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On 13 April 2016, a regular session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church began at the Hall of the Supreme Church Council of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

In his opening address, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized the importance of pastoral care for those serving sentences of imprisonment or released from prisons.

Among the items on the session’s agenda are reports on the implementation of the decisions of the Supreme Church Council and the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as a report by Bishop Tikhon of Yegorievsk, executive secretary of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, on the programme of historical parks, and discussion of other topical issues.

The Supreme Church Council consists of:

  • Metropolitan Varsonofy of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate;
  • Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations;
  • Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, chairman of the ROC Publishing Council;
  • Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department;
  • Metropolitan Merkury of Rostov and Novocherkassk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Education and Catechization;
  • Metropolitan Mark of Ryazan and Mikhailovsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Finance and Economic Administration;
  • Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations with the Cossacks;
  • Archbishop Yevgeny of Vereya, chairman of the Holy Synod’s Education Committee;
  • Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism;
  • Bishop Sergy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administrative Secretariat;
  • Bishop Irinarkh of Krasnogorsk, head of the Synodal Department for Prison Ministry;
  • Bishop Ignaty of Vyborg and Priozersk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs;
  • Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevo, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Ministry;
  • Bishop Tikhon of Yegorievsk, executive secretary of the Patriarchal Council for Culture;
  • Bishop Antony of Bogorodsk, head of the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Institutions Abroad;
  • Archpriest Sergy Privalov, acting chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies;
  • Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for Family and Protection of Motherhood and Childhood;
  • Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Department for the Church-Society and Media Relations.

Invited to take part in the session were Bishop Savva of Voskresensk, first deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archimandrite Savva (Tutunov), deputy chancellor the Moscow Patriarchate; archpriest Maxim Kozlov, deputy head of the ROC Education Committee; and Sister Xenia (Chernega), head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Legal Service.

Patriarchal Press Service/

DECR Communication Service

Photo by Patriarchal Press Service