In 1974, he graduated from the medical faculty of the Vinnitsa Medical Institute and worked as a local doctor, then as a senior doctor in the intensive care team at the regional hospital, in 1980-1982. - assistant, then senior teacher at the Bryansk Pedagogical Institute.

In 1981 he defended his PhD thesis at the Smolensk Medical Institute.

In September 1990 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

On June 16, 1991, on the day of remembrance of All Saints who shone in the land of Belarus, he was consecrated bishop of Novogrudok, vicar. The service was led by .

On February 19, 1992, he was appointed manager while retaining the position of rector of the Minsk Theological Seminary.

Since 1999 - professor, head of the department of theological disciplines of St. Petersburg theological schools, member of the Council of Rectors of St. Petersburg Universities. In 2002, he was elected president of the newly formed Association of Spiritual and Moral Education of Students "Pokrov", uniting about 40 universities in St. Petersburg.

October 6, 2008 decision Holy Synod relieved of his duties as rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and Seminary and. He combined his service as a diocese administrator with the work of a professor and vice-rector for scientific work at the Yekaterinburg Theological Seminary.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of May 5, 2015 () he was appointed His Eminence of Petrozavodsk and Karelian, head.

May 24, 2015 at the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to the rank of metropolitan.

Participant of Local Councils 1988, 1990, 2009.

Member of the Synodal Theological Commission, the editorial board of Theological Works, member of several academies (RAEN, MANEB, etc.), member of the Writers' Union of Russia.

1974 - Vinnitsa Medical Institute.

Moscow Theological Seminary.

1989 - Moscow Theological Academy.

The effect of lithium salts on kidney function (PhD thesis in medicine).

Russian religious and philosophical anthropology at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries: V.S. Soloviev and V.I. Nesmelov (PhD thesis).

• And you will know the truth (John 8:32). - St. Petersburg: Rodnaya Ladoga, 2011. - 568 p.: ill.
• Get up and go to your house (Luke 5:24). ― St. Petersburg: Rodnaya Ladoga, 2014. - 512 p. ill.
• 20 years of the Kurgan and Shadrinsk diocese. 1993-2013. ― Kurgan: Print Express, 2014. ― 194.: ill.
• Apocalypses of revolutions. ― St. Petersburg: Rodnaya Ladoga, 2018. ― 560 p.: ill.

Church:

• 1986 - Order of St. ap. Mark II Art. (Alexandrian Orthodox Church);
• 1995 - Order of St. blgv. book Daniel of Moscow II century;
• 2001 - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh II century;
• 2006 - Order of St. Innocent of Moscow II century;
• 2010 - Order of St. Kirill of Turov II Art. (BPC);
• 2011 - Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, II century;
• 2016 - St. Macarius of Moscow II century;
• 2019 - St. blgv. book Daniel of Moscow III century;
• medal of St. Sergius of Radonezh I-II centuries;
• medal ap. Petra (St. Petersburg diocese);
• medal of St. Dalmata of Isetsky (Kurgan diocese).

Secular:

• 2003 - anniversary medal “In memory of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg”;
• 2004 - Certificate of the Governor of the Leningrad Region “For assistance in the return Tikhvin icon Mother of God";
• 2004 - “Golden Cross of St. mts. Tatiana" from the Council of University Rectors of St. Petersburg;
• 2011 - honorary badge of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences “Star of the Academy”, 1st class;
• 2014 - commemorative medal of the Government of the Russian Federation “Patriot of Russia”;
• 2017 - “Laureate of the Year” of the Republic of Karelia for his great contribution to spiritual and cultural development;
• Order of Peter the Great, II class;
• Order of St. George the Victorious, 1st class;
• Certificate of honor from the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

VATICAN CITY, October 7. /TASS/. Canadian Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops Marc Ouellet has denied former Vatican nuncio (ambassador) Carlo Maria Vigano's accusations against Pope Francis that he did not take proper measures against the former Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, accused of pedophilia. Ouellet's open letter was distributed on Sunday by the Holy See Press Service.

The cardinal addresses Viganò directly and, referring to the information he has as prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, calls the ex-nuncio’s accusations “an unfair and unjustified attack, a groundless political falsehood directed against the unity of the Church.” “Dear brother, the accusations against Pope Francis that he covered up an alleged predator and was an accomplice of corruption in the bosom of the church do not deserve the slightest credibility. And I cannot understand how you could believe such a thing,” writes Cardinal Ouellet.

