| The importance of the All Russian Church Council of 1917–18 is universally recognised in connection with the restoration of the office of patriarch and the election of Patriarch Tikhon (now canonised) as the first Patriarch in over 200 years. Most other aspects of this council are in dispute. Some see the council as the proper touchstone for the life and structure of the Russian Orthodox Church, affirming conciliarity, the convening of regular councils, the participation of priests and lay delegates as council members, and the creation of a mixed Supreme Church Council, composed of elected hierarchs, priests and lay members. Others denounce the council as a paradigm which led to the Living Church movement and proposed structures of church organisation poisoned by democratic ideas which are foreign to the Orthodox Church. In most cases, however, both the supporters and the critics of the council hold to their opinions on the basis of their ecclesial orientation, and not on the basis of deep and documented knowledge of the council " s actual work. Serious, detailed studies of the council " s work are now being written and published. The authors do not limit their assessments to the plenary sessions, but take a close look at the work and minutes of the council " s sections and subsections. In a recent book, Fr Nicholas Balashov offers a deep analysis of the liturgical problems and challenges in the Church of Russia, and of how the council of 1917–18 approached these challenges in honest and open discussion and debate, within the «Section on divine services, preaching, and the church temple». 486 It is clear that the question of reforms in the liturgical life of the Russian Orthodox Church was high on the priority list of challenges before Russian Orthodoxy, and that the word »reform» was not at all taboo. An interesting and significant discovery in this study is that the supporters of liturgical reform were to be found in a very wide spectrum of opinion and orientation. We discover, for example, that future confessors and martyrs were among those who supported liturgical reforms. In another recent work, E. V. Beliakova gives us a vivid and descriptive assessment of the state of church life at the time of the council of 1917–18. 487 The problems of canon law and its application, marriage and divorce, mixed marriages, the second marriage of priests, celibacy, the monastic episcopate, women in the Church (including the question of deaconesses), the discipline of fasting, prayer for the heterodox and with the heterodox – all these were among the topics on the agenda of the council. Finally, a recent work by Sergei Firsov presents a history of the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the growing demand for reform, the attitude of church leaders and the government towards reform, the plans and efforts to convene a council, the «revolutionary destruction», and the council as a movement towards reform in a time of revolution. 488 |
| Archive His Holiness Patriarch Kirill delivers address at a meeting of the Supreme Church Council on 26 December 2018 26 December 2018 year 18:05 On 26 December 2018, the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church held a regular session in 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. His Holiness delivered an opening address. I greet all the members of the Supreme Church Council at this year’s last session. Of course, we will discuss the results of the year, but first of all, I would like to cordially greet all of you. And I have to say a few words about the year gone by, which, as we all feel, was very difficult. The situation of our Church in Ukraine is still a source of great tension, a factor affecting the well-being of Orthodox Christians, their spiritual welfare. You are well informed, you know what is going on, what developments – radical, extremely dangerous for the integrity of the Ukrainian people, and not only for our Church – have recently taken place in Kiev following the decision of the Ukrainian parliament requiring to change the name of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. These changes will be followed by repressions, and it is completely obvious that an ultimatum has been presented: if the Church does not change its name, its registration will be cancelled. And if the Church changes its name, then, naturally, an enormous pressure will be exerted on the Ukrainian people, on the public. There is no doubt that acts of violence will be committed to take away church buildings. People in Ukraine are believers, they are Orthodox Christians, firm in faith and emotional, hence there is a risk that the situation concerning the church buildings can escalate into bloody conflicts. Therefore, I ask you to pray even more zealously for peace in the brotherly Ukrainian land and for the preservation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. As is widely known, what triggered persecutions of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy was the unprecedented decision of Constantinople, going beyond the bounds of any canonical order and therefore criminal, to encroach on the canonical territory of the Ukrainian Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, on the territory of our Church. This encroachment resulted in and was followed by the devastating developments, first of all, the interference of the governmental authorities, also unprecedented. And it occurred in the country which declares its commitment to the European values, one of which is the separation of the Church, of religion, from the state! In violation of this fundamental European value the state in the person of president directly interferes in church administration, one may say, presides at what is called “unification church council” and participates in negotiations with Constantinople on the so-called “tomos,” doing all this in front of TV cameras, in plain view of the whole world. |
