18+: Hilarion, head of Russian Orthodoxy in Hungary, accused of sexual misconduct

Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Hungarian Orthodox Church, is a significant figure in Russian-Hungarian church relations, evidenced by his gaining Hungarian citizenship only a few weeks after his arrival in the country. According to a young man who has worked and lived with him, his luxury villa near Budapest has hosted Russian oligarchs and important figures from Hungarian public life alike in recent years. Now, the same man is accusing the leader of sexual abuse.

Metropolitan Hilarion, the right-hand man of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and formerly the second-in-command of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been accused of sexual misconduct, HVG reports. In an interview with the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, his former subordinate revealed details about his dealings in Hungary, including that he lives in a €2.15 million villa and that he has been granted citizenship here.

Who is Metropolitan Hilarion and why did he come to Hungary?

Hilarion (whose secular name is Grigory Valerievich Alfeyev) was long considered the right-hand man of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, seen as his potential successor and the second most powerful leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, in 2022, he was suddenly relieved of several of his posts and sent to Hungary without any official explanation. Here, he was appointed Metropolitan of Hungary, becoming the head of the diocese in the country.

At the time, HVG reported that Hilarion was

“not denied a visa by the Hungarian authorities for political reasons, despite having links to Russian security services. According to [a publication that] specialises in intelligence, he was sent to Hungary because [here] he would be protected from Western European sanctions.”

Georgy Suzuki, then 18 years old, first met Hilarion in 2022 through correspondence and then accompanied him to Hungary as a clergyman. A few weeks later, the metropolitan asked him to move in with him to help with the housework, to which Suzuki agreed.

According to Suzuki, Hilarion forced him to share a room and a bed, in which he had to lie naked. Although they did not have sex, Hilarion had on multiple occasions spent the night in his bed. When Suzuki said that he wanted to leave, the metropolitan threatened that if he did anything, he would get hurt. Suzuki made audio recordings of these events, which he sent to Novaya Gazeta.

In January, Suzuki fled and is now living in Japan. In April, the the Hungarian press reported that Suzuki had stolen large amounts of cash and other valuables from the Hungarian Orthodox Diocese building in Budapest. The man is still wanted by the police for the theft.