Previously, Viganò published materials claiming that church leadership had been aware of allegations of pedophilia against Cardinal McCarrick since 2000, and Pope Francis was informed about this case after his election to the throne in 2013, but did not take any steps and even canceled those punitive measures applied to the cardinal by his predecessor Benedict XVI. In light of these accusations, he called for the pontiff's resignation.

Although most of representatives of the Catholic world and church leadership came to the defense of Francis, the Vatican was expected to explain the case of 88-year-old Cardinal McCarrick, who is accused of molesting a minor 45 years ago and having sexual relations with adult seminarians when he was a simple priest. At the end of July he resigned. This scandal grew amid the Roman Catholic Church's problem with pedophile priests.

Vatican reaction

Francis initially declined to comment on Viganò's claims, making clear they were unfounded. A few days ago, the Holy See published a letter indicating that even "if the Vatican's actions appear inconsistent on the surface," the Pope ordered an investigation into the allegations against McCarrick and personally insisted on his resignation when sufficient evidence of his guilt was received.

In intra-Vatican circles, it is believed that the US hierarchy is trying to shift responsibility for the sexual crimes of the former Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to Pope Francis, accusing him of harboring a pedophile. In addition, there is a fairly widespread opinion among Vatican experts that a targeted campaign is underway against Francis, who is not liked by certain American lobbies for his statements denouncing the modern economy.

The scandal about pedophile priests began during the pontificate of the previous Pope Benedict XVI and, it is possible, indirectly became the reason for his abdication. Francis has repeatedly acknowledged the responsibility of the Catholic leadership for the crimes of pedophile priests. He also established a special commission to protect the rights of minors, which is investigating cases of pedophilia in the church.

Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, rector of the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk, dean of churches in the Krasnogorsk district, has 4 sons and 6 grandchildren. Three sons followed in his footsteps, and one chose the monastic path and today is already a bishop, rector of the Kolomna Seminary. Father Konstantin told “Bata” about what he considers most important in raising children, how a family can cope with life’s difficulties, about his family and about the division of the roles of husband and wife.

Roles - male and female

- Father Konstantin, you grew up without a father from the age of ten. Did you feel like you lacked male education?

I realized this in hindsight. My mother and grandmother raised me with love, but, of course, the fact that there was no man in the house except me, a boy, is not very good. It is important that the child sees good, orderly relationships between parents, a boy is an example of fatherly behavior, a girl is an example of motherly behavior, and when the family is incomplete (no matter for what reasons), there is no such example. Then this can be compensated - everything is possible with God.

I think in my life this was compensated by God Himself at the moment of joining the church. My ideas about how a family should be built have changed dramatically. Its inviolability, the obedience of children to their parents, the division of roles entered my soul so deeply, as if I had grown up in such a family, although I had never seen anything like it, and I had never read about it anywhere. But it became clear to me that the husband is the head of the family, everyone must obey him, he must provide for the family, and the wife must take care of the housework. True, her fourth pregnancy was difficult, and then I had to do a lot of housework, but I explained to her: I am helping you not as a husband, but as a brother.

- And it happens that the wife usually cooks, but the husband has his own signature dishes, which he does not trust her with.

The details don't matter. If the father cooks pilaf or dumplings, this is a family ritual.

I want to clarify that I am not imposing anything on anyone. Moreover, I don’t want anyone to conclude from my words that his wife should leave her job. My wife is not a fan social activities, it was organic for her not to work, but to take care of children, and we both agreed that the most important thing for children is home education. I think it’s more natural this way: the husband is the leader, he bears responsibility for the family (in every sense: material, mental, spiritual), and the wife is a reliable rear supporter, supports her husband and takes care of the children. But if a husband forces his wife to stay at home, it will not do anything good.

And when both spouses work, come home in the evening, the wife cooks dinner, and the husband watches TV or sits at the computer, this is ridiculous. It’s even more absurd, and this also happens, when the husband is unemployed, doesn’t lift a finger to find at least some work, and doesn’t do anything around the house, but the wife earns money and is “obliged” to serve him. This shouldn't happen.

I'm just saying how, in my opinion, it should ideally be. How I accomplished this is another question - I don’t want and can’t boast. It’s just very important to understand that we are different, and I only began to realize this at the institute. We were taught that all people are the same, men and women have only anatomical differences. In this sense, Soviet education was liberal - the idea that there are no other differences is popular both in the West and in the United States. Not true, there are other, equally important differences. We are equal before God, because we are all created in His image and likeness, but not only do adult men and women have different psychology, but also boys and girls. That’s why we have different roles in life and in the family.

- In raising children, you probably also had a division of responsibilities?

