XIX. Theological institutions

1. The theological educational institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church shall be the higher and secondary specialized educational institutions, which shall train clergymen and church servants, theologians and church workers.

2. The theological educational institutions shall be under the authoritative supervision of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, exercised through the Education Committee.

3. The theological educational institutions shall canonically belong to the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop, on the territory of whose diocese they are located.

4. The theological educational institutions shall be established by the decision of the Holy Synod on the proposal of the diocesan bishop supported by the Education Committee.

5. The theological educational institution shall be governed and shall carry out their activities on the basis of the present Statute and the civil and internal Statutes approved by the Holy Synod and confirmed by the diocesan bishop.

6. In the event that the theological educational institution takes a decision to withdraw from the hierarchic structure and jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, this theological educational institution shall no longer be recognized as belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church. This shall entail the cessation of the activity of the theological educational institution as a religious organization of the Russian Orthodox Church and the theological educational institution shall be deprived of the right to the property that belonged to it by the right of ownership, use or on any other legal basis, as well as the right to use the name and symbols of the Russian Orthodox Church in its designation.