| His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chairs first in 2013 session of Supreme Church Council of Russian Orthodox Church March 7, 2013 On 7 March 2013, the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church met for its first in 2013 session under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The Primate of the Russian Church addressed all those present in the hall of the Supreme Church Council of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour with an opening speech. Discussed at the session will be the Synodal institutions’ reports for the year 2012 and their plans for the year 2013, as well as some other issues. The Supreme Church Council chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill includes Metropolitan Varsonofy of Saransk and Mordovia, chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations; Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, chairman of the Publishing House of the Russian Orthodox Church; Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol, chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department; Metropolitan Mercury of Rostov and Novocherkassk, head of the Department for Religious Education and Catechization; Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Cossacks; Archbishop Yevgeny of Vereya, chairman of the Education Committee of the Holy Synod; Archbishop Feognost of Sergiev Posad, chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monastics; Archbishop Mark of Yegorievsk, head of the Administration of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Institutions Abroad; Bishop Irinarkh of Krasnogorsk, chairman of the Synodal Department for Ministry in Prisons; Bishop Ignaty of Bronnitsy, chairman of the Synodal Youth Department; Bishop Sergy of Solnechnogorsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Administrative Secretariat; Bishop Tikhon of Podolsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Finance and Economic Administration; Bishop Panteleimon of Smolensk and Vyazma, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Ministry; Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), executive secretary of the Patriarchal Council for Culture; Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov, chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies; Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, chairman of the Synodal Department for Church-Society Relations; and Mr. Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the Synodal Information Department. |
| His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chairs session of the Supreme Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Source: DECR On 16 June 2016, a session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church began its work at the Hall of the Supreme Church Council at the Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Photo: http://mospat.ru/ The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church welcomed the participants and delivered an address on the agenda. The agenda includes issues pertaining to theological education, missionary activity, the work of Sunday schools, of the religious education centers and other institutions for education of children in the basics of the Orthodox faith. ‘I believe that all these issues are very important for the future of the Church and our nation. Most certainly, the Church exerts influence of the spiritual life of the nation. The time in which we live demands the use of different means by which the eternal God-revealed truth can reach the hearts and conscience of our contemporaries while our pious traditions are strictly upheld. ‘Therefore, whatever we are doing and trying to build will be of no value in isolation from our main goal – the salvation of people. Our success or failure can be seen in the family life, in the education of children and young people and their life and, first of all, in human hearts, in how they become more open to receiving God’s grace. ‘The Church should assist people in becoming more sensitive to God’s grace. May God grant that all our efforts help reach this goal,’ His Holiness said. The Supreme Church Council chaired by His Holiness the Patriarch 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 Department for Mission; |
| Archive Speech by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill at the session of Supreme Church Council on 11th December 2019 11 December 2019 year 15:31 On 11 th December 2019, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia chaired a session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. His Holiness delivered an opening speech. Its text is given below. I greet all the members of the Supreme Church Council. We are holding a session of the Supreme Church Council, the last one this year. In this circle and at this table we are gathering for the last time in 2019, therefore, we can already summarize its results. It was not an easy year – for our Church it was full of ordeals, but at the same time of manifestations of God’s mercy. On the one hand, we have become eyewitnesses of the aftermaths of the violation of the canonical norms; on the other hand, we have contemplated the unity of hierarchs, clergy and laity both within our Church and throughout the Orthodox world, preserving the faith and canonical purity of Orthodoxy. We see that in the Greek church world, within the Churches of Alexandria and Greece, hierarchs, clerics and laypeople clearly expressed their opposition to the trample on the canons. For these people, just like for us, the unity of Churches is the absolute value; they consider it inadmissible to exchange this unity for the sympathy of the mighty of this world; they share the pain of and sympathize with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church jeopardized by the anti-canonical actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Our prayers and efforts were aimed at giving support to our brothers in Ukraine, where by the mercy of God the pressure upon the believers of the canonical Church decreased. The declaration on non-interference in church affairs, issued by President Zelensky, demonstrates that the state authority has now taken the only right position of not interfering in church disputes and not putting pressure on, among others, our canonical Church. However, I have to say that the threat of interference in the affairs of the Church is still real, since not everyone in power in Ukraine has rejected the policy which was formulated by the former president and implied such interference. Yet, we see how adamant the children of our Church are in their position. Their fortitude and dignity are ever more evident against the background of endless strife among the Ukrainian schismatics and among their patrons. What is now going on within the schism indicates that it is ungraced. When the grace of God forsakes, people’s consciousness becomes darkened, passions overpower canonical responsibility, and a schism always gives rise to new schisms. We see the new deepest conflicts arise among the schismatics – such is the inexorable logic of any schism. |
