Russian Orthodox Holy Synod Creates 10 Regional Metropolias, 13 New Dioceses

This is a little dated, but as I couldn't find any specifics on the recent fall session of the Holy Synod I thought I would post some here.

At the fall session of the Russian Orthodox Holy Synod earlier this month the Holy Synod decided to create a number of new eparchies for the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia and Kazakhstan. In European Russia the Holy Synod established the Eparchies of Balashov, Buzuluk, Kasimov, Orsk, Pokrovsk-Engels, and Skopin; in Siberia the Eparchies of the Amur (with its seat at Komsomolsk-na-Amure in Khabarovsk Territory), Bratsk, Kyzyl (for the Orthodox Church in Tyva), and Sayansk; and in Kazakhstan the Eparchies of Kokshetau, Petropavlovsk, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. In addition to the thirteen new eparchies it established the Holy Synod also approved the creation of ten regional metropolitanates for the Orthodox Church in Mordovia, the Irkutsk, Orenburg, Rostov-na-Donu, Ryazan, Saratov, and Sverdlovsk Regions, and the Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, and Primorye Territories.

Following its decisions on the diocesan structures of the Church the Holy Synod transferred Archbishops Panteleimon of Orlov to the Eparchy of Krasnoyarsk, Anthony of Krasnoyarsk to the Eparchy of Orlov, and Gabriel of Blagoveshchensk to the Eparchy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Bishop Guriy of Magadan to the Eparchy of Petropavlovsk. It also elected Archimandrite Lukian (Kutsenko) as Bishop of Lodeynoye Pole and auxiliary of the Eparchy of St. Petersburg, Archimandrite Ioann (Pavlikhin) as Bishop of Magadan, Igumen Veniamin (Kirillov) as Bishop of Ardatov, Igumen Feofan (Kim) as Bishop of Kyzyl and Tyva, Igumen Ireney (Tafun) as Bishop of Orsk, Igumen Stefan (Gordeyev) as Bishop of Alatyr and auxiliary of the Eparchy of Cheboksary, Igumen Feodosiy (Gazh) as Bishop of Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan, Igumen Dionisiy (Poruba) as Bishop of Kasimov, Igumen Taras (Vladimirov) as Bishop of Balashov, Igumen Pakhomiy (Bruskov) as Bishop of Pokrovsk, Igumen Artisarkh (Yatsurin) as Bishop of the Amur, Igumen Yefraim (Prosyanka) as Bishop of Nikolayev and auxiliary of the Eparchy of Khabarovsk, Igumen Maksimilian (Klyuyev) as Bishop of Bratsk, Hieromonk Nikolai (Pogrebnyak) as Bishop of Balashikha and auxiliary of the Eparchy of Moscow, Hieromonk Guriy (Fedorov) as Bishop of Arsenev, and Hieromonk Vladimir (Samokhin) as Bishop of Skopin.

Lastly, in addition to dealing with other matters the Holy Synod also resolved to petition the next session of the Hierarchical Council of the Russian Orthodox Church (consisting of all the metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops of the Church) to designate the Metropolitans of Astana and Tashkent as permanent members of the Holy Synod due to their leadership of the Orthodox Churches in Kazakhstan and Central Asia respectively.

A full account of the Holy Synod's recent session can be found here.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Consecrates Tyvan Cathedral, Meets with Kamby Lama

As part of his recent pastoral visit to Siberia Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) of Moscow visited the Republic of Tyva, where he consecrated the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kyzyl, the Tyvan capital, and received a copy of a translation of the Bible into the Tyvan language. During his time in the republic, the first by a head of the Russian Orthodox Church to Tyva, Patriarch Kirill also met with the leader of the Tyva's large Buddhist community, the Kamby Lama. More (in Russian) here and here.

Tyvan-Language Bible to be Released

In connection with the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Tyva the Russian Orthodox Church is releasing the first full translation of the Bible into the Tyvan language. More (in Russian) here.

Next Dalai Lama from India or Russia?

The Dalai Lama has stated that his successor may well be from one of the Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation (Kalmykia, Tyva, et cetera) and may even be a woman. More here.