Session of the Holy Synod 

SESSION OF THE HOLY SYNOD (MARCH 31 – APRIL 1)

The Holy Synod approved the Statement and Appeal made by His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia in connection with the situation in the Union Republic of Yugoslavia and the Statements made by the Integerreligious Council of Russia and the Christian Interconfesional Consultative Committee on the same topic. It was agreed to postpone the regular round of negotiations between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Roman Catholic Church which were to be held in Rome but were canceled due to the bombing of Yugoslavia from the territory of Italy. The Holy Synod issued the Appeal on the situation around Kosovj (released by the DECR Office of Communications on 30 March 1999).

The Holy Synod considered the capture of two clergymen of the Stavropol diocese in the territory of Ingushetia and issued the Statement (released by the DECR Office of Communication on 30 March 1999).

The Holy Synod heard the report by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Chairman of the Synodal Commission on Canonization, on the results of its work on the canonization as the new Russian martyrs of Metropolitan Kirill Smirnov (1863-1937), Archbishop Alexander Schukin (1891-1937), Bishop Germogen Dolganev (1858-1918), Bishop Seraphim Zvezdinsky (1883-1937), Bishop Arkady Ostalsky (1881-1937), Bishop Vassily Preobrazhensky (1876-1945), priest Grigory Averin (1889-1937), and of the blessed Alexey Voroshilov (+1937) known as a fool-in-Christ who also died as a martyr. The question of their canonization and church-wide veneration was referred to the decision of the next Bishops’ Council. The Holy Synod approved the proposal of the Commission to paint an icon of the Assembly of the New Russian Martyrs and Confessors of the 20th century and to invite the ruling hierarchs to send drafts or designs of the icon to the Commission. The Holy Synod made some changes in the composition of the Commission due to the extension of its work on the threshold of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ.

Whereas the city of Astany, Kazakhstan, has the status of capital, the Holy Synod transferred it from the hierarchal care of Bishop Elevfery of Chimkent and Akmolinsk to the jurisdiction of Archbishop Alexy of Almaty and Semipalatinsk who will have the title of ‘Astany and Almaty’.

The Holy Synod approved the external activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1998 realized through the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and expressed gratitude to its chairman, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, and to all staff members for their zealous work.

A permanent representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in Estonia was established to maintain systematic dialogue with the government of Estonia and to support and develop relations with the religious and public circles of the country. Archimandrite Yelisey Ganaba, the DECR secretary for inter-Orthodox relations and institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad, will combine his present duties with those of representative in Estonia. The Holy Synod heard the reports by Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, on the current external activities and resolved:
– to approve the position of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation which participated in the work of the Inter-Orthodox Commission for the preparation of the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church (Geneva, 1-2 March 1999);
– to express appreciation with the Pan-Orthodox theological conference on the topic ‘The Annunciation to the Theotokos – the Incarnation of God the Word’ which was held in Nazareth on 15-21 March 1999 and with fruitful fraternal contacts among delegations of the Local Churches at the meeting;
– to accept into jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church the parish of St.Irene the Martyr in Stavanger, Norway. Hieromonk Cyril Huhtamiaki will combine his present duties with those of rector of this church;
– to accept repentance of Bishop Peter Paduraru and his sincere regret for the events happened in the town of Beltsy during his stay there as a vicar bishop of the Kishinev diocese expressed in his petition in which he also asked for canonical transfer to the jurisdiction of the Romanian Orthodox Church and to voice readiness to lift canonical ban from him and to give him a charter of dismissal. In order that this act will not give rise to misunderstanding among the Orthodox in Moldova and will not impede the negotiations between the Russian and Romanian Churches, to effect it as soon as possible and to coordinate it with the subject-matter of negotiations;
– to instruct the Synodal Theological Commission to prepare official comments on the documents on the problem of uniatism of the Mixed International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches for its next plenary session to take place Baltimor, USA, on 7-14 June 1999, on the topic ‘Ecclesiological and Canonical Implications of Uniatism’. The composition of the Russian Orthodox Church delegation to participate in the plenary session was determined.

