Russian Orthodox Holy Synod Meets in Kiev to Create Dioceses, Elect Bishops

Following the arrival of Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow yesterday in Kiev a session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was convened at the Kiev Caves Lavra under his chairmanship. Participating in the meeting were Metropolitans Volodymyr (Sabodan) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Vladimir (Kotlyarov) of St. Petersburg, Philaret (Vakhromeyev) of the Belorussian Orthodox Church, Yuvenaliy (Poyarkov) of Krutitsa, Vladimir (Canterean) of the Moldovan Orthodox Church, Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Volokolamsk, Ioannikiy (Kobzyev) of Luhansk, and Varsonofiy (Sudakov) of Saransk; Archbishops Feofan (Galinskiy) of Berlin, Manuil (Pavlov) of Petrozavodsk, Iona (Karpukhin) of Astrakhan, and Rostislav (Dyevyatov) of Tomsk.

During its session the Holy Synod reviewed the recent pastoral travels of Patriarch Kirill as well as the decisions of the Jubilee Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It also established a metropolitanate for the Orthodox Church in Central Asia, uniting within its care the existing Eparchy of Tashkent, the newly erected Eparchies of Bishkek and Dushanbe erected during the same session, and the patriarchal deanery of Turkmenistan. Archbishop Vikentiy (Morar') of Yekaterinburg was then elected Metropolitan of Tashkent and Central Asia.

New dioceses were established in the Russian Far East, the Urals, and southern Russia. In Primorye the Eparchies of Nakhodka and Arsen'ev were created out of the Eparchy of Vladivostok, with Igumen Nikolai (Dutki) being elected Bishop of Nakhodka. (Archbishop Venyamin of Vladivostok was designated locum tenens of the Eparchy of Arsen'ev for the time being.) In the Urals the Eparchies of Kamensk and Nizhniy Tagil were erected on the territory of the Eparchy of Yekaterinburg, with Archimandrite Innokentiy (Yakovlev) and Igumen Serafim (Kuzminov) being elected as Bishops of Nizhniy Tagil and Kamensk respectively. And lastly, in southern Russia the Eparchies of Shakhty and Volgodonsk were created out of the Eparchy of Rostov-na-Donu, with Archimandrite Korniliy (Sinnyayev) and Igumen Ignatiy (Deputatov) being elected Bishops of Volgodonsk and Shakhty respectively.

The Holy Synod also accepted the retirement of Metropolitan Feodosiy of Omsk and elected Metropolitan Vladimir (Ichim) of Tashkent as Metropolitan of Omsk, Archbishop Cyril of Yaroslavl as Archbishop of Yekaterinburg, Archbishop Panteleimon of Rostov as Archbishop of Yaroslavl, and patriarchal auxiliary Bishop Mercurius of Zaraisk as Bishop of Rostov. Responding to requests from Metropolitan Sergey of Voronezh and Archbishops Viktor of Tver and Nikon of Uga, the Holy Synod elected Archimandrites Andrei (Tarasov), Adrian (Ulyanov) and Nikolai (Subbotin) as Bishops of Ostrog, Bezhetsk, and Birsk to serve as auxiliaries of the Eparchies of Voronezh, Tver, and Ufa respectively.

More (in Russian) on the Holy Synod's meeting today and the decisions it took can be found here and here.