Yevgeny Rodionov was posthumously awarded the
Order of Courage by Russia. There was a growing movement within the
Russian Orthodox Church to canonize him as a Christian saint and
martyr for the Christian faith. Folk Christian tradition holds that Yevgeny Rodionov was ordered by those who captured him to remove his
cross necklace and convert to Islam, though he refused to do so and was executed for this reason. Some Russian soldiers, feeling themselves abandoned by their government, have taken to kneeling in prayer before his image. One such prayer reads: Thy martyr, Yevgeny, O Lord, in his sufferings hath received an incorruptible crown from Thee, our God, for having Thy strength he hath brought down his torturers, hath defeated the powerless insolence of demons. Through his prayers, save our souls. , religious icons depicting Rodionov had become popular. His mother has one herself; she has suggested that the icon of her son sometimes emits a perfume which she believes to be holy, to the extent that it actually drips with it. Because of the popular devotion given to the
New Martyr Rodionov, the pious faithful sought official canonisation from the
Moscow Patriarchate. Initially, it refused, which divided the Orthodox Church in Russia. Maksim Maksimov, Secretary of the Canonisation Commission, explained the Synod's position in
Tserkovny Vestnik (Church Bulletin), the official publication of the Russian Orthodox Church. His arguments can be summarized in three points: • The only evidence that the soldier was executed for this faith is the testimony of his mother, who in her love made a deity of her son; • The Russian Orthodox Church has never canonised anyone killed in war; • The period of new martyrs ended with the collapse of the
Bolshevik regime. However, he emphasised that the deceased can be honoured without canonization. Patriarch
Alexy II of Moscow personally blessed the popular account of Rodionov's life but worried that his following would balloon into
anti-Muslim rage. Opponents of the decision, including Alexander Shargunov, a well-known priest, argued that an outbreak of people's love is enough for the truth and that Rodionov's grave works miracles, curing the sick and reconciling enemies. They also pointed out that the soldier did not die at war but in captivity and that to say that the time of martyrs is over is nearly heresy. ==References==