Sport Express Rio Priest Vadim Zakharkin. "Olympic movement is not pleasing to God

Original taken from the Blessing of the Icon

August 12, 2012, Sunday. My husband and I are going to the Russian Orthodox Church to pray. There are a lot of people, as always. I was about to fill in the memorial and congratulatory sheets, as I hear an unfamiliar priest calling me. He wears dark gray clothes and a huge cross.

He calls me to him and says: - Give me for good deeds, and I will bless you with an icon.

Without thinking, I take out my wallet and give him the only ten I had. The priest immediately takes out the icon of Panteleimon the Healer from his pocket and hands it to me with the words: - I bless you, now get well! He said that as if he knew that I was seriously ill with lupus. You see, the father is clear-sighted.

When I kissed the hand holding out the icon to me, I noticed the priest's bandaged leg, and accepted the blessing with special trepidation. Obviously, the priest himself is also very ill, the danger of gangrene is visible. I ask: - What is your name, father, I will pray for you.

He loudly rapped out: - I am Vadim, the priest Vadim Zakharkin, remember my name. Will you pray for me?

Necessarily! - I say.

Pray for me, and I will pray for you, - Father Vadim said and jabbed his finger into the bridge of my nose. It turned out that his mother was also called Nadezhda.

Overwhelmed with joy, I went to the icons of Panteleimon the Healer, Nicholas the Wonderworker and Matronushka of Moscow, to thank for mercy and intercession. She prayed for all the sick, including Father Vadim.

Already at home, I found information on the Internet about the priest Vadim Zakharkin. It turns out that he is really, seriously ill, he has diabetes, the 2nd group of disability. And in London, it is not by chance that he prays for athletes. A skater in the past, he closely follows the victories and defeats of Olympic champions, although he is most likely worried not about medals, but about their spiritual state.

Checking people for readiness for charity, the priest (Vadim Zakharkin, that's what he called himself) clearly determines their direction further way. Difficult person, very difficult. Clearly transparent.

I am grateful to fate for this meeting. May God grant him health and long life.

The master of theatrical and film arts was in the hospital for several months, according to official figures, with blood poisoning, and finally he was struck down by a heart attack. Three days later, at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater, where he long years worked as an artistic director and director, artists, fans, as well as relatives and friends of Oleg Pavlovich gathered. However, apparently, she did not come to say goodbye to his dad. own daughter from Alexander's first marriage.

Farewell to Oleg Tabakov was scheduled for 9 am, but it was still dark at the doors of the Moscow Art Theater people began to gather to take a queue and be among the first to say goodbye to their favorite artist. Almost all people had wet eyes.

Until recently, we thought that he would recover, - sighs the 75-year-old artist of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhova Irina Miroshnichenko. - I think we are still not fully aware of the extent of the trouble. We are both stunned and lost!

Oleg Pavlovich also directed the Tabakerka theater, which he created in the late 70s with his own efforts in an abandoned building of a former coal warehouse, and also directed the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio. But all this could not be! At the age of 29, Oleg Pavlovich had a heart attack, and then he was practically saying goodbye to life.

In 1965, I arrived at the Gradskaya hospital, - recalls 83-year-old Alexander Shirvindt. - Oleg Pavlovich had a heart attack. And he told me: “Sanya, how quickly everything ends!” But it turned out that everything was just beginning. Surprisingly, he managed to figure out in a second what to do. I remember when the iron curtain had just opened, we had to go to Canada with the performance. Oleg at that time was already known to the whole world, we ran into him on the street, I told him about my trip. He immediately gave me his business card and wrote to some Canadian director: “Dear Michael, Shura is coming, he is a good guy and a famous artist, please feed him and take him to the Second Hand store!”

Oleg Pavlovich himself invited me to the theater after he saw my game on stage, - recalls 45-year-old actor Anatoly Bely. - He helped me with the biggest lesson in life - a personal example of a person with a huge soul, a modest, quiet person, calmly and imperceptibly helping people. He was a guide for many. Whenever disputes arose, when I did not understand in my heart what to do, I very often remembered Oleg Pavlovich. It also had a lot of humor in it. I remember when I went on the big stage for the first time, after the run he stopped me in the corridor and said only one word: “Louder!” He loved to make those fleeting stops. They were very valuable, because even in short advice he invested a lot!

“They will say about you:“ Cat Matroskin ”

On the this moment the question remains, who will now be at the helm of the Moscow Art Theater. According to some assumptions, the 51-year-old actor Yevgeny Mironov, director Konstantin Bogomolov, or the rector of the Moscow Art Theater School - 56-year-old actor Igor Zolotovitsky, can become the new artistic director.

