Heads of Russian Orthodox Church Synodal departments hold their first meeting

On August 16, 2010, the heads of the Russian Orthodox Church Synodal departments assembled for their first meeting at the patriarchal working residence in Chisty Pereulok, Moscow. The meeting was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill.

The meeting was attended by Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the department for external church relations, Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, head of the publishing board, Archbishop Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, head of the synodal mission department, Archbishop Yevgeny of Vereya, head of the education committee, Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of the administration for institutions abroad, Bishop Merkury of Zaraisk, head of the synodal department for religious education and catechism, Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, head of the financial and economic administration, Archimandrite Panteleimon Shatov, head of the synodal department for church charity and social service, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the synodal department for church-society relations, and R. Legoida, head of the synodal information department.

Metropolitan Hilarion made an analytical report on the results of the Patriarchal visit to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Mr. Legoida reported on the information component of the visit.

The meeting also discussed the situation developed in Russia as a result of wildfires. Patriarch Kirill expressed a high appreciation of the work carried out by the department for social service, noting, ‘I believe what has happened to the country constitutes a great challenge to the state, society and the Church. We should think how to make our work in an emergency situation more effective and what it means for the pastoral service of the Church’.

Metropolitan Clement reported on several aspect of the publishing work.

DECR Communication Service