First session-2011 of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church takes place under chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill
31/1/2011
On 31 January 2011, the first in 2011 session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia took place at the Patriarch’s working residence, Chisty side street.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine; Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Lagoda; Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarch Exarch of All Belarus; Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna; Metropolitan Vladimir of Kishinev and All Moldova; Metropolitan Varsonofiy of Saransk and Mordovia; chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; and Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations are permanent members of the Holy Synod.
Metropolitan Lazar of Simferopol and the Crimea; Metropolitan Hilarion of Eastern America and New York, the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia; Archbishop Prokl of Simbirsk and Melekess; Bishop Aleksandr of Baku and Caspian Region; and Bishop Daniil of Archangelsk and Kholmogory were invited to take part in the winter session of the Holy Synod.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church opened the session and presented its agenda, press office of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia reports.
The Holy Synod assessed the results of the 19th International Christmas Readings and the plenary session of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church and discussed the procedure of the Bishops’ Council due to take place on 2-4 February 2011.
According to the Stature of the Russian Orthodox Church, “The Holy Synod shall be the Presidium of the Bishops’ Council. The Presidium shall be responsible for the holding and guidance of the Council. The Presidium shall propose the agenda, programme and the rules of procedure of the Bishops’ Council, submit proposals on the order in which the Council shall consider the emerging problems and shall consider the matters of procedure and protocol.”
