Russian Orthodox priest tends to Moscow's COVID-19 patients

Rev. Vasily Gelevan bends over a COVID-19 patient at her apartment to minister Holy Communion and say words of comfort while cl in a hazmat suit.

bedside ministry is one of many such visits 45-year old Russian Orthodox priest makes daily as he shuttles across Moscow in a minivan to tend to people fighting coronavirus at ir homes or in hospital rooms.

Gelevan's family at first wasn't happy with his decision to come in close contact with those infected with virus, but far of five sees pastoral care as a responsibility he can't refuse, especially during a pandemic.

“I put myself in ir place,” he said. “For me, visit of a priest giving Holy Communion would be most desirable thing. It doesn’t matter that I wouldn’t see his face. I would hear his voice, he would come and embrace me, show his sympathy and bring me most precious thing in world — Holy Communion!”

For several years before coronavirus outbreak, priest visited gravely ill at Moscow hospitals. n coronavirus hit Russian capital.

“y called me and said that re is a lot of work to do, many people are sick, and re are few who are trained to overcome stress and enter red zone to offer help,” Gelevan said. “I felt that I must answer call.”

Moscow has accounted for about half of nation's more than 449,000 confirmed cases, world's third-highest number after United States and Brazil. Russia reported 5,520 virus-related deaths as of Friday.

Along with needing to reassure his family — “y told me that I was playing a hero,” Gelevan said — priest h to cope with his own fear of exposure as virus rapidly engulfed Russia.

Gelevan recalled that first time he went to first visit a COVID-19 patient, he was shocked to see cotton stuffed into keyhole of woman's apartment door. He assumed it was put re to protect neighbors from virus. It turned out that woman h blocked keyhole long before to protect herself from neighbor's tobacco smoke.

“I often remember that keyhole,” priest said. “I realized that eyes of fear see danger everywhere.”

Gelevan said he wears all required gear to keep himself from becoming infected and takes or necessary precautions, but won't allow fear to stand in way of performing his clerical duties.

“You just need to find a middle way without falling into extremes — being panicky or going into COVID-19 denial,” he said.

Gelevan serves as a priest at Moscow's Church of Annunciation of Holy Virgin in Sokolniki, which was built by Russian imperial army in 1906. During Soviet times, church housed a military unit, and after Russian Orthodox Church reclaimed it in early 2000s it became official church of Russian airborne forces.

church, like all churches in Russia, has been closed to parishioners since April 13 and is set to reopen on Saturday. In recent times of illness and disruption, Gelevan sees a mess to humankind to abandon its arrogance and correct its mistakes.

“We shall weep and n calm down, raise from our knees and go forward,” he said. "We will become simpler and more humane, filled with more love for ourselves and ors and also world around us."