HIS HOLINESS PATRIARCH KIRILL HEADS EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF HOLY SYNOD OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Press Service of the patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus, 14 September 2018
On 14 September, an extraordinary session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was held in the patriarchal and synodal residence in the St. Daniel's monastery in Moscow.
The permanent members of the Holy Synod are: Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey; Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna Yuvenaly; Metropolitan of Kishinev and all-Moldova Vladimir; Metropolitan of Astana and Kazakhstan Alexander, the head of the metropolitan district in the republic of Kazakhstan; Metropolitan of Tashkent and Uzbekistan Vikenty, head of the Central Asian metropolitan district; Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga Varsonofy, chancellor of the Moscow patriarchate; Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavsk Pavel, patriarchal exarch of all-Belarus; and Metropolitan of Volokolamsk Ilarion, chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow patriarchate.
For participation in the winter session (September to February), the following were invited: Metropolitan of Zaporozhe and Melitopol Luka; Metropolitan of Barnaul and Altai Sergei; Bishop of Narva and Prichudye Lazar; Bishop of Rybinsk and Danilov Veniamin; and Bishop of Nakhodka and Preobrazhenye Nikolai.
His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and all-Rus Kirill gave an introductory speech to session participants.
"Today, one question is on the agenda, connected with the implementation of the decision by the Constantinople patriarchate to send so-called exarchs to Ukraine. On 8 September our synod already made a statement in connection with the decision by the Constantinople synod to send such representatives, and we now have reliable information that they have arrived in Ukraine and have begun work," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said in opening the session.
Because of the state of his health, His Blessedness Metropolitan of Kiev and all-Ukraine Onufrey was unable to attend. A video communication session was arranged, during which Metropolitan Onufrey reported to members of the synod about the state of affairs in connection with the appointment to Ukraine of hierarchs of the Constantinople patriarchate.
"Actually, both so-called exarchs of the Constantinople patriarchate have arrived in Ukraine," His Blessedness Metropolitan Onufrey confirmed. "One was assigned to conduct the negotiation process with the side of the so-called Patriarch Filaret, and the other, with the side of 'Metropolitan' Makary, head of the 'Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.'"
In greeting His Blessedness Vladyka, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill expressed the hope that the hierarchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church will "continue the only correct path—to conduct its ministry in accordance with the canons of the Orthodox Church."
"What is now happening in connection with sending the so-called exarchs is a mirror image of what the Constantinople patriarch did in the 1920s, when our church, led by His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, was in the most difficult circumstances," the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church continued. "The patriarch was experiencing the most severe pressure on the part of the authorities, and the schismatic organization inspired by the authorities, the renovationist 'church,' was gaining strength, and the then Patriarch of Constantinople Grigory VII made the decision to send to Moscow a so-called commission supposedly at the request of some Orthodox persons. Naturally, the Russian Orthodox Church had not sent any such requests to Patriarch Grigory VII; apparently the schismatic renovationists sent them. And Patriarch Tikhon wrote a very clear, canonically based letter with a protest against the fact that some 'commission' was sent to the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, which he headed, by another local church in an uncanonical way. We know what very difficult conditions Patriarch Tikhon was then in. But despite the fact that the patriarch was effectively bereft of liberty, he courageously and clearly detailed his position."
"Inasmuch as what is now happening in Ukraine, as I have already said, is a mirror image of what happened in the early 20th century, we must pursue the same line, which His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon very courageously determined in the years that were most difficult for our church and which is the only correct and canonically based one," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 14 September 2018)
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