On February 2 and 3 this year, the next Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church was held in Moscow . It was an important event in the religious life of the country. But before dwelling on the issues that were to be considered, it makes sense to clarify what this body of church authority is and what its history is.
Successors of the Holy Apostles
The practice of convening church cathedrals dates back to New Testament times, when a council was held in Jerusalem in 49 (according to other sources in 51), at which the apostles discussed the most important question - is circumcision necessary for acquiring eternal life. It was on it that a decision was made that exempted all baptized from the need to comply with most Jewish laws and the ritual rituals prescribed by them.
In subsequent years, church councils became ubiquitous and convened regularly. At the same time, they were divided into two categories - Local, that is, held within the framework of one local church, and Ecumenical, whose single name suggests that representatives of churches of the entire Christian world took part in it.
Features of Local Cathedrals
The churches of past times entered the history of the church mainly by the names of the cities in which they were held, of the local churches that became their organizers, of the states in whose territory they were convened, as well as of religious denominations that decided their questions on them.
Representatives of not only a wide range of clergy took part in the work of the Local Councils - from bishops to clergy of the lower levels, but also the deputies of the laity living in these territories. They discussed various issues related not only to the dogma, but also to the structure of church life, as well as its management.
High Clergy Forums
In contrast, participants in the Council of Bishops are exclusively bishops convened to make decisions on the most important internal church issues. It is important to note that the division of church cathedrals into Local and Bishops was established only in the synodal period. Before, all the main decisions related to the life of the church were solely made by its primate.
Today, the Bishops' Council is the highest governing body of both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Church, which is part of the Moscow Patriarchate. Its status was determined by decisions of the Local Council, held in 1945. Then the term appeared, which became its designation.
Previous Cathedral of the Archpastors
The meeting of archpastors, held in February this year in Moscow, was preceded by only one cathedral (Bishop's), held in 1961 in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. An interesting detail - none of its participants were warned in advance that they were to participate in such a representative forum. All then received only invitations to celebrate the memory of its founder, and upon arrival they learned about the true purpose of the challenge. This cathedral (Bishop's) of 1961 was held in the midst of the Khrushchev’s anti-religious campaign, and such conspiracy was by no means superfluous.
Recently completed cathedral
So, the current ROC Council of Bishops is the second in a row. Its beginning was preceded by the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, performed by Archpriest Michael (Ryazantsev). Together with Patriarch Kirill, all the delegates who arrived at this largest church forum in recent years from all over the country and from abroad took part in it.
As can be seen from his published documents, as well as from the speeches of the participants in the press conference organized after the completion of the work, the main issue was the preparation for the Pan-Orthodox (Ecumenical) Cathedral scheduled for the near future, the venue of which was to be the island of Crete.
Participants of the cathedral and its presidium
The composition of the Council of Bishops was very numerous. Suffice it to say that it included three hundred and fifty-four archpastors, representing the two hundred and ninety-three existing dioceses, united around the Moscow Patriarchate. In accordance with the current Church Charter, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill presided over it. On the first day of the cathedral’s work, he delivered a report in which he highlighted the basic issues of the life and work of the Russian church.
The Presidium also, on the basis of the requirements of the Charter, includes all the permanent members of the Holy Synod. Long before the consecrated Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church began its work, in view of the importance of the issues submitted for its consideration, some representatives of the autonomous parts of the Moscow Patriarchate, including the New York, East American, Latvian and Metropolitan, received invitations to participate in the work. a number of others.
Speech by the head of the Ukrainian Church
With great interest was heard the report of Metropolitan Onufry of Kiev and All Ukraine, who told the audience about the situation in which the church he leads today is located. Particular attention to his speech was caused by the difficult political situation that has developed in Ukraine today, and the forced confrontation regarding the self-proclaimed church existing there.
The head of the Ukrainian Church (MP) spoke about the peacekeeping role that the church entrusted to him has taken on today. Her pastors and archpastors make every effort to stop the hostility in a country where sometimes members of the same parish turn out to be enemies and, being blind executors of someone else’s political will, plunge the country into chaos and bloodshed.
The speaker also expressed deep gratitude to the church and secular authorities of Russia, who organized the delivery of humanitarian aid to the areas most affected by internecine conflicts, and expressed hope that the current Council (Bishops') will be a tangible contribution to the establishment of peace in Ukraine.
Problems associated with the preparation for the Ecumenical Council
One of the main subjects of discussion that unfolded during the meetings was the upcoming Ecumenical Council, which is associated with a lot of problems of various kinds, including those generated by groundless rumors that arose due to the low religious awareness of citizens and related superstitions.
For example, it is widely believed that there is allegedly a prophecy regarding this eighth Ecumenical Council , according to which it should become anti-christ, and that it will conclude a union (union) with the Catholic Church, abolish the posts, re-marry the white clergy and legalize many more decrees harmful to true Orthodoxy.
In this regard, Metropolitan Hilarion, who holds the post of chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, said that over the past few months, his office received a lot of letters from citizens urging the Moscow delegation to refuse to participate in this godly event, in their opinion. And a few days before the current cathedral (Bishop's) began its work, their number increased many times over.
The role of the cathedral in protecting the interests of the Russian church
But there were more serious issues that needed to be addressed. One of them was the intention of the organizers of the Ecumenical Council to impose on all its participants the mandatory implementation of decisions adopted by a majority of votes. Such a formulation of the question posed a clear danger. If, for example, most delegations voted in favor of a universal transition to the new church calendar, then everyone, including the Russian church, should have obeyed this.
However, thanks to the perseverance and consistency of the representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate, it was possible to achieve that the decisions of the council will be valid only if all delegations without exception vote for them. If there is at least one vote against, then this decision will not receive force.
And there were many such questions. Those of them who have not yet found their solution, and, according to the speaker, there are a lot of them, were subject to a detailed discussion, to which the past Bishops' Council was dedicated. The photos presented in the article help to present the business working environment in which its meetings took place.
Other issues addressed during the cathedral
Among other issues included in the agenda of the cathedral, was the canonization of Archbishop Seraphim, who had previously been canonized, widely revered in Russia and Bulgaria. All delegates voted unanimously for his glorification. In addition, the Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna, Yuvenaly (Poyarkov) read a report on measures to perpetuate the memory of new martyrs and confessors of Russia who were victims of terror unfolded during the struggle with the church.
With particular attention, the delegates of the cathedral listened to the report of V.R. Legoyda, who heads the Synodal Department for Relations with the Society and the Media, about the tasks that the church today faces in connection with its presence on social networks. The speaker emphasized the importance of this way of communicating with a wide circle of both believers and those who have not yet found their place in religious life. In particular, he dwelt in detail on individual projects that are being prepared for implementation in the near future.
The next convocation of the Council of Bishops, according to the Church Charter, should follow no later than 2020.