Let's see Oleg Pavlovich first, and then we'll talk about it, - Igor Yakovlevich snapped.

Bely has no answer to this question either.

Are you asking me this? Anatoly was surprised. - I can only say that we will continue to work and make sure that the Moscow Art Theater remains at the highest level!

Oleg Pavlovich himself did not like being called an artistic director. And I came up with an alternative to this position.

With son Anton and new family// Photo: Global Look Press

He said: “I didn’t come here on a white horse, I’m a crisis manager here!” - recalls 75-year-old theater critic Anatoly Smelyansky. - I once asked him: “Listen, Kesha Smoktunovsky died, they will talk about him“ Russian Hamlet ”. And you are not offended, because if you die, they will talk about you “Cat Matroskin”? “No, no, I never dreamed of playing Hamlet, only Polonius!” - answered Tabakov. Eight years ago I had to do a TV program with him called “Oleg Tabakov. Looking for joy." When we wrote everything down, at the end I decided to ask him a question: “When you find yourself in the next world, what will you say?” Since I could not talk about the Almighty, since Oleg Pavlovich was an unchurched person, I told him: “Lyolik, here you are already in the next world, and there already Zhenya Evstigneev, and Oleg Borisov, and your father Pavel Kondratievich, as well as many your friends. Are you justified?" He seemed to be waiting for this question and says: “I will justify myself!” And he listed six verbs of action: supported, helped, rescued, buried, got, shared!

"He was a playboy and married a second time"

Literally a day before parting with Oleg Tabakov, activists of the religious movement "God's Will" announced themselves in the media, who insisted that the master should not be buried. The reason for the protest was that in 2013 members of this community saw in the performance of the Moscow Art Theater " Ideal husband» propaganda of debauchery, homosexual relations, drug addiction and desecration of the symbol of the crucifix. However, the ministers of the church did not agree with this opinion. The funeral service for Oleg Tabakov was performed by Archpriest Vladimir Volgin. He told the press that on the eve of his death, Tabakov began to look for Christ, during his illness, the artist repeatedly confessed, took communion and took unction. So he died as a Christian. At parting with the master, our correspondents also met a minister of the church.

I knew him personally, - says priest Vadim Zakharkin. He gave me some money once. I have seven children. When I tried to solve my housing problem, Oleg Pavlovich told me: “Father, I will help you, but first let me buy apartments for my actors!” I concluded from this that he is a very kind person. I didn’t communicate with him for a number of reasons, I’m a canon priest, and he was an actor-actor, and secondly, he was married a second time. And his father was in his second marriage, his mother - in the third. The Church does not welcome this. But it is possible to bury such people. I do not know where his soul is now, but it is necessary to repent of the sins that he had.

Because of the second marriage, Oleg Tabakov was once offended by his older children - daughter Alexander and son Anton. They regarded the father's departure to his student Marina Zudina, who is 30 years younger than him, as a real betrayal. Ten years later, Anton nevertheless decided to improve relations with his father, but the daughter did not forgive him until the end of Oleg Pavlovich's life. Painfully experienced the departure of her husband and Tabakov's first wife - actress Lyudmila Krylova, with whom he had been married for a long 35 years. Immediately after death ex-husband Krylova said that she did not expect his death, because she thought that his current wife was leaving. At the farewell ceremony, Marina Zudina, their 22-year-old son Pavel, their 11-year-old daughter Maria, and Oleg Pavlovich's eldest son Anton were sitting in the front rows. Have you been to the farewell ceremony? ex-wife and daughter, the media is still guessing. At least the women did not get into the lens of a single video or photo camera.

I believe that there is no need to discuss this, - the Moscow Art Theater actor and a longtime friend of Oleg Pavlovich, 71-year-old Avangard Leontiev, told us when we asked if Alexandra had come to say goodbye to her father.

The farewell ceremony with Oleg Tabakov lasted six hours. President Vladimir Putin arrived, he refused public speaking, just talked about something with Marina Zudina ...

He calls me to him and says: - Give me for good deeds, and I will bless you with an icon.

He loudly rapped out: - I am Vadim, the priest Vadim Zakharkin, remember my name. Will you pray for me?

Necessarily! - I say.

Pray for me, and I will pray for you, - Father Vadim said and jabbed his finger into the bridge of my nose. It turned out that his mother was also called Nadezhda.

Checking people for readiness for charity, the priest (Vadim Zakharkin, that's what he called himself) clearly determines the direction of their further path. Difficult person, very difficult. Clearly transparent.

