother Church. We are faithful children of the Church, and children may not demand, but they may only ask,” notes the message posted on the Orthodox movement’s Telegram channel. “This video, unfortunately, has done more harm to the common cause than good, even if it has been made with good intentions,” the message emphasizes.

Decision to dismiss Schema-Abbot Gavriil from his post comes in wrong time

A spokesperson for the Russian Orthodox Church has suggested that the dismissal of Schema-Abbot Gavriil from his post at the Sochi metochion in the Valaam Monastery should have been postponed.

Apparently, the leaders of the Valaam Monastery has not predicted the potential (and realized) public outcry provoked by their decision and the fact that their decision would be read as related to the Apti Alaudinov’s statement. 

“Apparently, the leaders of the Valaam Monastery has not predicted the potential (and realized) public outcry provoked by their decision and the fact that their decision would be read as related to the Apti Alaudinov’s statement. This, in my opinion, is certainly a mistake, showing a lack of understanding of how and what society lives by,” wrote in his Telegram channel Archbishop Savva (Tutunov) of Zelenograd, the vicar of His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Archbishop Savva has also mentioned the Apti Alaudinov’s statements about Christianity and Islam, noting that “syncretic presentation of the relations between Islam and Christianity” has already been typical for Apti Alaudinov. Archbishop Savva has called the Apti Alaudinov’s reasoning on the topic “strange.” “One gets the impression that he is trying to level out the differences between Orthodoxy and Islam, to equalize the significance of Orthodoxy and Islam for Russia, and, thus, to challenge the primary historical and cultural significance of Orthodoxy for our Motherland,” the archbishop wrote.

At the same time, Archbishop Savva has noted that Father Gavriil is partly right. “If he had said that Islam is the same truth as Orthodoxy or that Islam and Orthodoxy complement each other ... then the priest should have been defrocked and excommunicated,” the post of June 7 states. Archbishop Savva has also added that at times, Schema-Abbot Gavriil “was often voicing ... complete nonsense in his sermons (for example, he said that many gifted children are children allegedly born by people possessed by demons),” the post of June 7 notes.

Orthodox activists continue their campaign to protect priest

A petition demanding the reinstatement of Schema-Abbot Gavriil has been posted on the Petitions.Net website, and its author is Dmitry Bit-Shamai, a writer from the city of Voronezh.

“Since when the Orthodox Church remove a priest from his position at the behest of a military man from a foreign religion? (...) We, as the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church, demand that Schema-Abbot Gavriil be reinstated and that Apti Alaudinov be brought to responsibility for insulting the Orthodox priest and threatening his life!” the petition states.

As of 5:20 p.m. Moscow time, sixteen people have signed the petition.

The page of the “Sorok Sorokov” (Forty Forties) Human Rights Centre (HRC) still has a message with an appeal to lodge complaints to the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in connection with the statements of Apti Alaudinov addressed to Schema-Abbot Gavriil.

The authors of the message have called on subscribers to report in their comments about the messages sent. As of 5:20 p.m. Moscow time, 115 comments have been posted under the entry.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 10, 2025 at 05:41 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.