His Holiness Patriarch Alexy visits the Publishing Board of the Moscow Patriarchate
5.02.2001 · English, Архив 2001
HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH ALEXY VISITS THE PUBLISHING BOARD OF THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE
On January 31, 2001, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia visited the Publishing Board of the Moscow Patriarchate. In the end of the last year, the Holy Synod and His Holiness the Patriarch appointed Archpriest Vladimir Silovyev, rector of the church of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Moscow, as chairman of the Publishing Board of the Moscow Patriarchate.
The Primate of the Russian Church attended a thanksgiving at the domestic Chapel of St. Joseph of Volotsk and met with the staff of the Publishing House. They talked about problems involved in the work of this leading publishing structure of the Church. His Holiness was introduced to the major thrusts in its work and talked to the heads of departments and offices and heard their proposals.
Among the urgent problems discussed was the appearance of liturgical texts not sanctioned by the church authorities and arbitrarily stamped as publications “blessed by His Holiness the Patriarch”. The Primate of the Russian Church believes this practice inadmissible. All the liturgical texts proposed for publishing should be necessarily submitted to the Synodal Theological Commission for approval.
His Holiness also spoke about the matter of individual tax numbers which has provoked all kinds of talks among some Orthodox believers. The unhealthy polemics, which has been artificially fanned up around this issue, the Primate believes, has as its goal to sow divisions in the church fold. His Holiness reported that the Synodal Theological Commission would meet next February to consider this issue together with priests enjoying special authority in the Church. Among them will be Archimandrite Ioann Krestyankin and Archpriest Nikolay Gryanov. His Holiness the Patriarch noted that those who sow prejudice and mislead their neighbours with regard to the individual tax numbers were actually falsifying the judgements of Starets. The hierarchs of the Church and experienced spiritual fathers have resolutely opposed the attempt to provoke confusion among church people with regard to the introduction of individual tax numbers.
His Holiness the Patriarch urged the staff of the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Publishing Board to respond in good time to urgent problems arising in church and public life. The church mass media should bear witness to the truth and inform the whole Church of the position of the church authorities.
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