Russian Orthodox Church denies rumors that head of Russian Church Abroad is missing
MOSCOW. Sept 16 (Interfax) - The Moscow Patriarchate has denied rumors that Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Russian Church Abroad, has been forcibly isolated.
"Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York is now in the building of the Archbishop Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad on Manhattan, he served a liturgy there yesterday. The rumors that he is 'missing' are totally unfounded," Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy head of the synodal department of external church relations, told Interfax on Monday, commenting on the information reported by a popular Telegram channel saying that Metropolitan Hilarion was not contactable, that his email was blocked and he was not answering his cell phone. "It is believed that the metropolitan is in forcible isolation," the report said.