| Archive Пн His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over regular session of Supreme Church Council 25 July 2018 year 11:50 On 25 July 2018, in the Hall of the Supreme Church Council of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia presided over a regular session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. In his opening address the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church spoke on the celebrations that will mark the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. He said, in particular: “May the Lord preserve our homeland, the whole historical Rus’, all the fraternal peoples who came out of the Baptismal Font in Kiev. God willing, we will solemnly celebrate this day in the city of Moscow. The divine services will also be celebrated in Kiev – the Mother of the Russian cities – where the Baptism took place. And we will hope that the celebrations marking the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia will help overcome the divisions, disagreements and schisms in the Ukrainian land. May the Lord preserve our land and our people. I wholeheartedly greet you with the coming feast that will mark the 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia!” The agenda of the meeting included the following items: The Supreme Church Council chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill consists of: Invited to attend the session were Metropolitan Savva of Tver and Kashin, first deputy chairman of the chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha, head and editor-in-chief of the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archimandrite Savva (Tutunov), deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Leonid Kalinin, chairman of the Expert Council on Church Art, Architecture and Restoration; Rev. Alexander Volkov, head of the Patriarchal Press Service; Mr. Alexander Schipkov, first deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media; Mr. Denis Makarov of the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church; and Mr. Roman Silantyev, consultant to the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media. Patriarchal Press Service Календарь ← 21 апреля 2024 г. (8 апреля ст.ст.) воскресенье Неделя 5-я Великого поста. Глас 5-й. Прп. Марии Египетской (переходящее празднование в 5-ю Неделю Великого поста). Апп. Иродиона, Агава, Асинкрита, Руфа, Флегонта, Ерма и иже с ними (I). Свт. Нифонта, еп. Новгородского (1156). Прп. Руфа, затворника Печерского, в Дальних пещерах (XIV). Мч. Павсилипа (117–138). Свт. Келестина, папы Римского (432). Сщмч. Сергия Родаковского пресвитера (1933). Литургия св. Василия Великого. Утр. – Ев. 2-е, Мк., 70 зач., XVI, 1–8 . Лит. – Евр., 321 зач. (от полу), IX, 11–14 . Мк., 47 зач., X, 32–45 . Прп.: Гал., 208 зач., III, 23–29 . Лк., 33 зач., VII, 36–50 . 7 April 2024 year Share with friends |
| Archive Пн His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chairs session of the Supreme Church Council 13 June 2019 year 12:07 On 13 June 2019, a session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church took place at the Supreme Church Council’s Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour under chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed those gathered and dwelt on the key problems of the parish work with young children and adolescents. The Supreme Church Council chaired by His Holiness the Patriarch consists of Attending the session were Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha, head and chief editor of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Publishing House; Bishop Dionisy of Voskresensk, first deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Foma of Pavlovsky Posad, first deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Finance and Economic Administration; Bishop Savva of Zelenograd, deputy chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; Rev. Alexander Volkov, head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Hegumenness Ksenia (Chernega), head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Legal Service; and Mr. A.Schipkov, first deputy chairman of the Synodal Department for Church’s Relations with Society and Mass Media. Invited to the session were Rev. Alexander Starodubtsev, expert of the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church on distance learning technology; and S. Gimonov, IT expert of the Education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarchal Press Service Share the post " His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chairs session of the Supreme Church Council " Календарь ← 21 апреля 2024 г. (8 апреля ст.ст.) воскресенье Неделя 5-я Великого поста. Глас 5-й. Прп. Марии Египетской (переходящее празднование в 5-ю Неделю Великого поста). Апп. Иродиона, Агава, Асинкрита, Руфа, Флегонта, Ерма и иже с ними (I). Свт. Нифонта, еп. Новгородского (1156). Прп. Руфа, затворника Печерского, в Дальних пещерах (XIV). Мч. Павсилипа (117–138). Свт. Келестина, папы Римского (432). Сщмч. Сергия Родаковского пресвитера (1933). Литургия св. Василия Великого. Утр. – Ев. 2-е, Мк., 70 зач., XVI, 1–8 . Лит. – Евр., 321 зач. (от полу), IX, 11–14 . Мк., 47 зач., X, 32–45 . Прп.: Гал., 208 зач., III, 23–29 . Лк., 33 зач., VII, 36–50 . 7 April 2024 year Share with friends |