I am grateful to fate for this meeting. May God grant him health and long life.

Having blessed the Olympians in the Kremlin in front of Rio, Patriarch Kirill sent Archpriest Andrei Alekseev, rector of the church of St. Prince Dmitry Donskoy in Northern Butovo, to help them to the tournament. Komsomolskaya Pravda called the confessor of the Russian team to find out how our guys live at such a difficult Olympics and how spiritual support is in demand now.

- Father Andrei, is this your first Olympic experience? How did you react to the decision of Patriarch Kirill to send you to Rio as the confessor of the Russian national team?

- Yes, this is the first time for me, but sport was not an unfamiliar direction for me. I have been in this field for over 16 years. We created an Orthodox sports league at the church in the name of the Holy Right-Believing Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy and are holding a number of events as part of this, organizing a Sunday school football championship, on October 1 in Moscow we opened a Sunday sports school with 20 sports and much more.

- Do you actively communicate with athletes in Rio? Do you attend tournaments?

- Undoubtedly. We have good interaction with them, and with the leadership of the national team, and with those who are responsible for technical support. In the chapel I perform daily prayers, sportsmen come, of course, only if they wish - we do not impose anything on anyone. In addition to worship services, we have developed live communication, people come to me with various issues. Someone is churched, someone is only on the way. I myself go to competitions every day. Now I have a prayer service, and then a cycle track and handball.

Who most often comes to you for pastoral support, if not a secret?

- Girls handball players, boxers, archers. Our medal fencers, one of them asked to pray for her mother. Before the competition, they came to me, we talked about morality, traditional values. Unfortunately, I could not personally congratulate them on the awards - they had already flown to Moscow. Therefore, I convey my blessing to Olenka, Violetta, Tatyana and Lyuba through your newspaper. Relations with many are very good. I didn't know anyone personally before the trip. At one time I wrote a poem “Wishing the Girls”, here it comes in very handy.

— Quote a couple of lines?

“Beautiful is the one who knows how to humble herself and forgive her neighbor.

Beautiful is the one who does not dare to lie, be rude and take revenge.

- Yes, in the current situation it is directly relevant. What about Muslim athletes? Are there priests from other faiths here?

We are with them good relations. Our team is one big family. I did not meet representatives of other faiths here. Unfortunately there was one bad story: a certain priest Vadim Zakharkin appeared and gave an interview (the Olympic movement “God does not please”, football is called a non-Christian sport, etc. - Auth.), which I read in in complete amazement. His views are extremely specific, there is no official authority to make statements. How he got here, I don't know. It is important that statements, and even in difficult situations, come from those people who have a blessing from the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church talk about one topic or another.

- How are our guys? Help to abstract from booing, insults?

- We see what is happening around the Olympics today. Here in the hotel our flags were torn down and trampled on - this speaks of the inferiority of such people ... Blessing the team at a prayer service in the Kremlin, Patriarch Kirill spoke about the need for unity and peace. And my task here is to call for peace. The Lord will not leave a single person without trials. It is important to overcome them correctly. I am looking here the right words so that our guys adequately overcome them. And the state of revenge, anger is wrong.

- In addition to wild crime, many note the equally wild freedom of morals reigning in Rio. Like, sexual minorities are not shy about anything, there are foreign athletes among them. How do you feel in such an environment?

- I have heard, but personally, fortunately, I have not come across such a thing.

- The Olympians did not ask to consecrate their shells, competition places?

- I consecrated the Russian House, the place where the collections live in the Olympic Village, the medical center. Holy water is always with me.

- Do you think your presence affects the number of medals?

- I will refrain from answering. I serve with the blessing of the Patriarch, I perceive my presence here as the will of God. It is a great honor for me to be with my country at such a moment.

He visited 13 Olympics, blessed bure and bronze rowers in Atlanta, prophesied the successes and falls of the walker Borchin, gave Isinbayeva icon. Incredible story Orthodox priest-pilgrim - father Vadim (Zakharkin), whom our special correspondent met near the Russian House.

Dmitry SIMONOV
from Rio de Janeiro

WHO SPEAK THE TRUTH WILL NEVER DIE

My first three days of the Olympics seemed to have tied invisible thread, and who held the needle, I guess, but I will not say anything.

It all started with me sitting in the Russian House and watching judo. Three or four minutes after Beslan Mudranov gave Russia the first gold medal, an Orthodox priest entered the small press room.

"Who is Orthodox - get up!" he exclaimed.

I was taken aback, but got up. The people around me also stood up. The priest sprinkled each of us with holy water. "It's good," he said. "I was just blessing, and we won a medal."

