XVI. The Dioceses

1. The Russian Orthodox Church shall be divided into dioceses – local churches governed by the bishop and uniting the diocesan institutions, deaneries, parishes, monasteries, church representations, theological educational institutions, brotherhoods, sisterhoods and missions.

2. The Diocese shall be established by the decision of the Holy Synod subject to approval by the Bishops’ Council.

3. The boundaries of the dioceses shall be determined by the Holy Synod.

4. Each diocese shall have the bodies of diocesan administration acting in the framework determined by canons and the present Statute.

5. There can be institutions established in the dioceses as necessary to meet church needs. Their activities shall be regulated by the provisions (statutes) approved by the Holy Synod.

1. The Diocesan Bishop

6. The Diocesan Bishop, in succession of the authority from the holy apostles, shall be the primate of the local church – the diocese, and shall canonically rule it with the conciliar assistance of the clergy and laity.

7. The Diocesan Bishop shall be elected by the Holy Synod upon the relevant decree of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

8. If need be, the Holy Synod shall appoint Vicar Bishops to assist the Diocesan Bishop with the range of competence stipulated by the Provision for the Diocesan Vicariates or at the discretion of the Diocesan Bishop.

9. The Bishop shall have the title that includes the name of the cathedral city. The Bishops’ titles shall
be determined by the Holy Synod.

10. The candidates for the office of bishop shall be elected from among the monastics or unmarried white clergy, must be at least 30 years old and be obliged to take monastic vows. The nominated candidate’s moral qualities must conform to the high rank of bishop and he must be a graduate of a theological school.

11. The Bishops shall enjoy the fullness of hierarchal authority in the matters of doctrine, religious rites and pastoral care.

12. The Diocesan Bishop shall ordain clergymen and assign them to places of their ministry, appoint all workers of the diocesan institutions and authorize monastic investitures.

13. The Diocesan Bishop shall have the right to accept clergymen from other dioceses into his diocese provided they have letters of release and the right to release clergymen to other dioceses and present their personal dossiers and letters of release at the request of bishops.

14. No decision of the diocesan administration body can be implemented without the consent of the Diocesan Bishop.

15. The Diocesan Bishop can issue archpastoral letters to the clergy and laity within his diocese.

16. The Diocesan Bishop shall be obliged to submit an annual report in the prescribed form on the religious, administrative, financial and economic state of the diocese and his own activities to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

17. The Diocesan Bishop shall be an authorized representative of the Russian Orthodox Church before the appropriate bodies of state authority and administration in matters concerning the work of his diocese.

18. In governing the diocese, the Bishop shall:

a) take care for the preservation of the faith, Christian morals and devotion;

b) supervise the correct celebration of the divine services and observance of proper church decor;

c) be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the present Statute and the decisions of the Councils and the Holy Synod;

d) convene the Diocesan Assembly and the Diocesan Council and chair them;

e) exercise, if necessary, the right of veto on a decision of the Diocesan Assembly and refer it to the Holy Synod;

f) approve the civil statutes of the parishes, monasteries, church representations and other canonical units comprising the diocese;

g) in accordance with the canons, visit the parishes of his diocese and exercise control over their activities directly or through his authorized representatives;

h) have the supreme authoritative oversight over the diocesan institutions and monasteries in his diocese;

i) supervise the activities of the diocesan clergy;

j) appoint (or dismiss) rectors, parish priests and other clergymen;

k) submit for the approval by the Holy Synod the names of the rectors of theological educational institutions, father superiors (mother superiors) and abbots of the monasteries in the diocesan jurisdiction and issue decrees on the appointment of these officers on the basis of the decision of the Holy Synod;

l) approve the membership of the Parish Assembly;

m) partly or fully change the membership of the Parish Assembly if its members deviate from canonical rules and regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church and violate the parish statute;

n) take a decision on the convocation of the Parish Assembly;

o) confirm the appointment (or relieve) the chair persons of the auditing commissions and parish treasurers elected by the Parish Assembly;

p) withdraw the Parish Council members who violate canonical norms and parish statutes;

q) approve the financial and other reports of the Parish Councils and reports of the auditing commissions of the parishes;

p) have the right to appoint (or relieve) the chairman of the Parish Council and the assistant rector (church warden) and introduce them into the membership of the Parish Assembly and Parish Council or omit them from thereof;

q) approve the minutes of the Parish Assembly;

r) grant leave to the clergy;

s) be concerned for the improvement of the spiritual and moral state of the clergy and for the enhancement of the level of their education;

