Background
He was born in the village of Zaluzhye in the Stowbtsy Raion of Minsk Oblast in Belarus on April 13, 1946. He is the grandson of a priest.
He was born in the village of Zaluzhye in the Stowbtsy Raion of Minsk Oblast in Belarus on April 13, 1946. He is the grandson of a priest.
After his service in the Soviet Army in 1966-1969, Lev entered the Leningrad Spiritual Academy, graduating in 1975 and successfully defending a candidate"s dissertation entitled "Decrees of the Second Vatican Council"s "Constitution on the Divine Liturgy"" («Постановление II Ватиканского Собора „Конституция о богослужении“»). He studied at the Papal Gregorian University from 1975-1978.
He was named Bishop of Novgorod the Great and Staraya Russa on July 20, 1990 and elevated to the archiepiscopal dignity on February 25, 1995, and to the metropolitan dignity in January 2012. On 28 March 1971, he was shorn a monk by Metropolitan Nikodim (Rotov) of Leningrad and Novgorod. He was consecrated a hierodeacon in April of that same year and was consecrated a hieromonk in April 1975.
From 1972 to 1975, he was personal secretary to Metropolitan Nikodim.
He was consecrated Bishop of Tashkent on November 1, 1987. Since becoming Bishop (since 1995 - Archbishop) of Novgorod and Staraya Russa, Leo has overseen the rebuilding of the church in the eparchy in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse.
The Holy Synod on December 28, 2011 appointed him head of the Metropoly of Novgorod (including the diocese of Novgorod and diocese of Borovichi). He was elevated to the rank of metropolitan on January 8th, 2012 in the Dormition Cathedral of Moscow Kremlin by Patriarch of Russia, Kirill I.
On March 30, 2006, President Vladimir Putin awarded him the Order Foreign Merit to the Fatherland, 4th class (За заслуги перед Отечеством» IV степени).