On the second day on the night bus from Barra to Rio, I read the words of the archer on the Internet Perova: "After the shot of the Italian, I realized: there is a God."

Finally, on the third day, I went to the Fan House for the ceremony of honoring our medalists. It only took about five minutes to walk, and suddenly someone called out to me from behind: "Young man!" I stopped, turned around - and, given the previous events, I was no longer surprised.

Two people were looking at me. A smiling man in round glasses and a shirt with a tie (obviously local) and a priest with a bushy gray beard, hair in a ponytail, with the Russian tricolor on his back, with a massive cross and the badge of the Russia team on his chest. The first was Jonatas, grandson of Russian and Ukrainian immigrants, professor Spanish who speaks excellent Russian. He is a Jehovist, lives in Sao Paulo and came to watch the Olympics for a few days. The second is the father Vadim Zakharkin, an Orthodox priest whose life is full of incredible adventures, dating and travel. They invited me to the table - and when father Vadim said that the Games in Rio were already the 13th for him, I could not refuse. We ordered thick chicken soup and a bottle of local red wine. The conversation was long, so during it I had to take a second one.

I prophesy to you - we will take fifth place at the Olympics, - said father Vadim. - I will be very pleased if we are on it. I don’t understand anything in the alignment of forces, but I want this, I pray all day long.

- I also think it will be the fifth or sixth.

No sixth...

Are you ready to tell me your story?

Yes. Write everything as it is said, Dimitri. I will only speak the truth, although few people like it. But whoever speaks the truth will never die...

"FATUSHKA, AND SUDDENLY YOU HAVE TNT THERE"

- How did you get to Rio de Janeiro?

In early June, I was in Pechery, with Elder Adrian (Kirsanov) from the Pskov-Caves Monastery. I asked him: "Your spiritual son Alexander Dimitrievich Zhukov, perhaps, could take me to the Olympics for free - by plane, for example. "" Now Zhukov is on Athos, - Father Adrian answered me. "But you tell him that I need him urgently."

In mid-June, I spent 10 days in St. Petersburg - and passed it on to him through my wife. And at the end of June I sit opposite the bald one ...

- Excuse me, in front of which bald man? ..

Near the mausoleum. And I think who will help me with a ticket. I call one Andrew. And you know something - I thought he would donate to me somehow. And he suddenly says: "Father Vadim, tell me your passport details, I'll buy you a ticket." When I found out that he was worth 70 thousand Russian rubles... - here Father Vadim starts to cry. - He bought me a ticket on the Internet through Lisbon, can you imagine? I'm still crying. Let's drink to Russia.

We raise the first toast. Jonatas does not clink glasses - these are his beliefs.

Okay, nothing, says Father Vadim. - Let's just do it. For me, the most mysterious and bad Olympics were in Sochi.

- Why?

I felt the situation. In Sochi, for the first time in my life, I was well settled - I lived for $50 in a villa. But Rio is bad. Here I am in the hostel. That is OK. Again, Andrew paid for me.

- What a wonderful person this your Andrey is.

There are a lot of crooks and thieves in Brazil. I personally paid $ 958 for 22 days through an agency on the Internet for a stay in another hostel, with breakfast. But the money did not come to this hostel. Not only that, my card seemed to be blocked according to the taxi driver I was trying to pay. I began to find out why - although I am not a scandalous father. I sent a text message to Andrey and he paid $2,000 for another hostel. By the way, he is half Jewish - I am not an anti-Semite, there are good Jews, but there are very few of them.

- Tell us, what was your first Olympics?

In Moscow in 1980. You weren't born then. The most beautiful opening ceremony was then. I was on the run the day before, when half-naked young people were building pyramids of extraordinary beauty. But in Sochi, I felt untruth. Although, of course, I was only in the second half, because before that, good people paid for my cruise from Fort Lauderdale from Florida past Liberty Island through the Panama Canal through Easter Island to Australia. Therefore, I was late for the start of the Olympics.

- Why did you feel the lie?

Firstly, I really did not like the fact that - I say openly - they searched endlessly. I am an Orthodox Father! They put their hands there, under the cassock, between the legs ... It upset me so much. I say: "What are you doing, young people!" And one major answered me: "Father, what if you have TNT there." There were three inspections at the Adler station - at the entrance, before boarding the Lastochka ... Well, what good is that.

Secondly, they deceived a lot of people during the Olympics, they did not pay. Not only that, in the Imereti lowland, houses were demolished. So also the people who left them cursed those places.

