Holy Synod takes a number of decisions pertaining to the Moscow Patriarchate’s dioceses and parishes abroad and considers some issues of external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church
At its session on 25th August 2020, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church heard a report of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia about the dioceses and parishes abroad and took a number of decisions pertaining to the dioceses of Argentina and South America, Berlin and Germany, Brussels and Belgium, and Singapore, as well as to the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Italy and Mongolia.
The Parish of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the city of Kortrijk was included in the diocese of Brussels and Belgium.
The states of Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea were included in the sphere of pastoral responsibility of the diocese of Singapore.
The Holy Synod approved a number of personnel decisions concerning the dioceses of Argentina and South America and Berlin and Germany, as well as the Moscow Patriarchate’s parishes in Italy. In particular, Rev. Alexander Avsiyevich, due to the end of the period of his secondment, was relieved of his post as cleric of the Stavropegic Church-Metochion of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, in the city of Bari, Italy, and was commissioned to continue his service under Archbishop Dimitry of Vitebsk and Orsha.
By the decision of the Synod, Rev. Antony Gusev, cleric of the Orenburg diocese, was appointed rector of the Stavropegic Church of the Holy Trinity in the city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
During the session, the Synod also heard a report of Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, about the submitted appeals concerning transfers of several clerics to other Local Orthodox Churches.
His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye received a request from Rev. Ioann Nikulin, cleric of the Yekaterinburg diocese, for a transfer to the clergy of the Polish Orthodox Church, as well as a letter from His Eminence Archbishop Jakub of Białystok and Gdańsk, who expressed his willingness to accept Rev. Ioann Nikulin. His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye had no objection against the transfer of the aforementioned cleric to the jurisdiction of the Polish Orthodox Church.
His Eminence Archbishop Michal of Prague and the Czech Lands requested to consider a possibility of a transfer of Hieromonk Kronid (Pechevisty), cleric of the Gomel diocese of the Belarusian Exarchate, to the clergy of the diocese of Prague of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. His Eminence Archbishop Stefan of Gomel and Zhlobin had no objection against the transfer of the above mentioned cleric to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.
The Holy Synod took a decision to bless the transfer of Rev. Ioann Nikulin to the jurisdiction of the Polish Orthodox Church and of Hieromonk Kronid (Pechevisty) to the clergy of the diocese of Prague of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. The Synod gave its blessing to send respective letters of release for the aforementioned clerics to His Beatitude Metropolitan Sava of Warsaw and All Poland and to His Eminence Archbishop Michal of Prague and the Czech Lands.
DECR Communication Service