t) care about the training of clergymen and church servants and for this objective send the worthy candidates to theological educational institutions;

u) oversee the state of church sermons;

v) petition the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for granting deserving clergymen and laymen appropriate awards and himself confer the awards upon them in the prescribed manner;

x) give his blessing to the establishment of new parishes;

y) give his blessing to the construction and repair of churches, prayer houses and chapels and ensure that their exterior and interior decoration conform to the Orthodox church tradition;

z) consecrate churches;

z1) care for the state of church singing, icon-painting and applied church arts;

z2) intercede before the bodies of state authority and administration for the return to the diocese of churches and other buildings and constructions intended for ecclesiastical purposes;

z3) solve matters of the ownership, use and disposal of the diocesan property;

z4) dispose of the financial assets of the diocese and, on its behalf, conclude agreements, give powers of attorney and open bank accounts and have primary authority to sign financial and other documents;

z5) exercise control over the religious, administrative and financial activities of the parishes, monasteries, educational institutions and other diocesan units;

z6) issue his own executive and managerial acts on all matters of the life and work of the diocese;

z7) confirm the belonging to his diocese of all the parishes, monasteries and other canonical units of the diocese located on its territory;

z8) directly or through appropriate diocesan institutions care for:

· works of charity and social service;

· providing the parishes with all objects necessary for celebrating divine services;

· meeting other ecclesiastical needs.

19. In overseeing the canonical order and church discipline, the Diocesan Bishop shall:

a) have the right to have paternal influence on the clergy and to incur penalty upon them, including punishment by reprimand, dismissal from the occupied position and suspension;

b) admonish laymen and, if need be, impose punishments upon them or temporarily excommunicate them in accordance with canons and refer grave misdemeanours to the ecclesiastical court;

c) approve punishments imposed by the ecclesiastical court and have the right of mitigation of punishment;

d) in accordance with the canons, solve problems arising in concluding church marriages and divorces.

20. A vacant diocese shall be temporarily governed by the bishop appointed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. During the period of vacancy of the episcopal see, no business shall be conducted pertaining to the re-organization of the diocesan life and no changes shall be made in the work initiated in the period of governance by the previous bishop.

21. In the event of the vacancy of the diocese or the transfer of the ruling bishop or his retirement, the Diocesan Council shall set up a commission to audit the diocesan property and draw up an appropriate act of transference of the diocese to the newly-appointed bishop.

22. The church property, which was at the disposal of the bishop by virtue of his rank and office and which remains in the official bishop’s residence shall be put into the inventory book of the diocese after his death and shall be transferred over to the diocese. The personal property of the deceased bishop shall be inherited in accordance with the current laws.

23. The diocese cannot remain vacant for more than forty days, except in special cases when there are sufficient reasons for prolonging the vacancy.

24. The Diocesan Bishops shall have the right to leave their dioceses for valid reasons for not more than 14 days without asking for preliminary permission from the highest church authorities. If the absence is planned for more than 14 days, the bishops shall ask for the permission in the prescribed manner.

25. The Holy Synod shall determine the maintenance of the Diocesan Bishops. Upon retirement they will be given bishops’ pension, the size of which shall be determined by the Holy Synod.

26. When the bishop is 75, he shall submit his petition for retirement to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The matter of the time for granting such a petition shall be decided by the Holy Synod.

2. The Diocesan Vicariates

27. The diocesan vicariate is a canonical unit of the diocese uniting one or several deaneries of the diocese.

28. The Diocesan Bishop shall exercise the supreme power in the governance of the vicariates.

29. The Vicar Bishop shall be appointed (or relieved) by the decision of the Holy Synod at the proposal of the Diocesan Bishop.

The Vicar Bishop shall help the Diocesan Bishop to govern the diocese. The powers of the Vicar Bishop governing the vicariate shall be defined by the Provision for the Diocesan Vicariates approved by the Holy Synod, as well as by written or oral instructions of the Diocesan Bishops.

The Diocesan Bishop can also be assisted by appointed Vicar Bishops who do not govern vicariates. Their powers shall be determined by the written or oral instructions of the Diocesan Bishop.

30. The Vicar Bishop is an ex officio member of the Diocesan Council and the Diocesan Assembly with the right to vote.

31. To carry out his work the Vicar Bishop:

a) convenes the meetings of the vicariate clergy;

b) establishes the council and office of the vicariate;

The vicariate clergy meeting and the vicariate council shall be advisory bodies under the Vicar
Bishop.

32. The vicariate clergy meeting shall consist of the clergy of all the canonical units of the vicariate.

The powers and the rules of procedure of the clergy meeting shall be defined by the Provision for the Diocesan Vicariates.

