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The North and Central American Episcopal Assembly is meeting from May 26 to 28, 2010, in New York. It unites Orthodox bishops in the region in accordance with the decisions made by the 4th Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference in June 2009 in Chambesy to establish regional episcopal assemblies of all the canonically recognized Orthodox bishops. The regional boundaries are determined on geographical grounds. One of these regions is North and Central America, which includes Orthodox church structures in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Central American countries.

The aim of episcopal assemblies is to take care of manifesting Orthodox unity and developing common work of representatives of various Orthodox church jurisdictions acting in the territory of a particular region in the sphere of pastoral care of the faithful, missionary work, development of theological education and Orthodox witness before non-Orthodoxy. All the issues are discussed in New York at meetings of the North and Central American Episcopal Assembly. A joint communiqué will be adopted, summing up the work of the Assembly.

The vice-president of the Assembly is Archbishop Justinian of Naro-Fominsk, administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in the USA. During the first session, Archbishop Justinian addressed the Assembly, conveying the best wishes from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Taking part in the work of the Assembly is the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Outside Russia Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York. The Moscow Patriarchate is also represented by Bishop Job of Kashira, administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes in Canada, and hierarchs of the Russian Church Outside Russia including Bishop George of Mayfield, Bishop Jeronim of Manhattan, Bishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada, Bishop Peter of Cleveland and Bishop Theosius of Seattle.

DECR Communication Service