Here in Saransk they are now preparing for the World Cup. So many houses have been demolished! But Mordovians and Russians under the influence of Mordovians are very humble. There are no performances, although grandiose two-story and three-story houses are being demolished, because they need to clear everything. Even Dimitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister - I heard him on the radio - said that during the construction of this railway in Sochi was spent three times more money than during the construction of the Vostok cosmodrome.

Father VADIM at the Olympics in Sochi. Photo by Fedor USPENSKY, "SE"

ASKED: WHERE IS YOUR ACCREDITATION? I SHOWED THE CROSS

- Let's go back to the beginning. Your first Olympics - in Moscow. And then you started traveling.

Since 1994. I was officially blessed by Metropolitan Barsanuphius (Sudakov), then a bishop. He gave me his blessing in his apartment in Saransk to be the first Olympic priest.

- Wow!

Yes. What I did. Priest Vadim Zakharkin, by the grace of God. I fed hockey players. He's already dead, their coach, Viktor...

- Tikhonov.

He was wonderful.

- Tell us how you fed.

I didn't know the results of their previous game. This is important - a priest should always have a peaceful, calm, love-filled heart. One such Anzori Aksentiev gave me a ticket. I got dressed in the toilet. Tears overwhelmed me. I cried. I went up to the side - then everything was freer, not like now. He said: "Tell the guys that a simple village priest from Mordovia has arrived and asks them to win." Yes, it was! And then they won. The match was with the Slovaks. And me Viktor Tikhonov then he said that my words inspired the hockey players. You see, a priest cannot teach technique, he can only inspire.

After that, they began to give me free tickets. Truth, valid with accreditation only - Valid only with accreditation. But I had no accreditation, and the police always pestered me. Especially Norwegian women. So when there was a choice, I approached the male police officers. They not only searched, which in itself is indecent, but also asked: where is your accreditation.

- And you?

And I showed the cross in response.

I talked a lot with the coaches. They came to the chapel in the local Orthodox church and we prayed together. Norwegian newspapers wrote about me. Somewhere I have already preserved with color photographs. When I crossed myself and bowed, they wrote: "Father Vadim kisses the floor." Everything is clear, Lutherans - they do not understand anything.

- I agree, people are dark. Tell me, since 1994 have you missed at least one Olympics?

Didn't miss a single one!

- What is your favorite?

Let's divide into winter and summer. Winter - of course, in Norway. There were snowdrifts. Everything sparkled. ice sculptures! Compare with Sochi - the Winter Olympics in the subtropics. This is something funny. Same with Nagano. I'm so sorry for the dead Alexey Prokurorov- being a biathlete, he lay down to shoot at the water. We stood with umbrellas because it was raining. Journalist Dimitry Fedorov, my friend at the time (he fed me at an Italian restaurant), told me that a lot of money was given to Nagano as the venue for the Winter Olympics, although everyone knew what the weather was like there.

And the best summer... Was in Athens. I am an Orthodox priest - and the deceased Archbishop Christodoulos blessed me to be accommodated in the monastery. There were luxurious cells - European standard! Arriving in Athens, I had nowhere to spend the night. As always, I get ready at the last moment - such is our Russian practice. For 70 euros, I could not find anything for myself and did not know where to go. Bishop John of Thermopylae, who is directly the abbot of this monastery, kicked us out. He arranged me for one or two nights, and sent those who brought me out, and they spent the night in tents. But then Bishop Christodoulos said: “Stay overnight, father,” and blessed me to stay in the monastery. Unfortunately, he died of liver cancer. Because he drank cognac and coffee. It's a hell of a mix. I do not advise you to drink cognac with coffee.

Due to the fact that I had been to Athos before, I had a document, thanks to which they let me in for free at the opening and closing ceremonies, although tickets cost 700 euros each. And a few years ago I visited Athens again - and looked at what happened to the stadium that the Athenians built for the 2004 Olympics. It is all overgrown with trees, abandoned, not exploited. Not a single Olympics justified itself. And the Greeks do believe that the Games - main reason their crisis.

Pavel Bure. Photo by Fedor USPENSKY, "SE"

DEMONS ARE. A HORSE HIT A WOMAN ON THE REASON OF JEALY

- Who else from the athletes and coaches will you remember with a kind word besides Tikhonov?

to my heart Pavel Bure. Thank God, he gave birth to two, because Bishop Savva Volkov told him: Pavel, unlike his brother Valery, will never marry. Thank God he got married. I communicate with the singer Irina Saltykova. She told me that when she attends Pavel's birthday (he has March 31, great post, I don’t go to birthday parties during Lent) and there he gets drunk, then he starts crying into her vest that he is so unhappy and his bones are damaged. Because hockey is a very dangerous sport.

