Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church
1. The Holy Synod, headed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (or the Locum Tenens), shall be the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between the Bishops’ Councils.
2. The Holy Synod shall be responsible to the Bishops’ Council and through the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall submit to it the report of its activities in the period between the Councils.
3. The Holy Synod shall consist of the Chairman – the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (or the Locum Tenens), seven permanent members and six temporary members from among the diocesan bishops.
4. The permanent members of the Holy Synod shall be: Metropolitans of Kiev and All Ukraine; of St.Petersburg and Ladoga; of Krutitsy and Kolomna; of Minsk and Slutsk, Patriarchal Exarch of All Byelorussia; of Kishinev and All Moldova; the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations and the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate ex officio.
5. The temporary members shall be summoned to attend one session according to the seniority of bishops’ consecration, one from each group, into which the dioceses shall be divided. A bishop cannot be summoned to the Holy Synod before two years of his administration of the diocese have passed.
6. The synodal year is divided into two sessions: the summer session (March-August) and the winter session (September-February).
7. The Diocesan Bishops, the heads of the Synodal departments and rectors of the Theological academies may attend the sessions of the Holy Synod with the right of advisory vote, when the matters are considered which pertain to the dioceses, institutions and schools under their administration or to their church ‘obedience’ in general.
8. The participation of the permanent and temporary members of the Holy Synod in its sessions shall be their canonical duty. The members of the Synod absent without valid reasons shall be brotherly admonished.
9. In exceptional cases the quorum of the Synod shall be 2/3 of the membership.
10. The sessions of the Holy Synod shall be convened by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (or the Locum Tenens).
11. As a rule the sessions of the Holy Synod shall be closed ones. The members of the Synod shall be seated according to the protocol adopted in the Russian Orthodox Church.
12. The Synod shall work on the basis of the agenda, submitted by the Chairman and approved by the Synod in the beginning of the first session. The Chairman shall send matters, which demand preliminary studies, to the members of the Synod in advance. The members of the Synod can submit proposals on the agenda and raise questions provided the Chairman is notified beforehand.
13. The Chairman shall guide the sessions in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.
14. In the event the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia cannot on certain reason temporarily execute his duties of chairing the Synod, the duties of the Chairman shall be executed by the senior by consecration permanent member of the Synod. The temporary member of the Synod shall not be the canonical Locum Tenens.
15. The Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate shall be the Secretary of the Holy Synod. The Secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of necessary materials for the Synod and for keeping the minutes of the sessions.
16. The problems in the Holy Synod shall be solved by general consensus of all members participating in the session or by the majority vote. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote.
17. None of those present in the Holy Synod can abstain from voting.
18. All members of the Synod in case of disagreement with the taken decision can submit their individual opinion, which they must announce at the same session and expound their arguments in the written form not later than three days after the date of the session. Individual opinions shall be attached to the minutes, but the solution of the matter shall not be postponed.
19. The Chairman shall not be eligible to withdraw the matters proposed for the agenda by his own authority, prevent their solution or suspend the implementation of such decisions.
20. In the event the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia recognises that the taken decision will not bring benefit and good to the Church, he shall make a protest. The protest must be made at the same session and then presented in the written form within seven days. On the expiry of this term the Holy Synod shall consider the matter again. In the event the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia does not find it possible to agree with a new decision, it shall be suspended and submitted to the Bishops’ Council for consideration. If it is impossible to postpone the consideration of the matter and the decision must be taken immediately, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia shall use his own discretion. The decision taken in this manner shall be submitted to the Extraordinary Bishops’ Council for consideration, on which the final solution of the matter shall depend.
21. When the Holy Synod considers the matter presented on the complaint lodged against the members of the Synod, the person concerned can be present at the session and give explanations, but the accused member of the Synod must leave the hall, where the session is held, when a decision is being taken. When a complaint lodged against the Chairman is considered, he shall delegate the chairmanship to the senior by consecration bishop from among the permanent members of the Synod.
22. All minutes and decisions of the Holy Synod shall be signed first by the Chairman, and then by all members present at the session, even in the event some of them have not agreed with the taken decision and have submitted their individual opinion.
23. The decisions of the Holy Synod shall become effective upon their signing and are not liable to reconsideration, except the cases, on which the new data have been presented, which change the heart of the matter.
24. The Chairman of the Holy Synod shall exercise the supreme supervision over the precise implementation of the taken decisions.