I was at the service - first as an altar boy, then as a priest, and my wife spent all her time with the children, and she was never bored with them. Now it’s fashionable to talk about self-realization, but she saw her self-realization in raising children, and I’m happy that she and I have the same ideas about female self-realization.

All the years of my altar work, our common spiritual father, Archpriest Georgy Breev, paid for us in the summer for a dacha at the 43rd kilometer, I went to services from there, spent my vacation there, and then I could devote more time to them. And when we lived at home in Moscow, I took the children to church for liturgy 2-3 times a week.

- At the dacha, did you play football and badminton with them, did you go fishing or pick mushrooms?

Almost not. Since I myself am not an athlete (except for classical wrestling in my youth), not a fisherman or a mushroom picker, I could neither introduce my sons to fishing nor keep them company in games. But it happened, of course, to run around and tinker with them.

Did you have any ideas about what you definitely need to teach them as future men? Many believe that no matter who the boy becomes later, no matter what brilliant abilities he has in mathematics, languages ​​or music, he, as a man, must be able to do something with his hands, and also stand up for himself in order to protect the weak if necessary .

All this, of course, is good, but I could not teach them any craft, because I myself am not handy. The faucet could be changed, but nothing more. And the ability to stand up for yourself, if you have character, will come by itself.

Like all parents, we probably made some mistakes, but I think that on the whole we raised our sons well, since they grew up to be real men: they can stand up for themselves and feel responsible for their families. The eldest chose monasticism, he is already a bishop, rector of the Kolomna Seminary, this is also a huge responsibility.

To keep in the Church: education, will, Providence

You have already said more than once that by nature you are a pressurer and, especially in the neophyte period, sometimes you went too far, you even decided that children do not need fairy tales.

There were neophyte excesses. Indeed, I decided that neither children nor adults need anything spiritual, only spiritual things are needed. Father George, when he learned about this, explained to me that if the child is not Sergius of Radonezh or Seraphim of Sarov, he needs healthy spiritual food, including fairy tales, to prepare for life.

As for the pressure on children in general, it is more difficult to talk about this now than 10-15 years ago. The atmosphere in society has changed, and these changes are affecting the church environment. Previously people they more easily accepted thoughts about obedience, about paternal authority, about the admissibility of strict punishments. Many people do not understand the difference between “so that the child feels good” and “so that the child is good.” And these are different goals and they require different means.

To make a child comfortable, you need to do without demands, obedience, punishment - just negotiate. And at work, the boss, if he wants his subordinates to feel comfortable, must negotiate with them. And this approach can give visible success... But external. And the philosopher Konstantin Leontyev wrote that external pressure is useful for the spiritual life of the people. Who cares about external pressure? No one, but it is useful for developing will, patience, and humility. And it is all the more useful for a child when something is demanded of him.

There are, although not so often, children who are soft and compliant - it would seem that you certainly can’t demand anything from them, you don’t need to force them to do anything. But how then will the child’s will be formed, the ability to humble himself and forgive? There is always a danger of going too far. It's like in weightlifting - if a person is overloaded, he will get injured, he may even become disabled, but if he is underloaded, he will remain weak. Cultivating will and courage without demandingness, without some kind of pressure is impossible.

But in spiritual life, pressure is of little use. It is possible and necessary to demand that a child fulfill some spiritual orders, but it is impossible to demand prayer and love. Of course, if the family is church-going, the child is included in the family for the time being. Orthodox tradition: observes fasts, goes to church with his parents, confesses, takes communion, reads morning prayers with them and evening rules. While our children were little, they read with pleasure, but the older they got, the less they liked it. (And it can be difficult for you and me to stand at work, attention is scattered). But while they lived together, the rule continued.

Once my wife and I had an argument. She says: we taught them the rule, but we didn’t teach them to pray. But I say that everything is exactly the opposite: they didn’t teach the rule, but they taught how to pray. All of them remained believers. And she agreed with me. Here a very deep and important paradox emerged, which relates not only to our educational experience: external pressure always causes protest, but at the same time it can have a life-giving effect on the soul.

And three of your sons became priests. One of the biggest problems in believing families today is that children grow up and leave the Church. How to keep them?

No way. I like Pasternak’s line: “But to be alive, alive and only, alive and only to the end.” Parents can be guilty when they don’t take care of their children - they throw them at grandmothers, at clubs and sections, or, as often happens nowadays, they simply give them an iPad in their hands, so that, on the one hand, they don’t have to worry about where the child is, on the other hand. another, he did not interfere with them going about their business. The father abandons the family - it is also his fault. And if the father and mother try to raise their children, this is their merit. And when the parents are believers, there is some kind of church structure at home, the children join it, but this also does not guarantee anything.

