RPT - Death Of 'Loving, Kind' Metropolitan Hilarion Marks End Of Era For ROCOR - Archpriest

RPT - Death of 'Loving, Kind' Metropolitan Hilarion Marks End of Era for ROCOR - Archpriest

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2022) The death of Metropolitan Hilarion (Kapral), the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), is a sad moment due to the loss of an outstanding Christian man and marks the passing of an era for the church, archpriest Victor Potapov told Sputnik.

Metropolitan Hilarion died at the age of 74 in New York earlier on Monday.

"The Metropolitan was an amazing person. His passing represents the end of an era in our life and in the life of the ROCOR," Potapov, who serves as a rector of the St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Washington, said.

Potapov noted that he knew Metropolitan Hilarion since 1967 and even shared a room with him in the Holy Trinity seminary in Jordanville, New York. He described the Metropolitan as being a "gentle soul" and a man of such faith that served as an example of what a monk should be.

"I often told people who doubted the need for monasticism to just look at Metropolitan Hilarion: He was born to be a monk," Potapov said. "Of course, we are all human and make mistakes.

But in Metropolitan Hilarion's case, he was simply full of love, he loved people. I certainly hope that the next Metropolitan, who will be elected by our Council of Bishops, will be just as loving and kind."

ROCOR Synod of Bishops Chancellor Serafim Gan told Sputnik that Metropolitan Hilarion was a most kind and patient Christian man and a blessed archpastor.

"I have never seen a doctor cry so much upon announcing the death of a patient as it was the case today, when the physician informed us about Metropolitan Hilarion's passing. The doctor said he was a most kind-hearted person to whom he managed to become attached. Such was our Metropolitan," Gan added.

Metropolitan Hilarion - his secular name was Igor Alexeyevich Kapral - was born in Spirit River, Canada in 1948. In May 2008, Hilarion was elected to be the sixth head of ROCOR.

Hilarion also became the first primate of the Russian Church Abroad approved by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate, as the two branches of the Russian Church signed the Act of Canonical Communion on May 17, 2007.