"Since 1990, according to the Moscow patriarchate, several dozen Orthodox priests have been killed," the site said.
Avenir Smolin, 29, a priest in the Ivanovo Region, in central Russia, was murdered Wednesday, presumably in the course of a robbery. His body was discovered at his home with numerous stab wounds. The priest's belongings and a small sum of money had been stolen.
Being a priest has become more dangerous than being a journalist in Russia, Father Vladimir Vigilyansky said earlier.
He cited documents that said priests are being murdered more often than members of any other civilian profession, including journalists.
"And there are far fewer priests than journalists," he added.
The body of Father Oleg Stupichkin was found in the Sts. Peter and Paul Church in the Alapayevsk district after a fire in January 2007. Twenty-two icons, including some painted in the 18th century, were stolen from the church.
Father Andrei Nikolayev died together with his three young children in a Central Russian village in early December of last year when unidentified attackers doused his house with gasoline and set fire to it.
