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Plenary session of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission took place at the conference hall of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations on March 23.

Metropolitan Hilarion, whom the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church appointed to chair the Commission in October 2011, presided at the session, taking part in which were Archbishop Yevgeny of Vereya, chairman of the Education Committee and rector of the Moscow Theological Academy; Archbishop Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, chairman of the Synodal Department for Mission; Bishop Amvrosy of Gatchina, rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy; Bishop Serafim of Bobruisk and Bykhov, first vice-rector of the Institute of Theology at the Byelorussian State University; and other members of the Commission.

In his introductory address, Metropolitan Hilarion underscored personal contribution of His Eminence Philaret, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus to the Commission’s work as its chairman of long standing.

Metropolitan Hilarion spoke of the main directions of the Commission’s work, such as doctrinal, scholarly and theological, biblical, and dialogue with secular science.

Members of the Commission discussed tasks, prospects and forms of the Commission’s work, as well as preparation for the next church-wide theological conference due to be held in autumn 2012. The theme and dates of the conference will be fixed in the near future.