First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad Died Hilarion

Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, died in the United States at the age of 74, TASS reports citing the rector of the Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist in Washington, father Victor (Potapov).

“Today, at 14:00 [21:00 Moscow time], our dear First Hierarch, Metropolitan Hilarion, passed away to the Lord. I don't have more information. Details will come later,” Father Victor told reporters.

As Archpriest Seraphim Gan, HEAD of the chancellery of the Synod of Bishops, told Interfax, the First Hierarch died after a long illness.

Metropolitan Hilarion (in the world - Corporal Igor Alekseevich) was born on January 6, 1948 in Spirit River (CANADA). “From his youth, he had an attraction to the Church, he loved to read magazines and books of spiritual and moral content,” according to the website of the Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1972 he graduated from the Holy Trinity Theological Seminary in Jordanville (USA), after which he entered the Holy Trinity Monastery as a novice. In December 1974, he was tonsured with the name Hilarion, in honor of the Monk Hilarion, hermit of the Caves, Metropolitan of Kyiv.

In 1995 he received the title of Bishop of Washington in New York, but "in view of the disorganizations in the Australian diocese that arose after Archbishop Paul (Pavlov) retired due to illness", in June 1996 he was appointed to the Sydney and Australia-New Zealand see and elevated to rank of archbishop.

After the death of the First Hierarch of the Church Abroad, Metropolitan Laurus, in March 2008, he became acting chairman of the Synod of Bishops. In May of the same year, the Council of Bishops elected Archbishop Hilarion as the sixth First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad and elevated him to the rank of Metropolitan. Then he headed the Synod of Bishops and became the Metropolitan of Eastern America and New York.