The Synod is ... The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church

The Holy Synod is in the past the supreme body for managing the affairs of the Orthodox Church. Acted from 1721 to 1918 year. At the Local Council of the ROC 1917 - 1918, the patriarchate was received. At the moment, this body plays only a secondary role in the affairs of the church.

Church of the Early Period

The ROC was founded in 988. The priests took the original hierarchical structure in Constantinople. For 9 subsequent centuries the Russian Church was largely dependent on Byzantium. In the period from 988 to 1589, the Metropolitan system was practiced. Then from 1589 to 1720 the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was a patriarch. And from 1721 to 1918 the Church was governed by the Synod. At present, the sole ruler of the Russian Orthodox Church is Patriarch Kirill. Today the Synod is just an advisory body.

Rules of the Universal Church

According to the general rules of world Orthodoxy, the Synod can have judicial, legislative, administrative, supervisory and administrative powers. Interaction with the state is made through a person appointed by the secular government. For effective work of the Synod the following bodies are created:

1. The Synodal Chancery.
2. Spiritual and educational committee.
3. Management of Synodal printing houses.
4. Office of the Chief Procurator.
5. Spiritual and school council.
6. Economic management.

The ROC is divided into dioceses, the limits of which coincide with the borders of the regions of the state. Resolutions of the synod are binding for clergy and are recommended for parishioners. For their adoption a special session of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church is held (2 times a year).

The creation of the Spiritual Regulation

Spiritual regulations were established by the order of Peter I Metropolitan Theophanes Prokopovich. This document reflects all the ancient church rules. Encountering resistance to the ongoing reforms on the part of the clergy, this Russian Emperor also initiated the abolition of the patriarchal authority and the creation of the Synod. Undoubted is the fact that it was after this, and also after the introduction of the post of chief procurator, that the ROC lost its independence from the state.

The official reasons for the adoption of the Synodal Administration Church

The prerequisites for the Russian Orthodox Church to accept this particular form of government (the decree of Peter I), Are indicated in the Spiritual Regulations and consisted of the following:

1. Several clerics can establish the truth much faster and better than one.
2. Decisions of the conciliar power will have much greater weight and authority than the decisions of one person.
3. In case of illness or death of a single ruler, cases will not be stopped.
4. A few people can take a much more impartial decision than one.
5. It is much more difficult for the authorities to influence a large number of priests than to the sole ruler of the church.
6. In one person, such power can arouse pride. The common people, however, will find it difficult to separate the church from monarchy.
7. The Holy Synod can always condemn the wrongful actions of one of its members. To analyze the wrong decisions of the patriarch, one should call the Eastern clergy. And it's expensive and long.
8. The Synod is above all a kind of school in which more experienced members can teach newcomers to the management of the church. Thus, the efficiency of work increases.

The main feature of the Russian Synod

A characteristic feature of the newly created Russian Synod was that it was recognized as hierarchically equal to the Eastern patriarchs. Similar bodies in other Orthodox states played only a secondary role in the sole person in charge. Only the Greek Synod had the same authority within the church of its country, as Russian. God's Houses of these two states always had in their structure much in common. Eastern patriarchs referred to the Holy Synod of the ROC as "beloved brother of the Lord," that is, they recognized his authority as his own.

Historical composition of the Synod

Initially, this management body consisted of:

1. President (Stefan Yavorsky - Metropolitan of Ryazan);
2. Vice-presidents in the number of two people;
3. Advisers and assessors (4 people each).

Members of the Synod were elected from among the archimandrites, bishops, city archpriests and hegumens. The Church adopted rules that safeguarded freedom of opinion. So in the work of the Synod, the hegumens and archpriests should not take part simultaneously with the bishops standing over them. After the death of Stefan Yavorsky, the post of chairman was abolished. From this moment on all the members of the Synod became equal in rights. Over time, the composition of this body periodically changed. So, in 1763 there were 6 people in it (3 bishops, 2 archimandrites and 1 archpriest). For 1819 there were 7 people.

Almost immediately after the decision on the creation of the Synod was made, the monarch ordered the membership in this body to observe a secular person. This representative of the state was elected from respectable officers. The title "Chief Procurator of the Synod" was given to him. According to the instructions approved by the monarch, this person was "the Emperor's eye and solicitor for state affairs." In 1726 the Synod was divided into two parts - spiritual and secular economic.

A brief history of the Synodal Administration from 1721 to 1918.

In the early years of the reign, Bishop Theophanes had a great influence on the decisions of the Synod. No church book could be published without his approval. This man was friends with Bismarck and Osterman and all the bishops, one way or another, were dependent on him. Such a power Theophanes reached after the fall of the Great Russian party in the Synod. At that time Soviet power was going through hard times. The confrontation between Anna Ioannovna and the daughters of Peter the Great caused persecution of the sympathizers last. Once all members of the Synod, except for Feofan, were simply dismissed on the denunciation, and in their place other, much more loyal to him, were appointed. Of course, after this he achieved unprecedented power. Theophanes died in 1736.

