Rector of the Ekaterinburg Theological Seminary in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta: “The Urals gave me a unique experience of communication and friendship”translated

On the first of September, near Yekaterinburg, in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, with the gathering of a large number of believers, a long-awaited event took place: upon completion of three years of construction, the new magnificent building of the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary opened its doors. For eight years it has been headed by Hieromonk Korniliy (Zaitsev), a graduate of the Moscow Theological Academy. In an interview with RG, he told what role the Urals and the Urals play in his life.

– Father Corniliy, in the world you are Alexey Alexandrovich. What is the best way to contact you?

Father Cornelius:

– There is a tradition in the Russian Orthodox Church: when you take monastic vows, you renounce the world, and first of all this is expressed in a name change, which does not happen to white married clergy. The meaning is very deep: for God, for eternity, a new person is born, with a new calling. Therefore, when people address me, as they say, by my passport - by my first name and patronymic, I don’t mind, but according to church principles, it’s as if you’re not talking to me.

One day I ended up in the hospital with Covid. The first two days were very difficult. And then a nurse in a mask came up and said: “Alexey Alexandrovich, for an injection.” There are six of us in the room - who is this...