Patriarch Kirill Scraps Hilarion's Brazil Posting, Reassigns Him to Monastery

The Russian Orthodox Church has revoked its June decision assigning its former foreign affairs chief to two Russian Orthodox parishes in southern Brazil.

Instead, Patriarch Kirill has assigned Hilarion, 60, to the Exaltation of the Cross Monastery near Moscow.

The latest reassignment comes after a series of controversies involving the once-powerful church diplomat.

In May, Czech police detained Hilarion in Karlovy Vary after searching his car and finding four containers containing a white powder. Czech authorities later identified the substance as cocaine. Hilarion was released without charges after two days, while the investigation remains ongoing. He denies any involvement and says he was the victim of a provocation.

Hilarion had already been removed as Metropolitan of Budapest and Hungary in 2024 after a former male assistant accused him of homosexual misconduct and financial impropriety. The allegations were accompanied by claims that Hilarion lived a lavish lifestyle and accumulated significant cash and property. He has denied all of the allegations.

From 2009 to 2022, Hilarion headed the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations and was considered one of the Russian Orthodox Church's most influential hierarchs. He was a frequent interlocutor with the Vatican and was once viewed as a possible successor to Patriarch Kirill.

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