Boris Georgiyevich Rotov
 Boris Georgiyevich Rotov     (priest, spook?) | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Boris Georgiyevich Rotov 15 October 1929 Frolovo, Korablinsky District, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR, USSR |
| Died | 5 September 1978 (Age 48) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox |
| Victim of | premature death |
Ordained in 1960 at the age of 31, the youngest bishop in the Christian world. Russian Orthodox metropolitan of Leningrad until his sudden death at age 48 after drinking a cup of coffee at the Vatican. | |
Metropolitan Nikodim (secular name Boris Georgiyevich Rotov) was the Russian Orthodox metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod from 1963 until his death.
Activities
Metropolitan Nikodim was predicted to become Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and the only alternative candidate was Metropolitan Pimen. Nicodemus never became a patriarch because of his death, but many years later his former deputy, Bishop Alexy Ridiger, now Alexy II, succeeded.[1]
According to the Mitrokhin Archive, which claimed deep Communist penetration of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Nikodim was a KGB agent, working under the codename "Adamant", whose ecumenical activity with the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC) served to further Soviet goals. Ordained in 1960 at the age of 31, the youngest bishop in the Christian world at the time, he would go on to become one of the WCC's six presidents. Metropolitan Nikodim is said to have participated in negotiating a secret 1960s agreement between Soviet and Vatican officials that authorized Eastern Orthodox participation in the Second Vatican Council in exchange for non-condemnation of atheistic communism during the conciliar assemblies.[2]
Death
Nicodemus died on September 5, 1978 at a reception at the Vatican. The official cause of death is a heart attack. But there is a lot of evidence that before that everyone present, including the Pope, John Paul I, who was elected to this position only a few days later, was brought coffee. One of the cups most likely contained poison. Less than a month later, the Pope himself died - the symptoms were the same.[1]
Whether the attempt on Nicodemus was deliberate, or whether the Pope was originally the target, is unknown. A motive might have been that his work on the integration of the Orthodox Church with other world religions could have seriously increased the influence of the Soviet Union in international politics.[1].[3]
