In the post-perestroika period, the religious cult of the ten-year-old youth Vyacheslav Krasheninnikov, who died in March 1993 and was declared a saint, was widespread among the residents of the Kemerovo region. His unauthorized attempt at canonization was repeatedly criticized by the official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, who characterized these actions as a violation of the Church Charter and the profanation of the institution of holiness. In addition, there is reason to believe that it has become part of a commercial project, well thought out and cleverly implemented.
Not Every Prophet Should Be Believed
I would like to start the article on the hype raised around the name of the allegedly holy youth Vyacheslav and the “miracles” attributed to him by the statement made by the leadership of the Missionary Department of the Tomsk Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church. It bitterly says that the spread of this cult testifies to the extreme religious illiteracy of the population, craving spectacular and accessible miracles, as well as its disobedience to the hierarchy, the reason for which lies in the low level of internal church discipline.
In support of the foregoing, the lines are given from the first chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus Christ warns His followers that far from every spirit should be trusted, since many false prophets are found in the world. In addition, general attention is drawn to a number of facts that cast doubt on the sincerity of the most ardent adherents of the newly-minted "saint." What reliable information has been preserved about the life of Vyacheslav Krasheninnikov - the “holy lad”, elevated after his premature death to the rank of God's chosen ones?
A child from an officer family
It is known that he was born on March 22, 1982 in the city of Yurg, Kemerovo region. The child's father, Sergei Vyacheslavovich, was a soldier, as a result of which the family repeatedly moved from place to place, and mother Valentina Afanasyevna became a housewife. When Vyacheslav was a little over five years old, the family settled in the city of Taiga, Kemerovo region, where her head was once again transferred. However, most of his short life, the youth Vyacheslav had a chance to spend in another Siberian city - Chebarkul, located in the Chelyabinsk region.
Vyacheslav’s mother was constantly at home, and he didn’t have to send him to kindergarten, so everything that was laid in him at an early stage of life is the fruit of her upbringing. The influence of his father hardly affected the formation of the inner world of the teenager, since he was constantly on long business trips, and his older brother was drafted into the army. As a result, mother and son often remained practically alone.
Teacher Testimony Contrary to Mother's Statement
Having reached the age of seven, the boy entered the Chebarkul secondary school No. 4, where he studied until his death. According to the director of the school, L. Menshchikova, as well as the class teacher I. Ignatyeva, with all his positive qualities, Vyacheslav was little like a holy lad. He was a simple child, kind and warm-hearted by nature, but there was nothing sacred either in his appearance, in words, or in his manner.
At the same time, it is known that the mother of the child, Valentina Afanasyevna, claimed in her memoirs that from the very moment of birth, the features of his chosenness clearly appeared in him, and when he reached a conscious age, he openly declared to her that he had been sent by God. Subsequently, it was with her active participation in the Chelyabinsk region that the cult of the holy youth Vyacheslav Chebarkulsky was born and became widespread, which became the object of sharp criticism from the official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. Let us dwell only on some statements.
In particular, the head of the Missionary Department of the Tomsk diocese Maxim Stepanenko wrote that in this case it is noteworthy that the veneration of the holy lad Vyacheslav was initiated not by members of the church community, who knew nothing not only about his uniqueness, but even about the degree of religiosity , but exclusively the activities of the mother. It is possible that, driven by an exalted love for her son, she became a victim of her own pride and spiritual charms. Under this term, Orthodox dogma means a state of reverie and self-deception, giving rise to a false sense of holiness.
The beginning of spontaneous worship
Vyacheslav Krasheninnikov died of leukemia on March 17, 1993 and was buried in the city cemetery. The impetus for his veneration in the face of saints was a book written by G.P. Bystrov and published in 2001 under the title "Ah, mother, mother ...". According to the author, she was written from the words of the mother of the deceased boy, Valentina Afanasyevna, and contains her stories about her son’s life and the qualities that proved his exclusivity.
A start was made, and after the first edition dedicated to the "holy" youth Vyacheslav, four more books were published, two of which were written by Valentina Afanasyevna herself. Their names: “Sent by God” and “Miracles and predictions of the youth Slavik” speak for themselves. Two more books came from the pen of Lidia Emelyanova.
High Level Advertising Campaign
The authors of all these essays, turning to the readers, pursued a common goal - on the basis of facts known to them alone, to prove the presence of the miracle that he sent over the gift of wonderworking and insight. In addition, they also provide evidence of his posthumous events. Despite the complete lack of proof of the statements made in them, the books were written professionally, and everything stated in them looked colorful and very convincing.
The public outcry was not long in coming, and despite the limited circle of people who showed interest in this kind of literature, it turned out to be very wide. In 2010, a multiseries documentary film with the distinctive title “Russian Angel. Filmed by DVD” was added to the fire. Youth Vyacheslav. " The painting was met with interest, its copies dispersed in large print runs, thereby ensuring commercial success. The following year, disks appeared with a new film about the holy lad Vyacheslav Chebarkulsky - so now he was called in the circle of admirers.
The certificate of the rector of the temple
As mentioned above, most of the official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church reacted very negatively to the newly-minted "saint." These include the abbot of the Chebarkul Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord Protopriest Father Dimitry (Egorov). In his interview, he said that the admirers of the deceased boy were mainly people who were greedy for miracles. It was they who unconditionally believed everything that Valentin Krasheninnikova and similar authors told in their books.
