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April 1, 2015 – the 5th Advanced Course for newly-consecrated bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, organized by the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies (CMI) with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, completed its work in Moscow.

Before the opening of the course on March 22, 2015, the 4th Sunday of Lent, the course students concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Metropolitan Varsonofy of St Petersburg and Ladoga, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour.

The curriculum included lectures on such topics as cooperation with the Moscow Patriarchate chancellery, specific church-state relations in the sphere of education, diocesan legal procedure for work in religious education, organization of diocesan life and governance, problems of church-state relations in social work, preparations for a Patriarch visitation of a diocese, organization of diocesan information work, methods of holding discussions on inter-council projects. Along with lectures read by senior hierarchs on diocesan subjects, the new bishops were introduced to the ROC’s external relations and participation in the Pan-Orthodox Council as well as its stand on pressing problems in church-state relations.

  1. Tokovinin, director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs external policy planning department, read them a lecture on pressing problems of Russia’s external policy and the role of religious organizations in it; and Ms. Ye. Genieva, general director of the National State Library of Foreign Literature read a lecture on ‘Inter-cultural communication: tasks, problems and the role of the Church’.

The new bishops also heard a series of lectures on modern administrative management and organization of economic work at the Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Service.

At the conclusion of the 5th Advanced Course, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, in his capacity of the CMI rector, presented diplomas to its graduates.

CMI Press Service

DECR Communication Service