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The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church met for a regular session on 31 May 2010 at the historical building of the Sacred Governing Synod in St. Petersburg. The session was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

Permanent members of the Holy Synod are Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine, Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Metropolitan Filaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch for All Belarus; Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldova, Metropolitan Varsonolfy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Department for External Church Relations. Summoned to the session were Metropolitan Agafangel of Odessa and Izmail, Archbishops Lev of Novgorod and Staraya Russa, Ionafan of Abakan and Kyzyl, Yelisey of Sourozh, and Bishop Markell of Beltsk and Felesht.

Greeting the Holy Synod members, Patriarch Kirill noted that the session would consider the results of his visits to Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, which took place after the previous session of the Holy Synod, as well as results of the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople to the Russian Orthodox Church, which has been completed today. The meeting will also sum up the events held to mark the Day of Slavonic Literature and Culture as well as the World Russian People’s Council.

The Holy Synod will also consider draft statutes for a number of synodal institutions, a provision for the Patriarchal Council for Culture and type statutes of bishops’ representations and representations of diocesan monasteries.

Patriarch Kirill proposed that the Holy Synod members examine a possibility for setting up a special commission for cooperation with the museum community. In addition, the session will consider four candidates for episcopal consecration, the Patriarchal Press Service has reported.