Sergei Chapnin

Journalist, religious scholar, and expert on the Russian Orthodox Church

He is Director of Communications at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University and editor of Public Orthodoxy, where he writes on religion, authoritarianism, church–state relations, and freedom of conscience.

A former senior official of the Moscow Patriarchate, Chapnin spent more than 15 years working within the Russian Orthodox Church before becoming one of its most prominent critics, arguing that its fusion with state power has produced a distinctly Russian form of Christian nationalism.

Since leaving Russia, he has continued his academic and public work, advocating for religious freedom, backing anti-war Orthodox initiatives, and pressing for dialogue on faith, democracy, and human rights in a divided church. He is the author of Religious Communities Under Pressure: Documenting Religious Persecution in Russia, 2022–2026, with a foreword by Rowan Williams.