The Highest Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (abbreviated as the All- Russian Central Council ) is the executive body of the Russian Orthodox Church , operating under the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church [1] . It is headed by the patriarch and consists of the leaders of the synodal institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church .
Content
- 1 VTsS in the XX century
- 2 VTsS in the XXI century
- 3 Members of the Supreme Church Council are currently
- 4 Meetings of the Supreme Church Council
- 5 notes
- 6 Literature
- 7 References
VTsS in the 20th Century
For the first time, the body called the Supreme Church Council was established by the Local Council of the Orthodox Russian Church in December 1917 as an elected body as part of the supreme church administration (the combined presence of which was made by the Holy Patriarch, the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council). Three bishops from the Synod , one monk from the monastic monks, five clergymen from the white clergy and six laymen sat in the Supreme Church Council. The election of the members of the Council took place on December 8, 1917, for a three-year term. Archimandrite Vissarion was elected from the monks; from clergymen from the white clergy — Protopresbyters George Shavelsky and Nikolai Lyubimov , Archpriests Alexander Sankovsky , Alexy Stanislavsky and the psalmist Alexander Kulyashev; from the laity - professors S. N. Bulgakov , I. M. Gromoglasov , P. D. Lapin , Prince E. N. Trubetskoy , as well as A. V. Kartashev and S. M. Raevsky . Their deputies were also elected, who were to replace those who were not able to participate in meetings or retired members: Archimandrite Alexy (Zhitetsky) , Archpriests Peter Mirtov , Pavel Lakhostsky , Pavel Sokolov , Konstantin Ageev and Priest Sergei Verkhovsky , as well as Professors P. P. Kudryavtsev , I.I. Sokolov , L.I. Pisarev , Prince G.N. Trubetskoy , P.I. Astrov . Among the bishops, members of the Council were not elected by the Council, but were delegated by the Holy Synod from its composition.
In 1921, the term of office of members of the All-Russian Central Council, as well as members of the Holy Synod expired, but the patriarch continued to convene meetings of the Holy Synod and the Supreme Church Council. After the arrest of Patriarch Tikhon on May 9, 1922, the All-Russian Central Council did not convene, although an attempt was made to resume the activities of the Council in 1924.
VTsS in the 21st Century
It was formed in its present form in 2011, after the Council of Bishops supported the proposal to transform the meeting of the leaders of the Synodal institutions into the Supreme Church Council.
On March 1, 2019, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) , addressing Patriarch Kirill, said:
| It was not just some kind of inventory or innovation. It was, on the one hand, an appeal to the heritage of the Local Council of 1917-18, but, on the other hand, it was a rethinking of what was then conceived. And the new Supreme Church Council was not created on the model of the old one, it was created in order to meet today's needs, and above all, to coordinate the work of the synodal departments, each of which previously worked without such coordination. And today we have the opportunity to regularly “check the clock” under your leadership. We now know who is working on what, we have the opportunity to participate in each other’s work, and this is a very valuable experience: every time we get together for the Supreme Church Council, we learn and gain something [2] . |
At meetings of the Supreme Church Council, the first collegial discussion and revision of many documents are held, which are then subject to consideration by the Holy Synod. Since 2013, the Supreme Church Council has systematically monitored the implementation of conciliar or synodal decisions that imply the specific work of a particular synodal institution [3] .
As Bishop Anthony (Sevryuk) noted: “This is a very important tool of church governance. Before these or those questions are submitted for consideration and approval by the Holy Synod, they are often discussed at the All-Russian Central Council. At each meeting, we work with documents of general church significance, discuss a variety of initiatives and projects. The agenda is very diverse. I think, first of all, one of the main advantages of the All-Union Central Council is that the work there takes place in a surprisingly interesting collegial spirit, when all of us, the leaders of the Synodal institutions, have the opportunity to directly exchange opinions with each other and personally with His Holiness the Patriarch. The Holy Patriarch himself actively participates in all discussions. And very often in the mode of such a lively discussion, decisions are just born that are then embodied at the most different levels of church life. The work is extremely intense, sometimes meetings last until the evening ” [4] .
Members of the High Church Council
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia - Kirill , chairman
- The chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate is Hilarion (Alfeev) , Metropolitan of Volokolamsk;
- The managing director of the Moscow Patriarchate is Savva (Mikheev) , Metropolitan of Tver and Kashinsky;
- Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church - Clement (Kapalin) , Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsky;
- Chairman of the Synodal Missionary Department - John (Popov) , Metropolitan of Belgorod and Starooskolsky;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department of Religious Education and Catechesis - Mercury (Ivanov) , Metropolitan of Rostov and Novocherkassk;
- Chairman of the Synodal Committee for Interaction with the Cossacks - Cyril (Pokrovsky) , Metropolitan of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk;
- Chairman of the financial and economic department of the Moscow Patriarchate - Ignatius (Deputies) , Metropolitan of Vologda and Kirillovsky;
- Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Physical Culture and Sports - Mitrofan (Badanin) , Metropolitan of Murmansk and Monchegorsk;
- Chairman of the Patriarchal Council for Culture - Tikhon (Shevkunov) , Metropolitan of Pskov and Porkhov;
- The head of the department for foreign institutions of the Moscow Patriarchate is Anthony (Sevryuk) , Metropolitan of Korsun and Western Europe;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism - Feognost (Guzikov) , Archbishop of Kashirsky;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for Prison Services - Irinarch (Grezin) , Bishop of Krasnogorsk;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service - Panteleimon (Shatov) , Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky;
- The first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in the city of Moscow is Dionysius (Porubai) , Bishop of Resurrection;
- The head of the administrative secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate is Thomas (Mosolov) , Bishop of Pavlovo-Posadsky;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for Youth Affairs - Seraphim (Amelchenkov) , Bishop of Istra;
- Chairman of the Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies - Stefan (Privalov) , Bishop of Klinsky;
- Chairman of the study committee of the Russian Orthodox Church - Maxim Kozlov , archpriest;
- Chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family and Maternity Protection - Dimitry Smirnov , Archpriest;
- The chairman of the Synodal Department for Relations between the Church and Society and the Media is Vladimir Legoyda .
High Church Council Meetings
- 2011
- year 2012
- year 2013
Notes
Literature
- Supreme Church Council // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church and Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2005. - T. X. - S. 109-111. - 752 s. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-016-1 .
Links
- The Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church . // Patriarchy.Ru
- The Supreme Church Council of the Russian Orthodox Church has been created . // Patriarchy.Ru
- His Holiness Patriarch Kirill: The Supreme Church Council has a special responsibility for the implementation of conciliar and synodal decisions . // Patriarchy.Ru