Vladimir Zelinsky

He was born on 23 September 1942 and grew up in Moscow. After graduating from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow University in 1966, he worked for a while in radio, then enrolled at the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences, but left all academic careers after the Christian faith entered his life in 1971. His unfinished dissertation was self-published and printed in Paris under a pseudonym, which led to his expulsion from the Institute of Philosophy. Father Vladimir’s dissident career led to searches, interrogations, blackmail, threats of imprisonment and prevented him from participating in the restructuring movement. During these years he worked as Moscow correspondent for the French newspaper Ouest France and as a columnist for La Croix. In 1991, he was invited to teach Russian language and literature at the Universities of Brescia and Milan, where he worked until 2012. He was ordained a deacon in 1997 and a priest in 1999. In 2000, he founded the parish of «All who mourn, rejoice» in Brescia, of which he is still the rector.