In the end, Elizabeth still ascended the throne. After that, all exiles who had been exiled during Feofan's time were returned from the references. The period of her reign was one of the best for the Russian Orthodox Synod. However, the Empress did not restore the patriarchate yet. Moreover, she appointed a particularly intolerant chief prosecutor, J. Shakhovsky, who was known as a zealous zealot for state affairs.

At the time of Peter III, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was forced to endure German influence, which, however, ended with the ascent to the throne of Catherine II. No special innovations were introduced by this queen to the Synod. The only thing she did was close the economy board. Thus, the Synod again became one.

Under Alexander I the chief procurator is Prince A. N. Golitsyn, in his youth he was known as the patron of various kinds of mystical sects. As a practical man, he was considered even useful to the Synod, especially at first. A prominent church figure of the times of Nicholas I became Filaret, erected by the emperor to the rank of Metropolitan in 1826. Since 1842, this clergyman took an active part in the work of the Synod.

"Dark Times" of the Synod of the beginning of the 20th century

The main reason for the return to the patriarchate in 1917 - 18 years. There was interference in the management of the church of G. Rasputin and the aggravation of the political situation around this body. The Synod is the inviolability of hierarchs. The events connected with the death of the first member of this body, Antony, by the appointment of Metropolitan Volodymyr in his place, and later Pitirim, led to incandescence of passions unacceptable in the highest ecclesiastical management link and the creation of a heavy atmosphere of distrust. Metropolitan Pitirim most clergy considered "rasputinets."

If we consider that by the end of 1916 and many other members of the Synod were followers of this tsar's accomplice (for example, Chief Procurator Raev, Guryev's office manager and his assistant Mudrolubov), the church began to look almost the main opposition to the monarchal throne. Members of the management body, not belonging to the chosen circle of "Rasputinians," were afraid to express their opinion once again, knowing that it would be immediately transferred to Tsarskoe Selo. Managed affairs already, in fact, not the Synod of the Orthodox Church, and alone G. Rasputin.

Return to the patriarchal government

After the revolution in February 1917, the Provisional Government, in order to rectify this situation, issued a resolution to dismiss all members of this body and to convene new members for the summer session. On August 5, 1917, the post of chief prosecutor was abolished and the Ministry of Religions was established. Decrees this body issued on behalf of the Synod until January 18, 1918. On February 14, 1918, the last decree of the Council was published. According to this document, the authority of the Holy Synod passed to the patriarch. The very same organ became collegiate.

Features of the structure and powers of the modern Synod

Today, the Holy Synod of the ROC is an advisory body to the patriarch. It consists of permanent members and temporary members. The latter are summoned to meetings from their dioceses and in the same way are dismissed without conferring the title of a member of the Synod. Today, this body has the right to supplement the Spiritual Rules with legitimations and definitions, having previously sent them for approval to the Patriarch.

Chairman and Permanent Members

To date, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (chairperson) is headed by Patriarch Kirill Gundyaev. Metropolitans are its permanent members:

1. Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir.
2. Ladoga and St. Petersburg Vladimir.
3. Slutsk and Minsk Filaret.
4. All Moldova and Vladimir Kishinev.
5. Kolomna and Krutitskiy Juvenal.
6. Kazakhstan and Astana Alexander.
7. Central Asian Vikenty.
8. The manager of the affairs of the patriarchate of Moscow Mordovian and Saransk metropolitan Varsonofy.
9. The chairman of the external relations department of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

Location

Immediately after the establishment, the Synod was in St. Petersburg on the City Island. After a while, the meetings began in the building of the Twelve Colleges. In 1835, the Synod moved to the Senate Square. From time to time the meetings were moved to Moscow. For example, during the coronation of monarchs. In August 1917 the Synod finally moved to Moscow. Before that, there was only the Synodal office.

In 1922 the patriarch was arrested. The first meeting of the Synod was held only five years later, in 1927. Then the legalization of the ROC was achieved Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod Sergius. He organized with him the temporary Patriarchal Synod. However, in the spring of 1935 this body was again dissolved on the initiative of the authorities.

The Permanent Synod

In 1943, at the Bishops' Council, a permanent Synod was elected, whose meetings began to be held at Stalin's house No. 5 in Chisty Pereulok. From time to time they were transferred to the Patriarchal Chambers in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra. Since 2009, the meetings have been held in different places at the choice of the head of the Church. In 2011, in December the Synodal residence of the patriarch was opened and consecrated in the reconstructed St. Danilov Monastery. It was here that the last meeting, which opened on October 2, 2013, was held.

The last meeting

At the last meeting (held in October 2013), great attention was paid to the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the baptism of Rus. Important for the church is the Synod decree on the need to continue the tradition of holding solemn events for each anniversary in cooperation with state bodies. authorities. Also at the meeting were discussed the establishment of new dioceses in different regions of the country and the appointment of clergymen to new posts. In addition, clergymen adopted the Regulations on programs related to the education of youth, as well as on missionary and social activities.

The current Synod of the ROC, although not a governing body, still plays a significant role in the life of the church. Its decisions and decisions are binding for execution in all dioceses. The position of the Chief Prosecutor at the moment does not exist. As everyone knows, the church is separated from the state. Therefore, it has no special influence on politics, both internal and external, despite patriarchal rule and modern independence. That is, it is not a public authority.