By the way, here is what Donatas, the president of the Lithuanian Boxing Society, recently told me. He strongly loves the president of Lithuanian equestrian sport, Raimonda. Once he called her when she was cleaning a male horse, and at that time the horse hit her in the face with a hoof. She broke her nose, the bones of her skull - Father Vadim is crying. The horse knocked out her teeth. I assumed he did it out of jealousy. It wasn't a mare, it was a horse.

- Incredible.

Because demons and evil spirits exist, yes. I believe in it. I ask everyone who cares about Raymonda's fate to pray for her. I advised Donatas to send her to a maxillofacial surgery clinic. I myself am a former doctor and I can tell you that we have very good doctors in Moscow. I love Lithuania - every year from the age of 17 I spent on the coast Baltic Sea. I ask everyone to love Raymond and Lithuania, a beautiful little republic.

- What competition do you attend with particular interest?

Now I have become calmer. Vitaly Georgievich Smirnov called me a very emotional priest. In Atlanta, I attended volleyball and basketball. There was such a Vadim, he cursed so much, it was all audible - I always sat in the front rows, although the tickets were higher, and the police pestered me, I always had problems, I cried. But what was the point of being upstairs if you needed to be near.

Valery BORCHIN. Photo Alexander WILF, "SE"

PROPHETIZED TO BORCHIN: "YOUR FALL WILL BE WITH NOISE"

I also took care of marathon runners (apparently, Father Vadim meant walkers. - Note. "SE"), continued the narrator. - Since I am from Saransk - there is a school Viktor Chegin. Remember there was Valery Borchin…

- How. Olympic champion Beijing.

He was at my house, drinking my wine, bought for 100 rubles, and said that he had never drunk the best wine in the world. But, unfortunately, he ascended. I have such a practice - what to hide, God knows everything - I ask me to donate, because the priest lives on donations, I have no candle production, no. And when Borchin gave me a ride (we were then walking from the cemetery in Saransk) in 2008, I asked: "Are you flying to Beijing? Donate." He gave me 100 rubles. I said, "You'll have gold." For 100 rubles prophesied! Then we talked a lot, made friends with the athletes.

And one day I wished to take a steam bath with them, go to the sauna. They denied me this. I was surprised. Why? And when I saw Denis Nizhegorodov half-naked ... He was not even 30, and his body was like that of a 60-year-old man. Even then I realized that he was doping. And Valery Borchin fell on the 13th lap in London in 2012 near Buckingham Palace. I spoke at a press conference in the presence of Alexander Dimitrievich Zhukov that the boy had star fever. And then it turned out, not only she, but also doping.

There is a pharmacy in the house where I live. He always goes there for these men's items. And a simple Erzyanka, who sells there, said to me: "Well, at least he applied to different pharmacies." The city is small, everyone knows everything about each other. You should never chase after a long ruble, but you should seek the truth of God. When Valery obeyed me a little, everything was fine. He is Erzya - I even sent him text messages in Erzya, my wife-mother translated. And when he began to ascend, everything went wrong. I prophesied to him: "Your fall will be with noise." And he really fell. I have witnessed this. I was sent to Buckingham Palace.

I'll be honest: although I myself was at 13 Olympics, the Olympic movement is not pleasing to God, therefore it amuses vanity, pride, arrogance. Unfortunately. The very word "Olympiad" - Olympus and hell. Unfortunately, the world is captivated by the love of money. And the sport has degenerated - it has become not for the sake of mass character, but for the sake of money.

OUR ATHLETES SHOULD INTERNALLY REPENT

- How did you feel about the doping scandals around Russia? Were you sure that our team would perform in Rio, where you already had a ticket?

He behaved calmly. I know that there is the will of God, all-good and saving. And there is the teaching of God. Those who internally feel guilty - in Latin mea culpa - let it be desirable (I speak softly) will bring repentance. It is not necessary to repent publicly. Enough internal correction. I think that if our athletes have inner repentance, we can fly high. Because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We must always tell the truth - money is probably to blame for everything, capital is involved there. Whose - I do not know. We must serve God, not mammon.

