In Russia, an Orthodox monk who was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus of the XII convocation passed away
Orthodox figure Alexander Shramko noted on Facebook that on June 7, in St. Petersburg, Orthodox monk-archimandrite Vitaly (secular name Viktor Radomyslsky), who at one time briefly participated in political life during the formation of the independent Belarusian state, passed away. He was 73 years old.
Archimandrite Vitaly (Viktor Radomyslsky)
Archimandrite Vitaly, known in secular life as Viktor Alexandrovich Radomyslsky, was born on April 13, 1953, in Leningrad. His early years were difficult: for the first five years, he was raised in an orphanage.
In 1974, he graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography, obtaining the profession of a dramatic theater and film actor. Later, his life became connected with the Orthodox Church. In 1978, he became a novice and reader at the Holy Lazarus Church in Vologda, and in 1979-1980, he worked as a secretary for the famous Russian writer Dmitry Balashov.
On September 27, 1981, Metropolitan Filaret ordained Viktor Radomyslsky as a deacon in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk. Soon after, he was ordained as a priest and appointed rector of the Holy Trinity Church in the town of Porazava, Hrodna Region. There, he managed to protect the church house from confiscation through court.
From 1986, Radomyslsky served in a church in the Vitsebsk Region, and from 1986-1988, he was on a church mission in Australia. In 1988, he starred in the documentary film "Pain," dedicated to the fate of Afghan war veterans.
In 1990, Viktor Radomyslsky became the first Orthodox priest elected as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR throughout the entire Soviet period. In parliament, he worked on commissions dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, as well as investigating cases of the use of psychiatry for political and repressive purposes. In August 1991, he participated in a rally in Minsk against the GKChP coup.
On March 28, 1991, he took monastic vows with the name Vitaly. During the 1994 presidential elections, he supported Vyacheslav Kebich and opposed the BPF candidate Zianon Pazniak.
Alexander Shramko recalls Viktor Radomyslsky's (monk Vitaly's) activities in those days:
"Now, few Belarusians recognize this name. Yet, he was one of the most unusual and key political figures in the process of forming the independent Belarusian state in the early 90s. And, surprisingly, despite belonging to the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was one of the most prominent representatives of the democratic opposition in the fateful Supreme Soviet of the XII convocation.
People of older generations should remember this unusual orator at opposition rallies: in an under-cassock and with a skufia, which he often squeezed in his hand during emotional speeches, much like Lenin with his cap. He was one of the best opposition speakers; he spoke eloquently, convincingly, and even, one might say, passionately. He was not a nationalist; his dominant principles were anti-communism and democracy.
The composition of the Supreme Soviet of the XII convocation (1990-1995), despite its election still during the USSR and the rule of the CPSU, was distinguished by the greatest political diversity and entered the country's history as the apotheosis of democracy, later suppressed by Lukashenka's regime. In addition to the Declaration of State Sovereignty, this Supreme Soviet also adopted the white-red-white flag and the "Pahonia" coat of arms as state symbols.
Since at that time there was no requirement in the Russian Orthodox Church for clergy not to participate in elected bodies of power, the XII convocation of the Supreme Soviet was unique in that among its deputies were three priests of the Belarusian Orthodox Church: Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev), Archpriest Alexander Dzichkousky from Baranavichy, and Father Viktor (later, upon taking monastic vows, Vitaly) Radomyslsky from Orsha. Moreover, they were on different, even opposite, flanks of the political spectrum of this assembly. Archpriest Dzichkousky fully aligned with the ruling government majority, Father Radomyslsky was close to the BPF faction. And somewhere in the middle was Metropolitan Filaret. But all of them went down in history as "fathers of independence."
And no one was surprised in those glorious times by the political activity of the priests and the extreme diversity of their political orientation. I myself witnessed how, during a break between sessions, Metropolitan Filaret and Father Vitaly Radomyslsky would come together for lunch at the diocesan administration.
The opposition leader Zianon Pazniak, it was said, adored this priest-deputy. They often spoke one after another at rallies. However, the end of this political career turned out to be unexpected and even shocking for many – suddenly, at a critical moment during the presidential election campaign, he appeared on television in support of Kebich, the candidate of the nomenklatura authorities."
In 1998, Vitaly was elevated to the rank of hegumen (abbot), and in 2001, he was awarded the right to wear a jeweled cross. For some time, he served in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Minsk.
From 2011, Archimandrite Vitaly became the confessor of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, and in 2012, he was elevated to the highest monastic rank – archimandrite.
Alexander Shramko also writes about this period of his biography:
"After the elections, Father Vitaly sharply disappeared from the political field. It seems he simply lost himself in this regard: he broke with the opposition, and his bet on Kebich didn't pay off.
Then he served for some time in the Church of Mary Magdalene in Minsk, and already then, news began to arrive about some incredible, literally 180-degree ideological shift in him: from a democrat of Belarusian national orientation, he transformed into the most extreme monarchist of a Russian imperial-chauvinistic bent. Why this happened is a mystery. Something, apparently, broke in his soul after those elections.
Later, Father Vitaly moved to Russia, to St. Petersburg, where he was originally from, and where he was involved with the Lavra, ending his life as its confessor. Now, in connection with his passing, I looked at what kind of sermons he gave there. It seems they were completely devoid of political character, all deeply spiritual in an elder-like style."