Regular session of the Holy Synod opens at the Synodal residence in St. Daniel’s Monastery

On 27 December 2011, the meeting of the winter session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church began at the Hall of Synods of the consecrated Synodal residence located in St. Daniel’s Monastery. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia presides at the meeting.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and All Ukraine; Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Metropolitan Philaret of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal 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 Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan and Metropolitan Vikentiy of Tashkent and Uzbekistan were also included by the decision of the Holy Synod of 5 October 2011 (minutes 99) pending the approval by the Bishops’ Council.

Metropolitan Onufriy of Chernovtsy and Bukovina, Metropolitan Panteleimon of Krasnoyarsk and Achinsk, Metropolitan Ignatiy of Khabarovsk and the Amur Region, Archbishop Elevferiy of Chimkent and Taraz, and Bishop Feofilakt of Pyatigorsk and Cherkessk have been invited to take part in the winter session lasting from September 2011 to February 2012.

In his welcoming speech His Holiness Patriarch Kirill named key items on the agenda which include summing up of the results of the work done since the last session of the Holy Synod, consideration of the documents regulating activities of the church institutions, setting up of new metropolias and dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, and election of new bishops.

The Synod will continue its work till December 28; the minutes will be published afterwards, the Patriarch’s press office reports.

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Regular session of the Holy Synod opens at the Synodal residence in St. Daniel’s Monastery

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons

Patriarch

Department Chairman

Sermons