Russian orthodox priest Vyacheslav Baskakov has been called to task for flashing too much drip on his Instagram account, a feed that was filled with luxury labels including Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
Baskakov’s feed was initially spotted on Russian social media feed pikabu.ru where a poster uploaded screen shots of Gucci fur slippers, along with Louis Vuitton slides and luggage. Debate ensued as to whether he legitimately was a priest, but as the story picked up steam he was identified and shortly thereafter deleted his swagoo feed.
On Sunday (December 9, 2018), Baskakov published a letter apologizing for the feed. According to a translation provided by RT, the priest said most of the brand items seen in the photos did not belong to him and were shot in shops. “No priest can afford such things. And why would he? Now I consider those photos stupid, childish and even sinful,” he wrote in his apology letter.
As for the buckled shoes not shot in a shop, Baskakov said they were customized by him. “I fixed buckles on almost all of them myself. Those shoes are cheap, but they look festive. I wanted some festivity in my clothes to cheer up after services,” he wrote.
Following his apology, a spokesperson for Patriarch Krill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, stated, “I hope this will bring this shepherd to account and to find the words and actions to bring him to reason, so that these kinds of things will not happen again.”
Check out some images from Baskakov’s feed below.
