Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church Vsevolod Chaplin adopted religious ideas as a teenager. Having become a priest, he actively participated in public life, more than once expressed his own position in relation to a variety of social phenomena. Not all of Chaplin's views are supported by the official church.
From the biography of Vsevolod Chaplin
The future priest of the Russian Orthodox Church was born in the capital of the USSR on March 31, 1968. His father was a scientist, professor, specialist in the field of antenna technology. Vsevolod's parents did not participate in the life of the church. The boy himself came to faith when he was 13 years old.
Seva was cool about secular education. In high school, Chaplin studied without much zeal, had mediocre grades in mathematics, chemistry and physics.
In 1985, Vsevolod graduated from high school and began serving in the Publishing Department of the Moscow Patriarchate. Here he received recommendations for training at the Moscow Theological Seminary.
In 1990, Chaplin entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated four years later, receiving the title of candidate of theology. His dissertation was devoted to the problems of New Testament ethics.
Public activities and ministry of Vsevolod Chaplin
In 1990, Chaplin became an employee of the Department for External Church Relations under the Moscow Patriarchate. A year later, Deacon Vsevolod Chaplin was promoted to head of the sector. Chaplin served in this position for six years. By Christmas 1992, Vsevolod became a priest of the Orthodox Church.
In 1996, Chaplin was invited to work on the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the head of the Russian state. He also joined the OSCE expert group responsible for freedom of religion.
In 1999, Father Vsevolod was ordained an archpriest. Six years later, he became a member of a group of experts on the development of the concept of interfaith relations. In 2008, Chaplin became a member of the commission that prepared the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, which took place in the winter of 2009.
Since May 2009, Chaplin has worked on the Council under the President of Russia, which is in charge of interaction with religious associations.
Priest and Society
Chaplin often speaks on radio and television, hosts religious programs, and comments on events in public and church life.
In 2003, Father Vsevolod gave an interview in which he spoke on the side of the believers who destroyed the "Caution, Religion" exhibition in one of the museums. Believers felt that the exhibits presented at the exposition offend religious feelings.
Chaplin is also known for his calls to ignore the performance of the singer Madonna, which took place in the Russian capital in 2006: the show used religious symbols in a blasphemous way.
In 2010, Father Vsevolod criticized the appearance of Russian women, which allegedly causes sexual aggression in the male half of the population. Chaplin quite seriously suggested working out a kind of dress code. However, the matter did not go beyond appeals.
After the scandal with the members of the Pussy Riot group, which took place in 2012 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Chaplin called on the public to give a correct assessment of this hooligan behavior. A little later, Father Vsevolod came up with an initiative to create a full-fledged political party in Russia, which would express the position of believers.
Chaplin opposes Darwin's theory of evolution. He calls this scientific concept just a hypothesis. The priest has a negative attitude towards abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage. Chaplin does not have a family, children and what is called personal life in the world. He leads a monastic life.
