Patriarch Kirill Suspends Decree Exiling Metropolitan Hilarion to Brazil

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has temporarily suspended his decree that would have transferred Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) to Brazil, the Moscow Patriarchate announced on its website. Hilarion has been permitted to remain in Russia to care for his mother, and his new place of service is the Exaltation of the Cross Jerusalem Convent in the Moscow region.

Religious researcher Ksenia Luchenko, who runs the Telegram channel "Orthodoxy and Zombies," described the convent's abbess, Yekaterina (Chainikova), as an "experienced church manager" and a close associate of the patriarch. According to Luchenko, the convent has actively collected money and supplies for the front since Russia's war against Ukraine began.

In the 2010s, Hilarion led the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations and was a member of the synod, the church's highest governing body. During those years, he was considered one of Patriarch Kirill's closest allies and was even named as a potential successor.

In 2022, Hilarion was sent from Moscow to Budapest, where he became metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary. Two years later, his former personal assistant, Georgy Suzuki, accused him of sexual harassment, leading to his demotion. He subsequently served as a priest at an Orthodox church in Karlovy Vary.

In May 2026, Czech police found drugs in Hilarion's car. He was detained but released shortly afterward without charges, denying any involvement in transporting the drugs. He returned to Russia after the incident. In June, Patriarch Kirill designated Brazil as Hilarion's new place of service. The patriarch has now suspended that decision.