Patriarchal locum tenens (formerly the Guardian of the Patriarchal Throne [1] ) in Orthodoxy is the Bishop , the acting Patriarch as the head of the local Church. In those churches where the primate bears the title of archbishop, the position is accordingly called Locum tenens of the Archbishop's Throne , if the local church is headed by the metropolitan - Locum tenens of the Metropolitan See .
The word locum tenensum is a tracing from the Greek word τοποτηρητής .
Locum tenens in the Russian Orthodox Church
In Russia, the Metropolitan of Ryazan, Stefan Yavorsky , who served as the Moscow Patriarch from 1701 to 1721 (the longest), was officially called the Exarch .
According to the definitions of the All-Russian Local Council 1917 - 1918
The Local Council of 1917-1918 established the procedure for the election and production of the Locum Tenens in two definitions dated July 28 (August 10) 1918 “On the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne” and on July 31 (August 13) 1918 “On the Procedure for Election of His Holiness the Patriarch”, which indicated :
- “After the liberation of the patriarchal throne, the oldest member of the Holy Synod, after a preliminary meeting with other members of the Synod, immediately convenes the united presence of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council” (dated July 28, 182);
- “In the united presence, chaired by the same oldest hierarch, members of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council elect the Locum Tenens from among the present members of the Holy Synod by secret ballot, and more than half of the electoral votes are considered elected” (ibid., § 3);
- “The locum tenens of the patriarchal throne is elected for the period of inter-patriarchal status” (ibid., § 1);
- "The Holy Synod, in conjunction with the Supreme Church Council, in a deliberate meeting, chaired by the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, decides to convene a Council within three months to elect the Patriarch" (dated 31.8.18. § 3).
Locum tenens in the USSR and Russia in
In accordance with the testament of Patriarch Tikhon , in the event of his death, the rights and duties of the Patriarch were assigned to Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov) of Kazan. In the event that it was impossible for him to accept such rights and obligations, they, according to the order, passed to Metropolitan Yaroslavsky Agafangel (Preobrazhensky) ; with the inability of the latter, they should have been performed by Metropolitan Peter of Polutskoye (Polyansky) . Due to the fact that at the time of the death of Patriarch Tikhon on April 7, 1925, Metropolitan Kirill and Agafangel were in exile, the designated Patriarch Peter became Patriarchal Locum Tenens. Although from December 1925 until the execution in 1937, Metropolitan Peter was constantly imprisoned and could not act as Locum Tenens in exile, in the churches of the Moscow Patriarchate he was remembered as the name of Locum Tenens. In fact, the duties of the Locum Tenens were performed by Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) , on the basis of the order of Metropolitan Peter: he was named the first of three candidates who were temporarily assigned to correct the duties of the Locum Tenens “in case of impossibility for any reason” to correct them by Metropolitan Peter. Metropolitan Sergius assimilated the name "Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens". However, the Local Council of 1917-1918 did not provide for the position of "Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens", as well as the position of "Patriarch Locum Tenens". Unlike the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, elected according to the Council’s Definition by the members of the Holy Synod for a period of not more than 3 months (before the Council was convened to elect the Patriarch), the appointment of the Patriarch Locum Tenens (in fact - of the Acting Patriarch) took place in extraordinary circumstances, in the absence of church authorities (the Holy Synod, the Supreme Church Council) and the impossibility of convening a church council.
When in the autumn of 1936 the Patriarchate received a false report about the death of Metropolitan Peter, the Patriarchate issued on December 27 of that year the “Act on the transfer of the rights and duties of the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne of the Orthodox Russian Church to the Deputy Patriarch of the Locum Tenens, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna Sergiy (Straogorodskomu) . From that time until September 8, 1943, when the Bishops' Council was held, electing Metropolitan Sergius as the 12th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Metropolitan Sergius bore the title of Patriarchal Locum Tenens.
On the day of the death of Patriarch Sergius on May 15, 1944, his testamentary disposition was made, made on October 12, 1941, by which Metropolitan Alexy (Simansky) was indicated as the first candidate for the position of Locum Tenens “in the whole volume of the rights and responsibilities assigned to her by the Patriarch” [2] . On the same day, on the basis of the practice established after the death of Patriarch Tikhon, the Holy Synod accepted to fulfill the will of the deceased. Metropolitan Alexy was elected by open vote by the 13th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia at the Local Council on February 2, 1945 .
Upon the death of Patriarch Alexy I ( April 17, 1970 ), on April 18, 1970, an emergency meeting of the Holy Synod stated “the fact of the passing of His Holiness the Patriarch and assuming the position of Locum Tenens Metropolitan of Krutitsky Pimen ” [3] , who became him as the oldest orthodox permanent member Synod in accordance with the Regulations on the Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church , adopted on January 31, 1945 (paragraph 12 of Chapter I). The Local Council of 1971 elected him the 14th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
At the local Council in 1988, the “Charter on the Administration of the Russian Orthodox Church” was adopted, in accordance with which the election of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens is carried out by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church from among its permanent members, chaired by the Metropolitan, who replaces the Kiev Chair [4] .
In accordance with this provision of the Charter after the death of Patriarch Pimen in 1990, the Metropolitan of Kiev and Galician Philaret was elected Patriarchal Locum Tenens. The local council, which was held in the same year, elected Metropolitan Alexy of Leningrad and Novgorod the 15th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. The seat of Metropolitan Philaret was the shortest in the history of the 20th century Russian Orthodox Church.
By the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church of 2000
Under the current Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church , “in the event of the death of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia , his retirement, being under an ecclesiastical court or another reason that makes it impossible for him to fulfill his patriarchal position, the Holy Synod , chaired by the oldest ordination member of the Holy Synod, immediately elects from among their permanent members the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne. The procedure of election of the Locum Tenens is established by the Holy Synod ” [5] , and the Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna takes over the independent administration of the Moscow Diocese [6] .
Not later than six months after the liberation of the Patriarchal throne, the Locum tenens and the Holy Synod, in accordance with the procedure specified in paragraph 2 of Section II of the Charter, convene the Local Council to elect a new Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia [7] .
Notes
- ↑ Brickner A.G. The story of Peter the Great. // CHAPTER III.
- ↑ Magazine No. 51 of the emergency meeting of the Holy Synod on May 15, 1944 // ZhMP. 1994, No. 5. P. 142
- ↑ LUT. 1970, No. 5, p. 2.
- ↑ Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church 1988, Ch. IV, item 13
- ↑ Charter of the ROC, Ch. IV, p. 13 .
- ↑ Charter of the ROC, Ch. IV, p. 15, d).
- ↑ Charter of the ROC, Ch. IV, p. 16 .