Childhood religiosity passes, and a person must make a choice himself, and making it can be difficult. As far as I understand, it is impossible to help this, you can only not interfere with your pressure and not injure the person. But even with the most reasonable behavior of parents, there are no guarantees. When it touches human heart calling grace, only the Lord knows. The will of man and the Providence of God are of great importance.

How I raise my children also matters, but more so for the salvation of my soul. Parental education is the soil, the seed is the will of the person himself, and the sun and rain are from God. Everyone must try, but everything is in God’s hands.

- And you also don’t see your merit in the fact that three sons followed in your footsteps?

I am very happy, as I think any father is happy if he does what he loves, and then his sons also choose this business. As soon as I began to become a church member, I immediately fell in love with the priesthood, I wanted to serve myself, and it didn’t matter in cathedral or in a village temple. My dream did not come true right away, but when the children were still growing, it is not surprising that they liked their father’s ministry. But my mother and I had no intention of raising them to be priests. After all, the priesthood is a personal calling; the Lord called three of them; if he calls a fourth, he will serve.

Until recently, two of them served with me, and even now they are rectors in our deanery. Well, the eldest, after much thought - he consulted with me and Father Georgy Breev, went to the Lavra to see Father Kirill (Pavlov), talked with him - chose monasticism. I am pleased that my three sons are serving, but I understand that it was the Lord who called them.

Living a common life

One can guess that you lived very modestly, and in the nineties, when they were all still children and teenagers, a strong stratification began in the country, and the rich appeared. Have they ever grumbled that one of their peers has something they don’t have?

I don’t remember them ever being upset about this. It seems to me that a lot here depends on the attitude of the parents themselves to their financial situation. We really lived modestly (and when I was an alarnik, we simply lived on alms - both the priests and the parishioners helped), but we never considered ourselves deprived.

In their self-esteem, boys are guided by their mother, girls by their father (I read about this from Freud, but, in my opinion, this is the general opinion in psychology). If a mother is upset by the way her son looks, he begins to feel complex, but if his mother likes the boy, he feels confident. It was important for both of us that the children were dressed for the season, and we never even thought about whether it was fashionable or unfashionable, whether it was better or worse than the neighbor’s children or classmates. Accordingly, they didn’t care either.

You were ordained in Khabarovsk, you and your family moved there, but then your sons began having health problems due to the climate, and your wife returned to Moscow with them, and you remained in Khabarovsk for another year. Such a long separation is always a test for a family.

I had no choice. If I had returned to Moscow then, I would have been banned. Perhaps forever. I don’t know what to do for a man whose wife argues in such a situation and demands that he immediately return home, otherwise she will divorce. God had mercy on me - my wife supported me, she understood that I could not quit my service. I sent them money, my mother helped as much as she could.

And another very important thing is that we wrote letters to each other every day. There was no Skype at that time, long-distance calls were expensive, so we rarely called each other, but we wrote letters and, accordingly, received them every day. And this helped us maintain constant spiritual communication.

As a priest, you are probably often told about family difficulties and troubles? What do you see as the main problem of the modern family, fatherhood?

I won’t say that any specific problems of fatherhood are highlighted. As for general problems, I see in almost everyone a desire for comfort, but even many church people do not have a sense of family as a single whole. It’s not that they don’t love each other - most Christian families, thank God, do not break up, but the feeling of a family as a small church, which, like the Church itself, as a parish, is organized in the image of the Kingdom of Heaven, is very rare today. The Christian family is called a small church for a reason - it also has its own way of life, its own hierarchy, obedience, common prayer, common meal. Now they live under one roof, but each lives their own lives, many even pray separately. And common life is very important.

Bishop of Zaraisky Konstantin (Ilya Konstantinovich Ostrovsky) was born on August 3, 1977 in Moscow into the family of a priest.

In 1994 he graduated from high school and the Children's Church Music School at the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk.

In 1990–1995 he performed various obediences in the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk.

In 1995 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1999.

In 1999 he entered the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 2003.

In 1997–2002 he performed subdeaconal obedience under Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna.

On January 6, 2001, he was tonsured a monk by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsky and Kolomna with the name Konstantin, in honor of the Hieromartyr Konstantin Bogorodsky.

On February 15, 2001, he was ordained by Metropolitan Yuvenaly to the rank of deacon, and on December 2, 2002 to the rank of priest with the laying on of the gilt.

In 2002–2012, he served as the vice-rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary (hereinafter referred to as KDS) for educational work.

In 2003–2012 he directed the KDS choir.

