© archpriesttver Instagram account
Image from now-deleted.
Image from now-deleted.
The 'Gucci priest' was one of Russia's biggest viral stories last week. An Instagram account attributed to cleric from the city of Tver sparked outrage with many images of expensive luxury items, including shoes, slippers, luggage bags and accessories. The author apparently had a soft spot for Louis Vuitton, although Gucci was a favorite too.
The photos were months old, but last week the account was highlighted by a popular Russian online fun board, Pikabu, sparking a wave of outrage and puzzlement. "This is the clergy we get," said the headline of the post, and many commenters agreed, saying the man bragging about his posh lifestyle hardly qualifies to be a spiritual guide.
Others thought the account was too outrageous to be genuine. They suggested it must be some anti-clerical project meant to satirize priests that think too much about body and too little about soul.
Comment: This isn't the first such Israeli-run operation in far-flung corners of the world. They likely had cameras installed in the properties where this went on. What's unusual is that the case was busted; usually, blackmail prevents investigations from reaching this stage.