Vladimir Abrikosov | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1880-10-22)22 October 1880 |
| Died | 22 July 1966(1966-07-22) (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | Imperial Moscow University |
Vladimir Vladimirovich Abrikosov (22 October 1880 – 22 July 1966) was a Catholic priest of theByzantine rite who converted fromRussian Orthodoxy and was a member ofRussian apostolate in thediaspora.
Abrikosov was baptized in theRussian Orthodox Church, but in his youth his attitude towardsreligion became critical. Abrikosov graduated from the 5th Moscow Gymnasium and historical-philological faculty ofMoscow University, and also studied atOxford. In 1905, he married his cousinAnna Abrikosova. For five years the couple traveled in Europe, where they became seriously interested inCatholicism.
In 1908, Anna Abrikosova converted to Catholicism, and a year later Vladimir converted as well. In 1910, Abrikosov returned to Russia. In his apartment in Moscow, they organized meetings ofintellectuals, speaking to them on religious subjects and material support for poor Catholic children. Abrikosov's apartment was at that time one of the main centers for the dissemination of Catholic ideas inMoscow. In 1913, the couple was accepted into the novitiate of the Third Order of theDominicans.[1] In the same year, during a trip toRome, they took vows to become members of the Order and had an audience withPope Pius X. In Russia Abrikosov practised the Latin rite, intending to revert to theByzantine rite when it had developed sufficiently inRussia.
On 29 May 1917,[2] Vladimir Abrikosov took part in the Council of theRussian Greek Catholic Church and was ordained a Catholic priest of the Byzantine rite by MetropolitanAndrey Sheptytsky of theUkrainian Greek-Catholic Church. In the same year Sheptytsky appointed him rector of the Moscow Greek Catholic parish and head of the Moscow Dominicans.
In 1920–1922 in the Abrikosovs' house dialogue took place between representatives of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which was attended by Moscow intellectuals. Under the influence of Abrikosov in particular,Dmitriy Kuz'min-Karavaev converted to Catholicism. Such activity was considered counterrevolutionary and on 17 August 1922, Vladimir Abrikosov was arrested and sentenced to death, but the punishment was subsequently commuted to perpetual exile. On 29 September of the same year, Abrikosov was expelled from Russia byphilosophers' ship, together with 150 of the most prominent Russian intellectuals.
Abrikosov built up contacts with various representatives of the Russian emigre community, organized in Rome a Committee of Russian Catholics, and kept theHoly See constantly informed as to the persecution of Catholics in Soviet Russia, among whom was his wife.
In 1922 Abrikosov obtained an audience withPope Pius XI to discuss the situation of the Russian Catholic Church. Soon after, Abrikosov was named Procurator of the Russian Exarchate by Mgr. Jules Tibirghien, an official of the Congregation for Eastern Churches. However, Abrikosov faced accusations of being a Russian spy by a Russian officer, Baron Igor von der Launitz. He also faced strong opposition from BishopMichel d'Herbigny, who wanted Abrikosov to resign his position as Procurator, and conflicts with theJesuits. Abrikosov left Rome to establish himself in Paris, when it was rumoured that D'Herbigny intended to abolish the Exarchate.
In the last years of his life, Abrikosov withdrew from contact with the Russian émigré community and lived in solitude. He died on 22 July 1966.