25. In exercising its duties the Holy Synod shall:
a) care for the sound preservation and interpretation of the Orthodox faith and the norms of Christian morals and piety;
b) minister to the internal unity of the Russian Orthodox Church;
c) maintain unity with other Orthodox Churches;
d) organize the internal and external activity of the Church and the solution of the matters of general church importance pertaining to it;
e) interpret the canonical decisions and the resolution of difficulties pertaining to their implementation;
f) regulate liturgical matters;
g) issue disciplinary regulations, which concern the clergymen, monastics and church workers;
h) evaluate the most important events in the field of the interchurch, inter-confessional and interreligious relations;
i) maintain the interconfessional and interreligious relations both on the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchate and outside it;
j) coordinate the actions of the Pleroma of the Russian Orthodox Church in its efforts to reach peace and justice;
k) express pastoral concern for social problems;
l) address special messages to all the faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church;
m) maintain proper relations between the Church and the state in compliance with the present Statute and with the acting legislation;
n) approve the Statutes of the Self-governing Churches and Exarchates;
o) adopt the civil statutes of the Russian Orthodox Church and its canonical units, and introduce alterations and additions to them;
p) approve the minutes of the Synods of the Exarchates;
q) solve the matters pertaining to the establishment or dissolution of the canonical units of the Russian Orthodox Church in the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod with subsequent approval at the Bishops’ Council;
r) establish the order of ownership, use and disposal of the buildings and property of the Russian Orthodox Church;
s) approve the decisions of the General church court.
26. The Holy Synod shall:
a) elect and appoint bishops and in exceptional cases transfer and retire them;
b) summon bishops to the sessions of the Synod;
c) consider the reports by the bishops on the situation in the dioceses and take decisions on the reports;
d) inspect through the members of the Synod the activity of the bishops any time when considers it necessary;
e) determine the salary of the bishops.
27. The Holy Synod shall appoint:
a) the heads of the Synodal institutions and their deputies on the presentation from them;
b) the rectors of the Theological Academies and Seminaries, father superiors (mother superiors) and abbots of the monasteries;
c) bishops, clergy and laity for responsible work abroad.
28. The Holy Synod can set up commissions or other working bodies for taking care of:
a) the solution of the important theological problems pertaining to the internal and external activity of the Church;
b) the preservation of the text of the Holy Scriptures, its translation and publication;
c) the preservation of the texts of the liturgical books, their emending, editing and publishing;
d) the canonization of the saints;
e) the publication of the compilations of the holy canons, text books and educational aids for the Theological educational institutions, theological literature, official periodicals and other pertinent literature;
f) the improvement of theological, spiritual and moral training of clergy and the activity of the Theological educational institutions;
g) mission, catechization and religious education;
h) the situation with religious education;
i) the problems of the monasteries and monastics;
j) the works of charity and social ministry;
k) the proper state of affairs in the field of church architecture, icon-painting, singing and applied arts;
l) the church monuments and antiquities in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church;
m) the production of church utilities, candles, vestments and all other necessary items for maintaining the liturgical tradition, beauty and good order in the churches;
n) the pensions for the clergy and church workers;
o) the solution of economic problems.
29. In its guidance of the Synodal institutions the Holy Synod shall:
a) approve the regulations on their activity;
b) approve annual plans of the work of the Synodal institutions and receive reports from them;
c) take decisions on the most important aspects of the current work of the Synodal institutions;
d) in case of necessity make inspection of these institutions.
30. The Holy Synod shall approve the general church plan of expenditures, consider the estimates of the Synodal institutions, the Theological educational institutions and the appropriate financial reports.
31. In its care for the dioceses, monasteries and the Theological educational institutions the Holy Synod shall:
a) establish and dissolve the dioceses and change its boundaries and names with subsequent approval by the Bishops’ Council;
b) adopt standard regulations for the diocesan institutions;
c) approve the statutes of the monasteries and carry out general supervision over monastic life;
d) establish the stavropegic monasteries;
e) on the presentation from the Education Committee approve the statutes and curricula of the Theological educational institutions, curricula of the Theological Seminaries and establish new departments in the Theological Academies;
f) see to that the activity of all bodies of church authority in the dioceses, deaneries and parishes be carried out in conformity with the regulations of the law;
g) in case of necessity make inspections.
32. The Holy Synod shall make judgement on disputes in connection with the interpretation of the present Statute.