| Archive Пн His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chaired joint session of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council 28 December 2022 year 11:45 On December 28, 2022, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia chaired a joint session of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Patriarchal Hall of the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed himself to the assembly with words of greeting: ‘Your Eminences and Graces, Honourable Fathers and Brothers! I cordially greet all of you at the joint session of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council. According to the already established tradition, on the eve of the New Year we hold such a meeting in order to realize once again and keenly feel where, at which point we are in our movement, to see the vector of this movement showing whether we move forward and up in accordance with the Orthodox understanding of human life. An objective evaluation will certainly help us to correct what impedes the movement and promote that which this movement ensures. With this brief introductory remark I would like to begin our session’. Then His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presented the agenda. The session is attended by permanent and temporary members of the Holy Synod, members of the Supreme Church Council, as well as a number of invited staff members of the Moscow Patriarchate Chancellery and Synodal departments. Patriarchal Press Service Календарь ← 19 апреля 2024 г. (6 апреля ст.ст.) пятница Свт. Евтихия, архиеп. Константинопольского (582). Равноап. Мефодия, архиеп. Моравского (885). Прп. Платониды Сирской (308). Мчч. 120-ти Персидских (344–347). Мчч. Иеремия и Архилия иерея (III). Мчч. Петра Жукова и Прохора Михайлова (1918); сщмч. Иоанна Бойкова пресвитера (1934); сщмч. Иакова Бойкова пресвитера (1943); прп. Севастиана Фомина, исп. (1966). Литургия Преждеосвященных Даров. На 6-м часе: Ис. XLV, 11–17 . На веч.: Быт. XXII, 1–18 . Притч. XVII, 17 – XVIII, 5 . 7 April 2024 year Share with friends |
| His Holiness Patriarch Kirill chairs a regular session of the Supreme Church Council On 4 September 2013, the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church met for a regular session at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The session was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who declared the session open and presented the agenda. He greeted the participants and said that the meeting might not be attractive to the press but is very important, as we ought to consider the implementation of decisions taken by the Bishops’ Council and of the Supreme Church Council, to have a thorough look at the process of the work being done, which tasks we have done and which we have failed to do. His Holiness continued: ‘Thoughts and ideas are important when they lead to concrete action, otherwise they are useless. A focus area of our work should be the implementation of decisions taken by the Bishops’ Council, the Holy Synod, and the Supreme Church Council. The evaluation of this work must be a priority. ‘As to the reform of theological education, we will consider and adopt a document on the practice in the institutions of higher education. In addition to theological education for future priests, there are other specialties taught there such as social work, work with the youth, or catechetical, pedagogical and missionary work. We will consider a document intended for people who may choose these specialties. ‘As usual, I invite you to be active in our deliberations.’ Source: DECR Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Also by this author Today " s Articles Most viewed articles Functionality is temporarily unavailable. Most popular authors Functionality is temporarily unavailable. © 2008-2024 Pravmir.com |
| Archive Пн His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presides over regular session of the Supreme Church Council 27 April 2023 year 12:48 On April 27, 2023, a regular session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church took place at the Supreme Church Council’s Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour under the chairmanship of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’. His Holiness opened the session and delivered a keynote speech, saying: “Christ is Risen! I wholeheartedly greet all members of the Supreme Church Council. Our agenda includes issues pertaining to the ministry of the Church in the zone of the special military operation. It is gratifying to note that many church institutions have recently scaled up their assistance to refugees and civilians who have suffered fr om conflict. It is being done without any instructions from above, and I appreciate any initiative that helps solve important humanitarian problems. Thanks to money raised for charity, in 2022 we managed to collect and deliver over 2,850 tons of humanitarian aid, including over 1,170 tons handed over to the dioceses of Berdyansk, Gorlovka, Donetsk, Zaporoje, Lugansk, Severodonetsk, Kharkov and Kherson. St. Alexius church hospital in Moscow is running courses for nurses, and its Education Centre is training volunteers who work on a rotation basis in the hospital of intensive care in Mariupol and in municipal hospital No.2 in Gorlovka. Also, over 200 construction workers have responded to the call of the Russian Church and are helping to restore residential units in Mariupol, which, as you know, suffered the worst. During a month these volunteers repaired eighteen private houses and are willing to continue their work. Unfortunately, churches and monasteries also suffer from hostilities. Often enough, one can hear about deliberate shelling of churches. In Paschal night, a strike was carried out against an area in Donetsk wh ere the Transfiguration Cathedral is located. A subdeacon was injured, and an innocent man was killed. God rest his soul! The media and human rights advocacy groups fail to mention this outrageous fact of terror. |
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