Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church
1. The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church shall have the title of ‘His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia’.
2. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall have primacy in honour among the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church and shall be accountable to the Local and Bishops’ Councils.
3. The name of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall be mentioned during the divine services in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church with the following wording: ‘For our Great Lord and Father (name), His Holiness the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia’.
4. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall take care for the internal and external welfare of the Russian Orthodox Church and shall govern it together with the Holy Synod as its chairman.
5. The relations between the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod shall be determined by Canon 34 of the Holy Apostles and Canon 9 of the Council of Antioch in accordance with accepted Orthodox tradition.
6. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, together with the Holy Synod shall convene Bishops’ Councils and in exceptional cases the Local Councils and shall preside at them. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall also convene the sessions of the Holy Synod.
7. In exercising his canonical authority, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall:
a) be responsible for the implementation of the decisions of the Councils and the Holy Synod;
b) submit to the Councils the reports on the situation in the Russian Orthodox Church for the period between the Councils;
c) uphold the unity of the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church;
d) exercise authoritative supervision over all Synodal departments;
e) address the Pleroma of the Russian Orthodox Church with pastoral messages;
f) sign the general church documents after their appropriate approval by the Holy Synod;
g) exercise the executive and instructive authority in governing the Moscow Patriarchate;
h) communicate with the Primates of the Orthodox Churches in compliance with the decisions of the Councils or the Holy Synod, as well as on his own behalf;
i) represent the Russian Orthodox Church in its relations with the highest bodies of the state authority and administration;
j) have the duty of petitioning and interceding before the bodies of the state power both on the canonical territory and outside it;
k) approve the statutes of the Self-governing Churches, the Exarchates and the Dioceses;
l) receive the appeals from the diocesan bishops of the Self-governing Churches;
m) issue decrees on the election and appointment of the diocesan bishops, the heads of the Synodal departments, the vicar bishops, the rectors of the Theological schools and other officials appointed by the Holy Synod;
n) take care for the timely replacement of the episcopal sees;
o) entrust the bishops with temporal administration of the diocese in case the diocesan bishops are ill for a long time, die or stand trial in the ecclesiastical court;
p) supervise the exercising by the bishops of their archpastoral duty in taking care for the dioceses;
q) have the right to visit in necessary cases all dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church (canon 34 of the Holy Apostles; canon 9 of the Council of Antioch, Council of Carthage 52 (63);
r) give fraternal advice to the bishops pertaining both to their personal life and the exercise of their archpastoral duty. In the event they do not heed to his advice, he shall propose the Holy Synod to make an appropriate decision;
s) take to consideration the matters pertaining to the disagreements among the bishops, who voluntarily ask for his mediation without formal legal proceedings. The decision of the Patriarch in such cases shall be binding for both parties;
t) receive complaints concerning the bishops and set them in appropriate motion;
u) allow the bishops leave for more than 14 days;
v) award the bishops with the established titles and higher church distinctions;
w) award the clergy and laity with church awards;
x) approve the awarding of scholarly degrees and ranks;
y) take care for the timely production and consecration of the holy myrrh for general church needs.
8. External distinguishing signs of the Patriarchal dignity shall be a white kukol, a green mantle, two panagias, a great paraman and a cross carried before him in procession.
9. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall be the diocesan bishop of the Moscow diocese, which includes Moscow and the Moscow region.
The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall be assisted in the administration of the Moscow diocese by the Patriarchal Deputy with the right of a diocesan bishop with the title of Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna.
The territorial boundaries of the governance exercised by the Patriarchal Deputy with the right of a diocesan bishop shall be determined by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
10. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall be a holy archimandrite of the Laura of the Holy Trinity and St.Sergius and of a number of the Moscow monasteries of particular historical importance and shall govern all the stavropegic monasteries.
The formation of the stavropegic monasteries and church representations in the Moscow diocese shall be carried out according to the Decrees of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
11. The rank of Patriarch shall be for life.
12. The right of judgement on the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia as well as the decision on his retirement shall belong to the Bishops’ Council.
13. In the event of the demise of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, his retirement, his standing trial at the ecclesiastical court or on any other reason, which makes his execution of his Patriarchal office impossible, the Holy Synod under the chairmanship of the eldest by consecration permanent member of the Holy Synod shall immediately elect the Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal throne from among its permanent members.
The procedure of the election of the Locum Tenens shall be established by the Holy Synod.
14. The church property owned by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in virtue of his position and office, shall be the property of the Russian Orthodox Church. The personal property of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall be inherited in accordance with the law.
15. In the period between the Patriarchal tenure:
a) the Russian Orthodox Church shall be governed by the Holy Synod chaired by the Locum Tenens;
b) the name of the Locum Tenens shall be mentioned at the divine services in all churches of the Russian Orthodox Church;
c) the Locum Tenens shall discharge the duties of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia as they are stipulated in section IV,7, of the present Statute, except v);
d) the Metropolitan of Krutitsy and Kolomna shall govern the Moscow diocese independently.
16. No later than six months after the Patriarchal throne becomes vacant, the Locum Tenens and the Holy Synod in the order prescribed by II, 2 of the present Statute shall convene the Local Council to elect a new Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
17. A candidate to the Patriarchal office must meet the following requirements:
a) be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church;
b) have higher theological education, sufficient experience in diocesan administration, to be distinguished by his adherence to canon law and order;
c) enjoy a good reputation and confidence of the bishops, clergy and the people;
d) ‘be well thought of by outsiders’ (1 Tim.3:7);
e) be not younger than 40 years old.
