Session of the Holy Synod on 17th July 2002, press-release

HOLY SYNOD MEETING

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church met on July 17, 2002, at St. Sergius Laura of the Trinity. The meeting was chaired by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.

Having heard a report by Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, chairman of the Synodal Commission for Canonization, the Holy Synod, in following-up the respective Action of the 2000 Jubilee Bishops Council, resolved that the community of Russia’s new martyrs and confessors who martyred during the years of persecution against the Church be replenished with the zealots of faith whose names were submitted by the dioceses of Volgograd, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg, Ivanovo-Voznesensk, Joshkar-Ola, Mogilev, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ryazan, Saratov, Tula and Yaroslavl. The Holy Synod authorized that the names of the newly-glorified saints be included in the church calendar and sent to the sister Local Orthodox Churches.

After the report of His Holiness the Patriarch on the celebrations which took place on the Day of Slavonic Literature and Culture, May 24, 2002, in Novosibirsk, the Holy Synod expressed gratitude to the Presidential Envoy for the Siberia Federal Region, L. Drachevsky, the Novosibirsk Regional Governor V. Tolokonsky, and the Novosibirsk Mayor V. Gorodetsky for their contribution to the celebrations and the hospitality accorded the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church and his retinue.

The Holy Synod also thanked the National and the local Novosibirsk Organizing Committees for their work to conduct these traditional festivities, in which the Church and the people commemorate Sts. Cyril and Methodius the Enlighteners of the Slavs, and stressed as important the cooperation between Russian Orthodox Church dioceses and local bodies of education and culture during annual celebrations on the occasion of the Day of Slavonic Literature and Culture.

Having considered the report of Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, on the situation in Estonia after the Statute of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was registered by the Estonian authorities, the Holy Synod expressed satisfaction with the fact of registration and noted that it opened up opportunities for a fair settlement concerning the property rights of this Church to the church buildings used by it.

In this connection, the Holy Synod reaffirmed the need to realize the agreement recorded in the ROC Holy Synod Action of May 16, 1966 and the Action of the Patriarchate of Constantinople Holy Synod Action of May 16, 1996, whereby all the Orthodox in Estonia should be given equal rights including property rights.

At the same time, the Holy Synod expressed the regret that the Patriarchate of Constantinople had not yet approved the agreement on the Estonian problem worked out by official delegations of the Patriarchates of Constantinople and Moscow at their meeting on February 19, 2002, in Berlin, and providing for a final settlement of the disputes over property.

The Holy Synod considered the report by His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine on the establishment of new Catholic dioceses in the territory of Ukraine. The Holy Synod adopted a special statement on this issue to be distributed separately.

Having heard the report by His Beatitude Vladimir on the celebrations which took place on June 19, 2002 in Kiev to mark the 10th anniversary of the 1992 Bishops’ Council of Kharkov, the Holy Synod thanked the Lord for granting the archpastors, pastors, monastics and the faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church the salvific grace of steadfastness in the truth and preservation of the purity of Orthodox faith and the canonical church order. Having congratulated His Beatitude Vladimir on the 10th anniversary of his service as Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and acknowledged his outstanding role in defending Holy Orthodoxy, preserving the God-commanded unity and opposing schism, the Holy Synod lifted up prayers for his health and his God-saved flock, invoking upon the Ukrainian Orthodox Church blessed peace, success and prosperity. At the same time, the Holy Synod called upon all those who diverted into schism to return to the salvific fold of the Church and re-unite with the Mother Church aspiring to salvation of her lost children.

His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, made a report on his visit to the Republic of Iraq from March 25-29, 2002. The Holy Synod acknowledged the report and expressed gratitude to the church leaders in Iraq for the warm welcome they gave to the official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Holy Synod instructed the Representative of the Moscow Patriarchate at the Patriarchate of Antioch of All the East to see to it, in consultation with the Patriarchate of Antioch, that the Russian-speaking Orthodox community in Baghdad should enjoy pastoral care.

The Holy Synod approved the report by Metropolitan Kirill on the regular theological talks between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, which took place from June 1-6, 2002, in Muelheim-on-the-Ruhr, on Religious Education and Formation and Interchurch Relations: Situation and Relevant Documents. The position taken by the Moscow Patriarchate delegation at the talks was approved.

Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belrus, made a report on the seminar on Relations Between the Russian Orthodox Church and Authorities in the 20s and 30s in Russia, which took place on May 27, 2002 at the Department for External Church Relations. The Holy Synod approved the results of the discussion and its final document. The Synodal Theological Commission was instructed to continue research on the issues raised at the seminar in cooperation with Department for External Church Relations and other institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Having heard the report of Metropolitan Kirill on his visit to Brussels to meet high-ranking officials of the European Union and NATO, the Holy Synod approved the position he expressed during the talks. It was deemed beneficial to continue and develop contacts with European and other inter-governmental organizations in order to introduce them to the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on a variety of ideological and socially significant questions, to promote the peace process and to advocate the interests of the Orthodox faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate.

