Priest Grozovsky: I will return to Russia after the "blessing from the Lord"

The St. Petersburg priest Gleb Grozovsky, who was arrested in absentia and put on an international wanted list on charges of pedophilia, intends to return to Russia, "as soon as he receives a blessing from the Lord." He placed a message about this in the profile on his page on VKontakte. He later clarified that he would come to Russia "in the very near future", expressing the hope that by this moment his absentee arrest would be canceled.

The priest’s lawyer Igor Khitkov noticed Interfax that he does not recommend that his client return to Russia now. “Maybe I will give another advice in other conditions,” he added.

The lawyer noted that while Grozovsky remains in Israel, he has nothing to fear, since Russia does not have an agreement on extradition with this country.

Until recently, the 34-year-old Grozovsky was the rector of the church in the village of Maloye Verevo of the Gatchinsky district of the Leningrad region, as well as the deputy chairman of the department of the St. Petersburg diocese for youth affairs.

Against the priest, the case was initiated under paragraph "b" of part 4 of Article 132 of the Criminal Code (violent actions of a sexual nature in relation to a person who has not reached the age of 14). He faces a term with a lifetime.

Grozovsky is accused of raping two girls - 9 and 12 years old. According to investigators, the priest committed these crime on the Greek island of Kos, where he went with several dozen children as a teacher.

The TFR stated that Grozovsky part-time worked as an adviser to the general director of the Zenit football club on spiritual and moral issues. The media reported his cooperation with the SOS children's village, which is overseeing the club player Andrei Arshavin.

However, in Zenit itself, this information refuted this information. “The staff of the confessor of the team does not exist in the staffing club,” the club representative said. At the same time, he admitted that the players of the team turned to the Grozovsky, a pupil of the St. Petersburg football school, as a spiritual person in a private order. “We have known Gleb since 2007 and can characterize it only on the positive side,” the club said.

In Israel Grozovsky has been located since mid -September. He was sent on a business trip to help alcohol and drug addicts. Some time ago, his business trip was extended for six months.

The priest denies his guilt in rape, claiming provocation.