Today I heard that our Paralympic athletes are being suspended. In the Russian House, I told my opinion to Oleg, Alexander Dimitrievich's deputy, so that he would pass it on to him. Paralympics for me is not what you need. When disabled people compete - and we know that after the Rio Olympics one of the Paralympics was going to kill herself with the help of euthanasia - I am against these Paralympics. People are already mutilated and suffering. Why amuse their inner pride. You have to be calm about everything. Lord, give me peace of mind meet whatever the coming day brings me. Let me completely surrender to the will of Your Holy One. For every hour of this day, instruct and support me in everything. Whatever news I receive during the day, teach me to accept with a calm soul and firm conviction that everything is Thy holy will. This is the prayer of the Optina elders. God bless you, many and good years. Have you already turned off the recorder?

- Of course not. My mouth is dry, now I'll take a sip. We had an amazing meeting.

All fishing. All fishing.

Vitaly SMIRNOV. Photo by Alexander FEDOROV, "SE"

AND I AM AGAINST THE TORCH RIDE

- You haven't said anything about Vancouver 2010 yet.

When he died Nodar Kumaritashvili(Georgian luger crashed to death before the start of the Olympics during training. - Note. "SE"), it was February 13 on Friday ...

- I was there.

And me too. Said correspondents The Guardian newspaper ": it will be the worst Olympics in Olympic movement. True, they quoted without mentioning me. And I told many Russians that a complete failure awaits us there. But then success will surely come. Many of my words calmed.

- You mentioned Vitaly Smirnov, who unexpectedly returned to big game, headed an independent anti-doping commission and came here to Rio. Tell us about your acquaintance.

Smirnov was very worried when in 2000 he was not elected instead of Juan Antonio Samaranch IOC President. I called him and his son picked up the phone. Said, "Daddy's very upset." He complained about me to Patriarch Alexy II. Well, let. The fact is that I worried too much - passed successes and failures through my own heart. Now I have become calmer, since 2008 I hardly go to competitions. There were monitors everywhere in Beijing, and I looked there.

And thanks to Vitaly Georgievich, I ended up in the Olympic village in 1998 in Nagano. And he predicted one bronze medal for Belarusians. At that moment they were in prostration - forgive my sinful soul, Lord, that I am saying this.

- Did the Belarusians get a medal?

Yes. I am also against the torchlight procession.

- Why?

It was introduced into the Olympic movement by Adolf Hitler in 1936. Before that, there were no torchlight processions. The worship of fire is in principle sinful, it was invented by Zoroaster. Plus, it burns so much gas. I live in a hostel - there is a very weak gas burner. I'm waiting a long time for something to warm up there. It is better to direct the gas to good. Similarly, I am against lighting the so-called eternal flame. We, Orthodox Christians, are afraid of eternal fire, because eternal fire exists in hell, I believe in it. Hell exists, and there are billions of souls. It does not matter that we are sitting on the surface, talking, drinking a little very good Brazilian wine ...

It's local. "Almada", - specifies our third interlocutor Jonatas.

- You have to remember the name, it's very tasty.

Come on, John, have a toast.

A few years ago, the Zhemchuzhina players (in orange) played in the first division, and they faced the task of reaching the premier league. Photo Yuri BOGRAD

BLESSED THE "PEARL" (SOCHI)

- You only look Olympic Games, but far from football?

I don't know anything about football. This is a non-Christian sport. He was born in Rome, when the legionnaires cut off the heads of the holy martyrs and beat them into the gates. The origins of the game are non-Christian. Another thing is that football was revived in England in XIX century, when they began to use a ball instead of a head.

I have a negative attitude towards football, although I promised the bishops from Russia to bring rubber dolls from Rio de Janeiro Pele as a gift! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

- You yourself have never been to football?

Several years ago I was invited to bless the team (Sochi). I flew there. The owner was then Dimitri, your namesake, Yakushev. People were interested in me. I was paid business class, reception and so on. I bless the team.

- Did it help?

The weaker team "Pearl" (Sochi) defeated more than strong team(Kuban). Then Yakushev gave me $7,000 in gratitude. Pavel Semin, who was then the monk Ilya, and is now in prison, says to me: "My half." In fact, it was his adventure, why I ended up in Sochi. Please, I answer, take it. Thank you for leaving something. At the airport, they took some more from me ... 1900. It doesn't matter. After that, I was very offended by him. Didn't know he could do something like that - knocked people to death.

- Who is Pavel Semin?

Then he was an adviser. Dimitri Medvedev on religious matters. He whispered in his ear who was who among the priests, although one should not talk during the service.

Yakushev invited me again. He is a wonderful person. Then they paid me 100 thousand rubles. Semin began to demand: give me 1000 on the phone, give me another 5, give me another 10, give me give me. As a result, we arrive in Moscow. And he knocks two people to death in his car. He was a rude, non-church person. He told me that he was the nephew of one of the bishops, whom I respect very much, Metropolitan Alexander. Maybe Vladyka doesn't even know what it was.