The decisions of the clergy meeting shall come into force after their approval by the Diocesan Bishop.

33. The vicariate council includes:

a) the Vicar Bishop;

b) the deans of the member districts of the vicariate;

c) the confessor of the vicariate;

d) one clergyman from each deanery of the vicariate, elected for a three-year term by the vicariate clergy meeting;

e) no more than three clergymen chosen at the discretion of the Diocesan Bishop.

The vicariate council of shall be chaired by the Vicar Bishop. The secretary of the vicariate council shall be member of the vicariate council appointed to this position by the order of the Vicar Bishop.

The membership of the vicariate council shall be approved by the Diocesan Bishop.

The power and the rule of procedure for the vicariate council shall be defined by the Provision for the Diocesan Vicariates.

The decisions of the vicariate council shall come into force after their approval by the Diocesan
Bishop.

34. The vicariate may have a secretariat consisting of office workers appointed by the order of the Vicar Bishop.

35. The head of the vicariate secretariat shall be accountable to the Vicar Bishop and shall be appointed by him.

3. The Diocesan Assembly

36. The Diocesan Assembly headed by the Diocesan Bishop shall be the governing body of the diocese and shall be composed of the clergymen, monastics and laymen living on the territory of the diocese and representing the canonical units of the diocese.

37. The Diocesan Assembly shall be convened by the Diocesan Bishop at his discretion but at least once a year, and also by the decision of the Diocesan Council or on the demand of no less than 1/3 of the members of the previous Diocesan Assembly.

The procedure of convening the members of the Diocesan Assembly shall be established by the Diocesan Council.

The Vicar Bishops shall be members of the Diocesan Council ex officio with the right to vote.

38. The Diocesan Assembly shall:

a) elect delegates to the Local Council;

b) elect members of the Diocesan Council and the Diocesan Court;

c) establish necessary diocesan institutions and care for their financial maintenance;

d) work out general diocesan rules and regulations in accordance with the resolutions of the Councils and decisions of the Holy Synod;

e) oversee the diocesan life;

f) hear the reports on the state of affairs in the diocese, on the work of the diocesan institutions, on the life of the monasteries and other canonical units of the diocese and make decisions on these reports.

g) consider the annual reports on the work of the Diocesan Council.

39. The Diocesan Assembly shall be chaired by the Diocesan Bishop. The Diocesan Assembly shall elect the deputy chairman and the secretary. The deputy chairman can guide the Assembly if so instructed by the Chairman. The secretary shall be responsible for drafting the minutes of the Diocesan Assembly.

40. The quorum of the Assembly shall be the majority (more than a half) of its members. The decisions shall be taken by the majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote.

41. The Diocesan Assembly shall work in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.

42. The minutes of the Diocesan Assembly shall be signed by the Chairman, his deputy, the secretary and two members of the Assembly elected to do it.

4. The Diocesan Council

43. The Diocesan Council headed by the Diocesan Bishop shall be the governing body of the diocese. The Diocesan Council shall be formed with the blessing of the Diocesan Bishop and shall consist of
no less than four persons in the rank of presbyter, half of them appointed by the Bishop and the rest elected by the Diocesan Assembly for a three-year term.

The Vicar Bishop shall be ex officio member of the Diocesan Council with the right to vote.

44. If the members of the Diocesan Council violate the doctrinal, canonical or moral norms of the Orthodox Church and if they stand trial in the ecclesiastical court or are under investigation, they shall be dismissed from their office by the decision of the Diocesan Bishop.

45. The Diocesan Bishop shall be the chairman of the Diocesan Council.

46. The Diocesan Council shall meet regularly, but at least once in six months.

47. The quorum of the Diocesan Council shall be the majority of its members.

48. The Diocesan Council shall work on the basis of the agenda presented by the chairman.

49. The chairman shall guide the sessions in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.

50. The Bishop shall appoint the secretary of the Diocesan Council from among its members. The secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of the necessary materials and for keeping the minutes.

51. In the event that disagreements arise concerning the matter under consideration, the matter shall be solved by the majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote.

