Patriarch Kirill: At the present stage of drafting the catechesis, the priority is its church reception

In his report to the Bishops’ Council, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia spoke about the progress made in the work to draft the Catechesis of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission was charged with having the Catechesis drafted by the time of the next Bishops’ Council. ‘As was reported by the chairman of the Commission, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the Commission has completed the draft. Enormous work has been carried out, involving leading theologians of our Church as authors, co-authors and reviewers. The text has been approved by the Commission at its plenary session’, the Patriarch said.

He informed the bishops that the Commission will continue its work on the auxiliary and reference aids, but at the present state of preparing the Catechesis, the priority task is its church reception.

In this connection, Patriarch Kirill proposed that the text of the Catechesis should be given for reading to the ROC Holy Synod permanent members, the First Hierarch of the Russian Church Outside Russia and all the heads of synodal departments. In addition, the text will be sent for comments to the leading theological schools: the Ss Cyril and Methodius Institute of Post-Graduate Studies, the St. Tikhon Orthodox University of the Humanities, the Russian Orthodox University as well as the theological seminaries which run MA courses. The Most Reverend Archpastors who wish to take part in the reviewing of the Catechesis could receive the text in the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission by personal request.

The discussion on the Catechesis in this format should be completed by the beginning of September. Patriarch Kirill noted that, after all the responses are received, the Synodal Biblical-Theological Commission will thoroughly analyse them, introduce the necessary amendments and submit the ready draft to the Holy Synod. The decision concerning the further fate of the Catechesis text will be made by the Synod.

Information Service of the Bishops’ Council

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