The stay of a permanent representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa with the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia in Moscow was considered expedient as it will promote and extend cooperation between the two Churches. The representation of the Alexandrian Orthodox Church will be transferred from Odessa to Moscow and be located at the Church of All Saints in Kulishki. The opening of the representation will be timed to the visit of Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria and all Africa planned for 22-29 April 1999.

Bishop Guriy of Korsun was relived from the administration of the diocese and granted a leave due to the state of his health. Metropolitan Kirill, the DECR Chairman, was charged with temporary administration of the diocese.

The Holy Synod head the report by Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of Belarus, Chairman of the Synodal Theological commission, on the 5th plenary session of the commission (9-10 March 1999) and approved its results, noting in particular its topic, ‘Orthodox Theology at the turn of the millenniums’ as topical and important. The Holy Synod resolved to hold a theological conference of the Russian Orthodox Church ‘Orthodox Theology on the Threshold of the Third Millennium’ in commemoration of the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ to deal with the analysis of topical problems and tasks of Orthodox theology. Conclusions and recommendations will be presented to the next Bishops’ Council. The Synodal Theological commission was charged with preparing a document on ‘Major Principles of the Attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to Non-Orthodoxy’ for the next Bishops’ Council and an ad hoc working group was set up. Taking into account critical comments on the ‘Second Joint Statement and Proposals to the Churches’ (Chambesy, Switzerland, 1990) made in church circles, a decision of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church of 1997 not to regard this statement as a final document sufficient for the restoration of full communion between the Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches due to some ambiguities in its christological formulations, and also the discussion at the plenary session of the Synodal Theological Commission, it was considered necessary to continue bilateral theological dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and non-Chalcedonian Churches. The Department for External Church Relations was instructed to take concrete steps in preparing the dialogue.

The Holy Synod approved the Civil Statutes of diocesan and stauropegic monasteries as religious organizations of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Regulations on diocesan departments for religious education and catechization as common for the dioceses in the territory of the Russian Federation and as standard for the dioceses in the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church abroad. Also approved were Civil Statutes of a representation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and a church in Moscow (Moscow diocese).

The Holy Synod blessed the congress of the diocesan missionaries to be held in Moscow on 17-20 November 1999.
The blessing was given to the opening of 2 monasteries (in the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Yaroslavl dioceses) and 3 convents (in Tver, Chelyabinsk and Yaroslavl dioceses). Several decisions were taken on personnel in the monasteries and convents.
Approved were a medal, emblem and commemorative badge dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ.
The new composition of the Patriarchal and Synodal Bible Commission of the Moscow Patriarchate was approved.
Archpriest Victor Petliuchenko was relived of his post of a DECR deputy chairman in accordance with his petition and gratitude was expressed to him for his work.

The Holy Synod considered the report by Metropolitan Sergy of Solnechnogorsk, Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, on the meeting on 20-24 January 1999 of an ad hoc Synodal Commission on verification of complaints lodged by several clergymen of the Yekaterinburg diocese and agreed with the conclusions of the Commission. Hegumen Avraam Reidman was admonished for his unworthy behaviour during the work of the Commission, and archpriest Vladimir Zyazev for his public outrageous attitude to church awards. Several clergymen were denounced for taking initiative of sending the second complaint against their hierarch before the matter was discussed at the session of the Holy Synod thus having broken their promise given earlier to the Synodal commission to suspend actions against the bishop till the time when His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod take their decision on the matter. The actions of these clergymen were qualified as violation of their word. The Holy Synod called them to repent and to reconcile with the bishop and warned them that if they persevere in actions leading to the split of the diocese, further canonical bans will be placed upon them. Hegumen Tikhon Zatekin was relieved of his duties of the abbot of St,Nicholas’ monastery in Verkhoturje. Hegumen Avraam Reidman was relieved of his duties of the abbot of the monastery of the All-Gracious Saviour in Yekaterinburg. Bishop Nikon of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturje was reprimanded for derelictions in the administration of the diocese and for the lack of proper attention to the spiritual life in the monasteries that have brought about the present situation.