The first session of the Holy Synod

The first session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in the history of the Kyiv Caves Monastery completed

On July 27, 2009 the session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, presided over by His Holiness patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, was held at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The permanent members of the Holy Synod are His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova, Deputy Administrator of the Moscow Patriarchy Archbishop Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordova, Chair of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Archbishop Hilarion of Volokalamsk. Taking aprt in the session also were Metropolitan Isidor of Ekaterinodar and Kuban, Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol, Metropolitan Aleksiy of Tula and Belevsk, Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and All Germany, Archbishop Veniamin of Vladivostok and Prymorsk.

Addressing the members of the Holy Synod His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said: “I heartily greet all the members of the Holy Synod at this historical meeting – the session at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The previous session also was a historical one: we held it at St. Petersburg in a house which had been repaired and passed to the Church for its needs, first of all for the sessions of the Holy Synod. The present session in Kyiv, the Southern capital of the Russian Orthodoxy is also historical: it is for the first time that the Holy Synod sits in session here.

The session itself is neither extraordinary nor ceremonial. We came to Kyiv on the kind invitation of His Beatitude in order to hold here the regular session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. Today we’ll have to consider some important issues concerning the internal life and external activity of our Church, and one feels uplifted and energized on the thought of the significance of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra for the destinies of the Russian Orthodoxy.
We really stay now in the place, which is sacred for all our Church, for the brotherly Orthodox peoples, and God grant that the decisions we make today serve the benefit of our Orthodox Church, of the entire orthodox world.”

Vladimir Legoyda, Chair of the Synodal Information Department of the Moscow Patriarchate informed the media on the results of the session:

“It was an ordinary regular session, where a number of important decisions relating to the church life were approved. First of all, the Inter-Counciliar Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church was established and the respective provisions were passed. It is a conciliar body which will perform its work in the intervals between the Local Councils and the Councils of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Besides, the Statutes of the two Synodal Departments of the Russian Orthodox Church were approved: that of the Synodal Department on Church-Society Relations and of the Synodal Informational Department.

Another important decision was the approval of the Statute of the General Church Postgraduate Education of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Besides, the Holy Synod listened to the information of His Holiness patriarch Kirill on continuation of the dialogue with UNESCO, and the establishment of consultative group of religious leaders of the high level to Director General of UNESCO was approved”, commented Vladimir Legoyda.

He also reported that the Holy Synod’s session listened to the information of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on his visit to Constantinople and a number of dioceses, the statement of the Council of Experts “Economics and Ethics” and the importance of the discussion on the statements made, especially of the one concerning the economical crisis, was approved.

In addition, V.Legoyda noted, the statement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the meeting of the religious leaders of the main religions of Russia with the President of Russia Dmitriy Medvedev and the decisions of Russian government on the results of these sessions were discussed. This initiative also found support of the members of the Holy Synod. Some other decisions of the Holy Synod were also mentioned, among them – changes of the composition of the Synodal Theological Commission.

Answering the journalists’ questions on the approval of the composition of the Inter-Counciliar Presence and the membership of the representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, V.Legoyda gave a positive answer. He promised that the information would be provided any time soon.

The mass-media representatives also took interest in the information on the world’s financial crisis. Head of the Synodal Informational Department stated that the authors had not only pointed out the systemic character of the crisis, but also the fact that it was of moral nature, and “the way our of the crisis was impossible without solution of moral problems”.

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