The hype that arose in this connection, according to him, assumed the character of general insanity, the peak of which occurred in 2007. Then books about the holy lad Vyacheslav were actively sold, and, undoubtedly, brought significant profit to publishers. Father Dimitry even recalled that he had seen one of them in Jerusalem, where he had made a pilgrimage trip at that time.
A business built on the death of a teenager
He further suggested that the true culprits of all the hype are the people who used Krasheninnikova to achieve their selfish goals. That is why they published books and made films, which are nothing more than competently and professionally organized advertising. As a result, a mass pilgrimage began to the grave of the deceased teenager. People, eager to experience the full power of the miracles of the holy lad Vyacheslav, come in whole buses and do not skimp on any expenses. Guests from abroad also became frequent visitors to the Chebarkul cemetery.
The place of burial of a teenager has changed in recent years. A canopy was installed over the grave, under the canopy of which there are icons painted in his honor. Note that, according to church tradition, this is completely unacceptable. One should worship only the images of the canonized saints of God. The actions of those who offer prayers and recite the akathist to the youth Vyacheslav - the "saint", not glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church, are sacrilege and are subject to the most severe condemnation.
Cottage on marble chips
In addition, the abbot of the temple also notes such a suggestive fact. The fact is that adherents of reverence for the boy stubbornly maintain a rumor that on his grave, where miracles of healing take place, everything is filled with grace - snow, earth, dew, but most importantly, marble chips covering the gravestone. It is filled with water, which they then drink, getting rid of all ailments.
These small pebbles are successfully sold to everyone, and their supplies are regularly replenished by the father of the deceased - Sergei Vyacheslavovich, who for this purpose goes to a quarry located near the village of Kaelga. It is not known whether the marble chips help the afflicted, but, according to Archpriest Dimitri (Egorov), the Krosheninnikovs themselves brought a lot of benefit. They say they bought a piece of land and started building their own cottage.
Separate opinion of one of the clergy
For the sake of objectivity, we note that among the ministers of the church are people who believe in the God-chosen youth Slavik. Among them is, for example, the priest of the Church of Saints Joachim and Anna from the village of Nosovskoy Archpriest Father Peter (Borodulin). In a video interview recorded in 2009, he stated that he was deeply convinced of the true holiness of Vyacheslav. However, he did not bring any serious arguments, except for the assurances of the mother that her son did not know sin and he himself informed her that he had been sent by God. Meanwhile, a church minister should know that according to the Gospel, only Jesus Christ is sinless, and nothing is said about teenagers from the Russian hinterland.
Prophecies Based on Hollywood Films
Now let us dwell in more detail on how the official church authorities and, in particular, the leaders of the Chelyabinsk diocese reacted to the appearance on the territory of their cult of a dead boy. They were prompted to active actions not only by a mass pilgrimage to his grave, but also by statements popularized among the people that were presented as the prophecies of the holy youth Vyacheslav.
Metropolitan Zlatoust and Chelyabinsk Job (Tyvonyuk) created a commission, which in 2007 began a detailed study of all the circumstances of the case. As a result of the work, its members categorically rejected the possibility of canonizing Vyacheslav Krosheninnikov. In their conclusion, they especially drew attention to the fact that many of the prophecies attributed to him inherently diverged from the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Moreover, with a careful reading, it is easy to see that they are sometimes nothing more than a free retelling of American science fiction films, which, apparently, the teenager was once fond of.
The conclusion of the representatives of the Chelyabinsk diocese
In October 2007, an official statement was published by the Missionary Department of the Chelyabinsk Diocese. It stated with all responsibility that the writings of the mother of Vyacheslav Krasheninnikova Valentina Afanasyevna, films about the life and prophecies of the holy lad Vyacheslav, as well as other similar materials have nothing to do with Orthodoxy.
Soon after the publication of this document, the head of the diocese wrote a letter to all members of the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church with an appeal to indicate to the clergy and laity the inadmissibility of worshiping the newfound false sanctuary. Under his editorship in those days, a pamphlet with a very distinctive title was published: “Dislike the Fables of Women.” It contained comprehensive and deeply reasoned criticism of the distributor of the cult.
Criticism voiced within the walls of the Holy Synod
In unison with the words of the Chelyabinsk bishop, a statement was also made by Metropolitan Yuvinaly (Poyarkov) - chairman of the Synodal Commission, which dealt with issues related to the canonization of saints. He especially emphasized the harm that half-pagan rituals performed on the grave of Vyacheslav, as well as non-canonical akathists and icons dedicated to him, can cause souls of people.
Glorification in the person of saints is performed only on the basis of perfect miracles, the authenticity of which is established by members of the special commission of the Holy Synod, which was brought to work this time. Having studied the material, its chairman P.V. Florensky came to the conclusion that Vyacheslav was not talking about any holiness, and his mother was trying to extract material benefits from the death of her own son. He stated all this in his official statement.
Opinion of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church
And finally, the point in this matter was put by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, who ruled in those years. Given the seriousness of the situation, he considered it necessary to personally appeal to everyone who lives according to the Orthodox faith. Expressing deep compassion for the grief of the inconsolable mother, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church noted the inadmissibility of her actions aimed at drawing general attention to the deceased son in order to create his false cult. According to the patriarch, the deceased child does not need worship that is frivolous and sinful in nature, but sincere and heartfelt prayer for the repose of his soul.