Harry Potter converts to Orthodoxy

By Alina Lobzina
20/04/2011

Harry Potter, the world’s most famous child sorceror, is to become an Orthodox Christian figure, in a play written by a priest from Tatarstan.

Farther Manuil, who oversees the work of the youth department in the Bugulma diocese in the Russian regional republic, is willing to create an orthodox theatre in the town he’s serving. “Harry Potter’s repentance and the miracle of fire” is to feature strongly in the repertoire.

Biblical Potter

The new adventures of the young sorcerer are to pose as dramatic a twist as in the originals by J.K. Rowling.

In the beginning Hedwig, Harry’s pet owl, brings sad news from Hogwarts. The battle between good and evil ended with Voldemort’s victory, and all Harry’s friends, Hermione, Ron and nearly all the Weasleys, have died.

Potter’s new story

Harry rushes to see Dumbledore, who tells him to find “the one who created everything”, as he’s the only power that can stop Voldemort.

And both good and evil are just two sides of the same coin, the headmaster warns Harry, before he draws his last breath.

Harry is then teleported to an orthodox church where he learns his parents baptised him into Orthodoxy just before they died.

He heads to Jerusalem to see the descent of the Holy Flame with his new friends – Anastas and Agniya, two Orthodox siblings he met along the way.

The final encounter with Voldemort happens in the Holy Land and with the help of Saint Cyprianus, his patron saint, Harry defeats his enemy.

Harry’s salvation

Farther Manuil believes that since all the cast has been found the audience will come to see the play, which will be performed free of charge.

“It would be great to bring this performance to the stage of a real theatre and to other locations,” he told Komsomoskaya Pravda. “Of course everything will depend on the professionalism of the performance,” he added.

The theatre became a hobby of father Manuil’s when he was a student and this experience might be quite useful for the new initiative.

“I took part in staging plays when I was a student in the Ecclesiastical Academy and Seminary in St. Petersburg, and when I served in the village of Krym-Sarai in the Bavlin district, together with parishioners from our Sunday school we often staged plays,” the priest said.

“Unfortunately we didn’t have time to stage Harry Potter, as I was transferred to Bugulma,” he added.

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