III. The Bishops’ Council

1. The Bishops’ Council shall be the supreme body of the Russian Orthodox Church in doctrinal, canonical, liturgical, pastoral, administrative and other matters concerning both the internal and external life of the Church; in maintaining fraternal relations with other Orthodox Churches and defining the character of relations with non-Orthodox confessions and non-Christian religious communities as well as with states and secular society.

2. The Bishops’ Council shall consist of the diocesan and vicar bishops.

3. The Bishops’ Council shall be convened by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (or the Locum Tenens) and the Holy Synod no less than once in four years and prior to the Local Council, as well as in exceptional cases, which are stipulated, in particular, in Section V.20 of the present Statute.
At the suggestion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod or of one third of the diocesan bishops – members of the Bishops’ Council, an extraordinary Bishop’s Council may be convened no later than within six months after the appropriate decision of the Synod or on the application of a group of bishops to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod.
4. The Holy Synod shall be responsible for the preparation of the Bishops’ Council.

5. In exercising its duties the Bishops’ Council shall:

a) preserve the purity and integrity of the Orthodox doctrine and norms of Christian morals and interpretation of this doctrine on the basis of the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Tradition while preserving doctrinal and canonical unity with the pleroma of Universal Orthodoxy;

b) preserve the dogmatic and canonical unity of the Russian Orthodox Church;

c) adopt the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church and introduce alterations and amendments to it;

d) resolve the principal theological, canonical, liturgical and pastoral issues pertaining to internal and external activities of the Church;

e) canonize the saints and glorify on the church-wide basis the locally venerated saints;

f) provide competent interpretation of holy canons and other church statutes;

g) express pastoral concern for the problems of modern times;

h) determine the nature of relations with the state bodies;

i) submit to the Local Council proposals for establishing, re-organizing and dissolving the Autonomous and Self-governing Churches;

j) approve the Holy Synod’s decisions on the establishment, re-organization and dissolution of the Exarchates, Metropolitan areas, metropolias and dioceses, define their boundaries and names and approve the decisions made by the Synods of the Self-governing Churches on the establishment, re-organization and dissolution of metropolias and dioceses;

m) approve the Holy Synod’s decisions on the establishment, re-organization and dissolution of Synodal institutions and other church governance bodies;

n) submit, prior to a Local Council, proposals on the rules of procedure, programme, agenda and structure of the Local Council;

o) supervise the implementation of the decisions of the Local and Bishops’ Councils;

p) assess the activities of the Holy Synod, the Supreme Church Council and the Synodal institutions;

q) approve, annul and amend the legislative acts of the Holy Synod;

r) establish the procedure for all ecclesiastical courts;

s) consider financial reports presented by the Holy Synod and approve the principles of planning the upcoming general church incomes and expenditures;

t) approve the new general church awards.

6. The Bishops’ Council shall be the ecclesiastical court of last resort. As such it shall consider and make decisions:

– as part of the Local Council in the first and last instances on the dogmatic and canonical deviations in the activities of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia;

– in the last instance:

a) on disagreements between two or more bishops;
b) on ecclesiastical misdemeanours of bishops and heads of Synodal institutions;
c) on all cases referred to it by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod.

7. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia or the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne shall be Chairman of the Bishops’ Council.

8. The Holy Synod shall be the Presidium of the Bishops’ Council. The Presidium shall be responsible for the holding and guidance of the Council. The Presidium shall propose the rules of procedure, programme and agenda of the Bishops’ Council, submit proposals on the order in which the Council shall consider the emerging problems and the procedural and protocol matters.

9. The Secretary of the Bishops’ Council shall be elected from among the members of the Holy Synod. The Secretary shall be responsible for providing the Council with necessary working materials and for keeping the minutes. The minutes shall be signed by the Secretary and approved by the Chairman of the Council.

10. The opening of the Council and its daily sessions shall be preceded by the celebration of the Divine Liturgy or other appropriate divine service according to the rubrics.

11. The sessions of the Bishops’ Council shall be chaired by the Chairman or, on his proposal, by a member of the Presidium.

12. Theologians, experts, observers and guests may be invited to certain sessions of the Bishops’ Council without the right of the deciding vote. The extent of their participation in the proceedings of the Council shall be determined by the rules of procedure.

13. The decisions at the Bishops’ Council shall be taken by simple majority in an open or secret vote, except the cases specially stipulated by the rules of procedure adopted by the Council. In the event of a tie in an open vote, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote. In the event of a tie in secret ballot, the vote shall be held again.

14. The actions of the Bishops’ Council in the form of regulations and decisions shall be signed by the Chairman and the Council’s Presidium members. Other documents confirmed by the decisions (resolutions) of the Council shall be initialed by the Secretary.

15. None of the member bishops of the Bishops’ Council can refuse to participate in its sessions, except for illness or for any other serious reason which the Council shall consider as valid.

16. The quorum of the Bishops’ Council shall be the two thirds of its member bishops.

17. The resolutions of the Bishops’ Council shall take effect immediately after their adoption.