The Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church and society and the media V. Legoida told about the decisions taken at the meeting of the Holy Synod held on today under the chairmanship of his Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill in the Spiritual and educational center of “Royal” in Yekaterinburg.
According to V. R. Legoyda, a landmark decision of the Holy Synod was the adoption of the Epistle to the archpastors, clergy, monastics and laymen in connection with the 1030-th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus.
“The baptism of Rus’ “forever altered the landscape of the entire Slavic civilization and determined the future path of its development. It was a really decisive turn from darkness to light, from walking in the darkness of false ideas and views, to the attainment of revealed truth and salvation”,” — brought V. Legoida word document.
The letter also refers to attempts to destroy Church unity in Ukraine.
“We believe that no pressure from the outside will not be able to destroy the sacred bonds of Christ’s love that unites us in one Body of the Church… that our common prayer will help to overcome all the trials, to preserve the purity of the Orthodox faith and loyalty to the canonical truth,” — emphasized in the text of the document.
Solution of importance to parish life, called V. Legoida the approval of the Holy Synod of the Successor for the deceased unbaptized infants.
“The Holy Synod approved the developed by the Synodal liturgical Commission “the Service of the dead mladencem not priemka the grace of the Holy Baptism,” and decided to send to the Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate the Following text for publication in the liturgical collections,” said V. Legoida.
The meeting also heard a report from Metropolitan Petrozavodsk and Karelian Constantine, Chairman of the Synodal liturgical Commission, the submission for approval of the Holy Synod of a number of liturgical texts.
“It was decided to adopt for Church liturgical use are the texts of the services, the Martyr Alexis Elkatsha, venerable Amphilochius of Pochayiv, Reverend vasiliska Siberian, blessed Prince Oleg of Bryansk, and approve the texts of the troparion and kontakion, the priest-Martyr Alexander Sakharov and John Tikhomirov Shatura. All the approved texts, it was decided to send to the Publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate to include in the liturgical collections,” noted V. Legoida.
“Having heard the report of his Eminence Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, Chairman of the Publishing Council, the Holy Synod has approved for use for worship and home prayer proposed text of the akathist to Saint Herman of Alaska”, he added.
Also the members of the Holy Synod heard the message of his Holiness Patriarch Kirill held a primatial visits to St. Petersburg, Cherepovets, Vologda, Murom diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church and expressed the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church gratitude for the works and brought the joy of prayerful communion to the archpastors, pastors, monastics and laity of these dioceses.
According to V. R. Legoyda, the report about the trips to Italy, Georgia and Greece presented to the members of the Holy Synod and Chairman of the Department for external Church relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.
As reported by V. Legoida, at a meeting in Yekaterinburg, the Holy Synod made a number of personnel appointments.
So, a new member of the Supreme Church Council was the Bishop of the North sea and Umbsky Mytrofan, Chairman of the newly established Patriarchal Commission for physical culture and sports.
“At the end of the re-judgment on the request of the Metropolitan of Tver and Kashin Victor for pochylenie him to retire in connection with achievement of the 75th anniversary, members of the Holy Synod decided to grant the request and to thank the Metropolitan Victor for many years the pastoral care of the diocese of Tver, defining his place of stay in peace Tver with the material contents from the Tver diocesan management”, — said the Chairman of Department on interrelations of the Church with society and the media.
As pointed out by V. Legoida, his grace, Bishop of Tver and Kashin, head of the Tver Archdiocese appointed Bishop Voskresensky Savva, vicar of Patriarch, with saving him as the first Deputy Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate and the dismissal of the Governor of Novospassky stavropegic monastery in Moscow, who became Bishop of Domodedovo John, vicar of his Holiness Patriarch.
“It was also agreed to indemnify the Metropolitan of Tallinn and all Estonia Eugene from the post of the Chairman of the education Committee of the Holy Synod and rector of the Moscow theological schools. Chairman of the education Committee appointed Archpriest Maxim Kozlov. In turn, rector of the Moscow theological schools was appointed Archbishop of Peterhof Ambrose, vicar of the diocese of St. Petersburg, with the dismissal of the rector of St. Petersburg theological schools. Bishop Ambrose, the Holy Synod determined to be designed to Vereisky Bishop, vicar of his Holiness Patriarch”, — said V. Legoida.
“Rector of St. Petersburg theological schools Lyubertsy appointed Bishop Seraphim, with the dismissal of the Chairman of the Synodal Department for youth Affairs and determination to be the vicar of the diocese of St. Petersburg title Peterhof. The acting Chairman of the Synodal Department for youth Affairs was appointed Archpriest Kirill Sladkov, cleric of the Moscow regional diocese,” he added.
As pointed out by V. Legoida, the Holy Synod has adopted other decisions on appointments. In particular, from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Publishing Board was released the Bishop Teoctist gorodischenskiy, Volgograd vicar of the diocese, and another vicar of the Patriarch with the title “Egor” was the Archbishop of Anadyr and Chukotka Matthew, liberation from the control of the Anadyr diocese and the expression of gratitude for incurred archpastoral labors. Reverend Anadyr and Chukotka was elected hieromonk Hypatia (Golubev), cleric of the diocese of Anadyr.
Further, the Governor of the Vvedensky monastery of Optina Pustyn was appointed Bishop Urzhum and Omutninsk Leonid, liberation from the control of the Urzhum diocese headed by the Bishop of Gdov, Thomas, vicar of the Pskov diocese. The Bishop Leonid was determined to have the title of “Mozhaisk” and to be the vicar of his Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia.
Another decision taken by the members of the Holy Synod at the meeting in Yekaterinburg was the direction of the Holy mount Athos for the feast of the Holy great Martyr and healer Panteleimon in 2018 in the pilgrimage of the Russian Orthodox Church.
“Also, according to the current order, the Holy Synod approved the journals of the Metropolitan district in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, — concluded the head of Department on interrelations of the Church with society and the media.