Yelena Isinbayeva. Photo by Alexander FEDOROV, "SE"

ISINBAYEVA REJECTED THE ICON

- She became a symbol of the martyrdom of Russian sports, which was not allowed to the Olympics. What is your attitude towards her?

Negative. I saw in the Beijing subway at the exit near the turnstiles on the monitor how she set a world record. I was delighted! And rejoiced all day long. In the evening I came to the Russian House. The best treat that they served me there was a lotus. If you've been to China, you know it's great. And so I go further and see a woman of short stature, who was standing near the Cadillac. Nearby - either the driver, or the bodyguard. I was in the garb of a priest. I say politely: "Who are you?" Answer: "Elena Isinbayeva". I say: "I bow before your feat!" I could even kneel before her - the Lord kept me at the last minute. What could I give her? Icon! But she suddenly rejects her in a very rude way. I say: "Elena! You have done a miracle!" and again I hold out the icon. "I am of a different faith," I hear in response in a rude manner. Well, well, at least she didn’t cover me with obscenities. I said: "If they gave me the Koran, I would accept it as a gift." This ended our relationship with her.

It is necessary to perceive everything with a calm soul: failures, victories, sports injuries, insults and reproach. Now we often use the word "indifferent". But in Slavic indifferent means "calmly". Completely different meaning. It is said: man is indifferent! It doesn't mean "don't care". We must perceive everything indifferently and do good deeds to those who do evil to us.

- Which of the athletes, unlike Isinbayeva, do you respect?

Once met in the store "Adidas" Alexandra Karelina. I have a photo. His arm is twice the size of mine. They say politics is a dirty business. And I don't isolate politics from real life. Man is what he is. It is impossible to say: I am a politician and I can afford this or that. Russia is an Orthodox country, and good should come from it. I am an Erzya by my father, Russian by my mother. Mordvins are kinder than Russians. Some time ago, I was walking from a cemetery in my native village and asked one: can I go through your garden. She, an Erzyanka, allowed it. She asked: Do you need water? He answered her: you can treat. She gave eggs, tomatoes - better than Brazilian ones! I offered money, she didn't take it.

Father VADIM, head coach of the Russian rowing team Sergey VERLIN (in uniform) and representatives of the Russian-speaking diaspora in Rio. Photo by Dmitry SIMONOV, "SE"

ROWERS WERE COUNTING FOR 8TH PLACE. THIRD

At this moment, it passes us down the street big man in the T-shirt of the Russian national team. "Join us!" - Father Vadim invites. A man approaches - and it turns out Sergei Verlin, head coach of the Russian national rowing team, bronze medalist of Atlanta in a kayak-four. It turns out that they are familiar with Father Vadim. They talk for a few minutes about something. A little earlier, two women join us, Victoria and Olga - both have been living in Brazil for two years, having moved from Lugansk. They are acquaintances of Jonathan. I take a photo together. Verlin leaves (the next day the rowers will swim out in the repechage race to the semi-finals - a coincidence?), and I check with Vadim's father.

In 1996, I entered the Olympic Village. There is even a photograph with this Sergiy and three others, they are taller than me (Father Vadim is very tall. - Note. "SE"). I said, "If you feed me, we will be successful." It's true, it was in 1996, - father Vadim sobs. - I was fed in the Olympic canteen. And of course, I put so many things on... During the liturgy, I endlessly, endlessly uttered their names - they wrote me names and surnames, being not quite Orthodox. I have all the papers and tickets somewhere. There are so many archives at home. And my mother sins - I'll throw everything away!

- It turns out that the bronze of rowers - including your merit?

One told me: "Father, we only count on the eighth place." "Why not on the third?" I smiled. And so it happened. Unfortunately, I could not come to the competition after the service. But when I arrived, they told me: we are the third. Sorry, this is probably immodest - and in order not to be honored, I did not go to the Olympic Village on Monday, although a pass was even ordered. Showed up there the other day. And now Sergius confirmed to me - on Monday evening they flew away, and on Tuesday on the windowsill in the empty room they occupied, I found an icon. Let's drink to success.

Our conversation continued at the Fan's House, where Father Vadim and Jonatas and I went together. Kind people fed and watered. The conversation lasted several hours, and only a few extracts can be published. At some point, Father Vadim said that he had seven children. The eldest is 27, the youngest is 14. And recently he thought about replenishment - the eighth and even the ninth child.

I shared with my mother, and she sent me an SMS in response, - the priest said and showed me the message. It was written: "Only with you."