Department for External Church Relations
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Holy Synod: Appeal from the Council of the Latvian Orthodox Church will be considered by the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church
DECR Communication Service, 16.03.2023
On 16th March 2023, the participants in the regular session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church heard a report from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia concerning an appeal of the Council of the Latvian Orthodox Church (Minutes No. 2).
The Council of the Latvian Orthodox Church, convened in Riga on 20th October 2022, adopted amendments to the Statute of the Latvian Orthodox Church and appealed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia with an earnest “request to resolve the insurmountable difficulties” caused by the amendments to the Law on the Latvian Orthodox Church adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia.
According to the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church, decisions pertaining to the granting of autocephaly, autonomy or self-governance to parts of the Russian Orthodox Church come within the competence of the Local Council (Chapter II, Article 1; Chapter II, Article 5-b). It is a responsibility of the Bishops’ Council to prepare the Local Council (Chapter II, Article 4) and to submit proposals on its agenda (Chapter III, Article 5-m).
The Holy Synod resolved that the appeal of the Council of the Latvian Orthodox Church should be considered at a meeting of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. In response to a request from the Council of the Latvian Orthodox Church, a confirmative decision was also taken to keep giving the Holy Chrism to the Latvian Church.
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