Powerlifting Priest Says Faith and Sport Are Compatible

If you bumped into him by chance—for example, in a shop—you«d never think this ruggedly handsome man had taken off his cassock half an hour before. Or that he was headed to church to hear confessions. Father Alexey—secular name Alexey Goncharov—is, to use a fashionable phrase, »smashing stereotypes« of the typical image of a priest. Moreover, he»s convinced that looking «like that»—with a paunch and a feigned pious face—is unbecoming for a priest, and that caring for the beauty and health of the body is equal to caring for the spiritual.

Father Alexey is the young rector of the Church of St. George the Victorious in Voronezh, the only one in the region where services are held for people with disabilities. It has special tactile icons, and the Holy Scripture is read in sign language. But the whole country learned about Goncharov in early November after a video went viral online: he—right in his cassock—effortlessly lifts a 200-kilogram (440-pound) barbell at a sports festival in Samara. And fame of the «Turbo-Father» from Voronezh spread across all Rus. Though for Father Alexey, that«s a warm-up—he has lifted weights of 325 kg (716 lbs).

At the Turbo Rusich sports club run by Goncharov, powerlifting is practiced not only by professional athletes but also by people with disabilities—and even children. It«s not just a club—it»s a whole philosophical movement. Here you can watch our video story about the unique priest. And for Father Alexey«s candid answers to very personal questions and to general ones—about faith and God, which concern many—see the extensive article on Voronezh1.ru.