As the dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and European international organizations has extended, the Holy Synod has resolved to transform the permanent delegation of the Moscow Patriarchate to the European Union into a Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate at European international organizations. The Right Rev. Hilarion has been appointed head of the Representation, with the title of Bishop of Podolsk, Vicar of the Moscow Diocese.

Metropolitan Kirill also made a report on the situation in the Diocese of Surozh. The Holy Synod appointed Archbishop Anatoly (Kuznetzov) rector of the Stauropegial Parish in Manchester, Great Britain, and gave its blessing upon his continuing service at the Diocese of Surozh as vicar hierarch with the title of Archbishop of Kerch.

On the basis of a report by Archbishop Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, the Holy Synod resolved that the 7th Congress of Diocesan Missionaries be held from October 31 to November 3, 2002, in Moscow, and adopted its program.

The Holy Synod approved the report by Metropolitan Kirill on the next theological conversation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland to take place from September 28to October 5, 2002 in Moscow. The theme of the conversation will be “Assessment of the Theological and Social Aspects of Conversations between the Two Churches for the Last 30 Years in the Perspective of Today’s Problems”. The composition of the Moscow Patriarchate delegation was approved.

Having considered a report by Metropolitan Kirill, the Holy Synod gave its blessing upon sending a pilgrim group to Holy Mount Athos for the Commemoration Day of the Holy Protomartyr and Healer Panteleimon, observed on August 9, and approved its composition.

The Holy Synod heard the report by Archbishop Eugene of Vereya, chairman of the Education Committee, on the inspection of the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church in the academic year 2001/2002 and approved his conclusions and recommendations.

The Holy Synod blessed the request of Archbishop Ambrose of Ivanovo-Voznesensk and Kineshma to transform the Ivanovo Pre-seminary into the Ivanovo-Voznesensk Seminary with a five-year term. Archimandrite Zosima (Shevchuk) was appointed its rector.

Having considered the respective report by Archbishop Eugene, the Holy Synod approved the regulations for precentors’ and iconographic schools and courses.

Archbishop Nicholas of Izhevsk and Udmurtia who asked permission to retire according to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church and in view of his 75th birthday on May 22 was asked to continue his archpastoral service in the Izhevsk diocese.

After the respective reports by Metropolitan Kirill, the Holy Synod authorized:

that an Orthodox Parish of Our Lady of Kazan be opened in Voungtau, Vietnam;

that Archbishop Alexis of Astana and Alma-Ata take archpastoral care of the flock of the Chinese Autonomous Orthodox Church in Sinjiang-Uygur Autonomous Region in China, in coordination with the Department for External Church Relations;

that the newly-established Russian Parish of the Holy Protomartyr Catherine in Rome, Italy, be admitted to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church as a stauropegia;

that the newly-established Russian Parish of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women in Venice, Italy, be taken into the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church and put in the archpastoral care of Archbishop Innocent of Korsun;

that the newly-established Russian Parish of the Holy Annunciation in Barcelona, Spain, be taken into the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church and put in the archpastoral care of Archbishop Innocent of Korsun;

that the Polish Orthodox Church’s Parish of Sts Cyril and Methodius in Hamburg, Germany, be taken under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church and included in the Moscow Patriarchate’s diocese of Berlin and Germany and that the rector of the parish, Rev. Constantine Lindberg, be placed at the disposal of Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany;

that Rev. Dimitry Rumyantsev of the Department for External Church Relations be appointed rector of the Parish of the Holy Martyr Irene in Stavanger, Norway;

that Rev. Andrey Boitsov, Tver diocese, be put at the disposal of Archbishop Innocent of Korsun to be in charge of Orthodox Russians residing in Naples, Italy;

that Rev. Philip Parfenov, Chita diocese, be put at the disposal of Archbishop Innocent of Korsun to be included in the clergy of the Korsun diocese.

Having heard the report by Metropolitan of Kishinev and All Moldova on the establishment of a metropolia of church orders and medals in the Metropolitanate of Moldova, the Holy Synod blessed the establishment of the following church awards: the Order of the Holy Commander Stephan the Great (two degrees) and the Medal of the Holy Commander Stephan the Great; the Order of the Hon. Paisiy Velishkovsky (two degrees), the Order of St. Parasceva. The descriptions of these orders and medals were adopted.

The Holy Synod blessed the opening of three monasteries in the dioceses of Kazan and Kurgan and four convents in the diocese of Ryazan, Orel, Tver and Kishinev.