In 2003–2006 and from 2012 to the present, he has served as a member of the Diocesan Council of the Moscow Diocese.

In 2004, he served as secretary of the Liturgical Commission of the Moscow Diocese. In 2012, he was relieved of his post as secretary of the commission and remained on its staff.

In 2005, he was appointed chairman of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Moscow Diocese and a member of the Coordination Council for interaction between the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region and the Moscow Diocese.

In 2006 he was awarded the pectoral cross.

In 2009–2012, he served as the regent of the clergy choir of the Moscow diocese.

In 2011, he was appointed head of the missionary and catechetical courses of the Moscow diocese.

By definition of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on July 26, 2012, he was elected Bishop of Zaraisk, vicar of the Moscow diocese and appointed rector of the KDS.

On July 29, 2012, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Metropolitan Juvenal. On July 31, the naming took place, and on August 12, he was consecrated as a bishop. The consecration took place His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsa and Kolomna, Metropolitan Barsanuphius of Saransk and Mordovia, Archbishop Gregory of Mozhaisk, Archbishop Eugene of Verei and Bishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk.

In 2013, he was appointed chairman of the Certification Commission of the Moscow Diocese and head of the Biblical Theological Courses named after St. Sergius Radonezh Moscow diocese.

In 2014, he defended his candidate’s dissertation at the Moscow Orthodox Theological Academy on the topic “History and teaching of the sect “Church of the Last Testament” (Vissarion’s sect).”

In 2014, by determination of the Holy Synod, he was included in the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and appointed a member of the Theology Commission and the Commission on Spiritual Education and Religious Enlightenment.

In 2014, he was appointed co-chairman of the Coordination Council for interaction between the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region and the Moscow Diocese.

In 2015, he was elected vice-president of the Association of Teachers of Spiritual and Moral (Orthodox) Culture of the Moscow Region.

Education:

• 1999 - Moscow Theological Seminary.
• 2003 - Moscow Theological Academy (PhD in Theology).

Scientific works, publications:

• History and teaching of the “Church of the Last Testament” (Vissarion’s sect) (PhD thesis).

Awards:

Church:

• 2000, 2010, 2013 - metropolitan charters;
• 2003 - medal of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1st class;
• 2008 - Order of St. Innocent of Moscow III century;
• 2008 - commemorative medal “1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'”;
• 2011 - medal of the Moscow diocese “For sacrificial labor”, II class;
• 2012 - anniversary medal “In memory of the 200th anniversary of the victory in Patriotic War 1812";
• 2014 - Patriarchal anniversary sign “700 years of St. Sergius of Radonezh.”
• 2017 - medal of the Moscow diocese “For diligent service”, 1st class.
• 2018 - medal of the Moscow diocese “For educational works”, 1st class.

Secular:

• 2005 - “Thank you” sign from the governor of the Moscow region;
• 2007 - Badge of the Governor of the Moscow Region “For Labor and Diligence”;
• 2010 - Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region;
• 2014 - gratitude from the Governor of the Moscow Region.

Born on August 3, 1977 in Moscow in the family of a priest. Father, Archpriest Konstantin Ostrovsky, is the rector of the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, dean of churches in the Krasnogorsk district, chairman of the Department for Restoration and Construction.

In 1994 he graduated from high school and children's church music school at the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk. In 1990-1995 performed various obediences in the Assumption Church in Krasnogorsk.

On January 6, 2001, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsa tonsured him into monasticism with the name Constantine in honor of the Hieromartyr Constantine of Bogorodsky.

On February 15, 2001, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsa ordained him a deacon, and on December 2, 2002, he was ordained a presbyter with the laying on of the breechcloth.

In 2002, he was appointed vice-rector for educational work. Since 2003, he has directed the choir of the Kolomna Theological Seminary and taught comparative theology, and since 2007 - church singing.

In 2003-2006 - Member of the Diocesan Council of the Moscow Regional Diocese.

In 2004, he was appointed cleric of the Vvedensky Church of the Kolomna Theological Seminary and secretary of the liturgical commission of the Moscow diocese. In 2005, he was appointed chairman of the department of religious education and catechesis of the Moscow diocese and a member of the coordinating council for interaction between the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region and the Moscow diocese.

In 2006 he was awarded the pectoral cross.

In 2009 he was appointed regent of the clergy choir of the Moscow diocese, and in 2011 - head of missionary and catechetical courses of the Moscow diocese.

By the decision of the Holy Synod of July 26, 2012 () he was elected Bishop of Zaraisk, vicar of the Moscow diocese, and appointed to the position of rector of the Kolomna Theological Seminary.