52. The minutes of the sessions of the Diocesan Council shall be signed by all its members.

53. In accordance with the instructions of the Diocesan Bishop, the Diocesan Council shall:

a) implement the decisions of the Diocesan Assembly within the Council’s terms of reference and shall be accountable before it about the work done;

b) establish the procedure of the election of the members of the Diocesan Assembly;

c) prepare the meetings of the Diocesan Assembly, including proposals for the agenda;

d) consider matters pertaining to the opening of parishes, deaneries, monasteries, production units, administration bodies and other diocesan units;

e) submit its annual reports to the Diocesan Assembly;

f) take care for the raising of funds to meet the material needs of the diocese, and, if necessary, those of parishes;

g) determine the boundaries of the deaneries and the parishes;

h) consider the reports of the deans and take appropriate decisions;

i) oversee the activities of the Parish Councils;

j) consider the plans for construction, capital repairs and restoration of churches;

k) take stock of the property of the canonical unites of the Diocese including the buildings of churches, prayer houses, chapels, monasteries and theological educational institutions;

l) within its competence, solve matters pertaining to the ownership, use and disposal of the property of the parishes, monasteries and other canonical units of the Diocese. The immovable property of the canonical units of the Diocese, namely, buildings, structures and plots of land can be abolished only on the basis of the decision of the Diocesan Council;

m) conduct the audit of the diocesan institutions;

n) take care of the material support of supernumerary clergymen and church workers;

o) discuss the preparatory work for jubilees, general diocesan celebrations and other important events;

p) solve any other matters which the Diocesan Bishop refers to the Diocesan Council to take decision or consider with the purpose of giving him appropriate recommendations;

q) consider matters of liturgical practice and church discipline.

5. The Diocesan Administrations and other Diocesan Institutions

54. The Diocesan Administration shall be the executive body of the Diocese under the direct guidance of the Diocesan Bishop and, together with other Diocesan institutions, shall assist the Bishop in exercising his executive authority.

55. The Bishop shall exercise the highest authoritative supervision over the work of the Diocesan Administration and all the diocesan institutions and shall appoint their staff in accordance with the staff list.

56. The work of the Diocesan Administrations and other diocesan institutions shall be regulated by the provisions (statutes) approved by the Holy Synod and also by the Bishop’s instructions.

57. All Diocesan Administrations must have an office, accounting department, archives and the necessary number of other departments, which shall provide for missionary, publishing, social and charitable, educational, restoration and construction, economic and other kinds of diocesan work.

58. The Secretary of the Diocesan Administration shall be responsible for the office work of the Diocese and within the competence determined by the Diocesan Bishop shall assist him in the governance of the Diocese and guidance of the Diocesan Administration.

6. The Deaneries

59. The Diocese shall be divided into Deaneries headed by Deans appointed by the Diocesan Bishop.

60. The boundaries of the Deaneries and their names shall be determined by the Diocesan Council.

61. The responsibilities of the Dean shall include:

a) concern for the purity of the Orthodox faith and proper ecclesial and moral education of believers;

b) supervision over the correct and regular celebration of the divine services, the proper decor and order in the churches and the state of church sermon;

c) concern for the implementation of resolutions and instructions of the diocesan authority;

d) concern for the timely revenue return of the collections from the parishes;

e) counselling the clergy concerning both the discharge of their duties and their personal life;

f) removing misunderstandings among clergymen and also between the clergy and laity without formal legal proceedings but with reporting the most notable incidents to the Diocesan Bishop;

g) making a preliminary inquiry into church offences at the instruction of the Diocesan Bishop;

h) petitioning the Diocesan Bishop for awarding clergymen and laymen deserving reward;

i) making proposals to the Diocesan Bishop for filling vacant offices of priests, deacons, psalm- readers and precentors;

j) concern for meeting the religious needs of believers in temporarily priestless parishes;

k) supervising over the construction and restoration of church buildings within the Deanery;

l) concern for the availability of all the objects necessary for the proper celebration of divine services and normal parish office work;

m) fulfilling other duties placed upon him by the Bishop.

62. In discharging his duties the Dean shall visit at least once a year all parishes of his deanery to inspect the liturgical life, interior and exterior state of the churches and other church buildings as well as the proper conduct of church affairs and church archives and to examine the religious and moral state of the faithful.

63. The Dean can hold sessions of the Parish Assembly at the instruction of the Diocesan Bishop, at the request of the rector, the Parish Council or the Parish Assembly.

64. With the blessing of the Diocesan Bishop, the Dean can summon priests for fraternal meetings to consider church needs common for the Deanery.

65. The Dean shall submit annual reports to the Diocesan Bishop on the state of affairs in the Deanery and on his own work in the prescribed manner.

66. The Dean can have an office, the staff of which shall be appointed by the Dean with the knowledge of the Diocesan Bishop.

67. The work of the Dean shall be financed from the funds of his parish and, if necessary, from the general diocesan funds.