Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) of the Russian Orthodox Church, who was detained in the Czech Republic last week with an “unknown white substance,” concelebrated with Moscow Patriarch Kirill on the Feast of the Holy Trinity.

This became known from a report published on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

According to the Patriarch’s press service, on May 31, 2026, the Feast of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) and the patronal feast of the Holy Trinity St. Sergius Lavra, Kirill arrived at the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh, where he celebrated the Divine Liturgy.

Among those listed as concelebrating with the Patriarch was Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev). Unlike the other clergy mentioned, however, no ecclesiastical position was indicated for Hilarion. His last known assignment was at the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

As LF previously reported, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) was detained by Czech authorities on May 24 in Karlovy Vary. During a search of his vehicle, four small containers containing a white substance were found in the trunk compartment.

He was released shortly afterward and left the Czech Republic.

Earlier, we reported that Moscow described the detention of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) in the Czech Republic as a “provocation” and demanded his immediate release. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. She emphasized that “the accusation against Metropolitan Hilarion is fabricated and constitutes a deliberate, orchestrated provocation aimed at discrediting not only the priest himself but Orthodoxy as a whole.”

The detention also drew a response from the Russian Orthodox Church. Archpriest Igor Vyzhanov, deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, described the case as a “gross provocation.”

LF Commentary:

Metropolitan Hilarion, the former head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Department for External Church Relations, often referred to as the Church’s foreign ministry, has recently been at the center of a series of scandals. His trip to Moscow appears to have been an act of reporting directly to Patriarch Kirill following these developments.

The hierarch, who has long been regarded as closely connected to Russian intelligence structures, likely understood that his future course after the scandal involving the “white substance,” which reportedly proved to be something other than a product from a pharmacy or a hardware store, would need to be coordinated with the highest levels of church leadership.

Judging by subsequent events, he appears to have been forgiven. That outcome is hardly surprising given the sensitive missions he carried out in advancing the interests of the Russian Federation. And, by all accounts, he advanced them effectively.