26 Dec 2018 in the hall of the Supreme Church Council of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, his Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill led the last this year session of the Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, reports patriarhiei.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the participants with opening remarks.
Then, his Holiness presented the agenda of the meeting of the Supreme Church Council.
The agenda included reports of the responsible persons for execution of decisions of the Supreme Church Council of Russian Orthodox Church and Council of bishops of 2017.
The meeting discussed various aspects of the system of theological education, including preparation and publication of textbooks for seminaries, the questions of distribution of graduates of theological schools, and training of the clergy. In particular, summed up the results of testing of courses using distance learning technologies.
The Supreme Church Council chaired by his Holiness Patriarch included:
- operating Affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonofy;
- the Chairman of the Department for external Church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk;
- the Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk;
- the first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia for Moscow Metropolitan Arseny of Istra;
- Chairman of the Synodal missionary Department of the Metropolitan of Belgorod and Stary Oskol John;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for religious education and catechism of Metropolitan Merkury of Rostov and Novocherkassk;
- the Chairman of the Financial-economic Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan of Ryazan and Michael mark;
- the Chairman of the Synodal Committee for cooperation with the Cossacks, Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk;
- the Chairman of the Patriarchal Council for culture of Pskov and Porkhov, Metropolitan Tikhon;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for monasteries and monkhood Archbishop Feognost, of Sergiev Posad;
- the head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop Sergius of Solnechnogorsk;
- the head of the Moscow Patriarchate office for institutions abroad, Archbishop of Vienna and Budapest Anthony;
- the Chairman of the Synodal Department for prison service Bishop Irinarkh of Krasnogorsk;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church charity and social service of the Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevo Panteleimon;
- the Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission for physical culture and sports of the Bishop of the North sea and Umbsky Mitrofan;
- the Chairman of the education Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church Archpriest Maxim Kozlov;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department on interaction with Armed forces and law enforcement agencies Archpriest Sergey Privalov;
- Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on family and maternity protection Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov;
- acting Chairman of the Synodal Department for youth Affairs of the Archpriest Kirill Sladkov;
- the Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church and society and the media V. Legoida.
To participate in the meeting were invited to the Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin Savva, the first Deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Balashikha Nikolay, Director and chief editor of the Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archimandrite Savva (Tutunov), Deputy Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate; priest Alexander Volkov, the head of the Press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia; abbess Xenia (Chernega), head of the Legal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archpriest Mikhail Vakhrushev, Vice-Chairman of the education Committee; priest Alexander Starodubtsev, specialist education Committee on distance learning technologies; A.V. Shchipkov, first Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church and society and the media.