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On October 29, 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia chaired a regular session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church held at the Patriarchal and Synodal residence in Danilov Monastery in Moscow.

The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church opened the session and addressed the members of the Holy Synod, saying:

‘Your Eminences and Graces! Dear members of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church!

“Today we have to address a number of important personnel issues. Besides, I would like to inform you about my visits to the dioceses. Also, we ought to consider suggestions for including new names to the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church.

“You know that the 23th World Russian People’s Council took place in the period between sessions of the Synod, and I would like to share my impressions with you. Metropolitan Hilarion will report on his visit to the USA and our relations with the Malankara Church. Also, we will approve certain liturgical texts and consider a request of Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk to introduce a postgraduate course at the Rostov Theological seminary. Besides, we will make an appraisal of the monastic life and consider proposals pertaining to the monasteries’ life and work. Finally, the Patriarch will present his report on the institutions abroad.

“This is our agenda, and I invoke God’s blessing upon all members of the Synod. Let us beseech the Almighty God Head of the Church to bestow blessings on our labours.”

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine; Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna; Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldova; Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, head of the metropolitan area in the Republic of Kazakhstan; Metropolitan Vikenty of Tashkent and Uzbekistan, head of the metropolitan area in Central Asia; Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Metropolitan Pavel of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, and Metropolitan Savva of Tver and Kashin, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate, are permanent members of the Holy Synod.

Invited to the winter session (September-February) are Metropolitan Kornily of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory, Metropolitan Grigory of Chelyabinsk and Miass, Metropolitan Dimitry of Chita and Petrovsk-Zabaykalsky, Bishop Ignaty of Vyborg and Priozersk, and Bishop Matthew of Sourozh.