Russia’s Orthodox Church is investigating one of its priests over a series of IG photographs in which he is seen flaunting luxury clothing brands.
Vyacheslav Baskakov, a priest in the Tver region near Moscow, sparked controversy, late last week, with a series of photographs featuring expensive clothes including a Louis Vuitton signature handbag and Gucci shoes.
The IG account that hosted the pictures, has since been taken down, but not before social media users widely distributed the images.
Alexander Volkov, a spokesman for Patriarch Kirill, said, on Sunday, that a church disciplinary committee would investigate Baskakov’s posts and attempt “to return him to his senses”.
“Such an immodest and unrestrained lifestyle should not be characteristic of priests in the church,” Volkov said.
“A clergyman cannot be a priest in the church in the morning and then be whoever he wants after lunchtime,” he added.
