Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church
1. The Russian Orthodox Church shall be divided into dioceses – local churches governed by the bishop and uniting the diocesan institutions, deaneries, parishes, monasteries, church representations, theological educational institutions, brotherhoods, sisterhoods and missions.
2. The Diocese shall be established by the decision of the Holy Synod with subsequent approval by the Bishops’ Council.
3. The boundaries of the dioceses shall be determined by the Holy Synod.
4. Each diocese shall have the bodies of diocesan administration acting in the framework determined by the canons and the present Statute.
5. Necessary institutions can be established in the dioceses to meet church needs. Their activities shall be regulated by the Regulations (Statutes) approved by the Holy Synod.
1. The Diocesan Bishop
6. The Diocesan Bishop, in succession of the authority from the holy apostles, shall be the primate of the local church – the diocese and shall canonically rule it with conciliar assistance of the clergymen and laymen.
7. The Diocesan Bishop shall be elected by the Holy Synod and receive the appropriate decree from the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
8. If need be, the Holy Synod shall appoint vicar bishops to assist the Diocesan Bishop with their range of competence at the discretion of the Diocesan Bishop.
9. The bishops shall have the title with the name of the cathedral city. The bishops’ titles shall be determined by the Holy Synod.
10. The candidates for the office of bishop shall be elected from among the monastics or unmarried white clergy with obligatory taking of monastic vows. The candidates’ age shall be not less then 30 years. The candidate must satisfy the high rank of a bishop by his moral qualifications and have theological education.
11. The Bishops shall enjoy the fullness of hierarchal authority in the matters of doctrine, religious rites and pastoral care.
12. The Diocesan Bishop shall ordain clergymen and appoint them to the place of their ministry, appoint all workers of the diocesan institutions and give his blessing to monastic profession.
13. The Diocesan Bishop shall have the right to accept clergymen from other dioceses into his diocese, if they have release documents, and the right to release the clergymen to other dioceses and present their personal dossiers and release documents at the request of the bishops.
14. No decision of the bodies of the diocesan administration can be implemented without the consent of the Diocesan Bishop.
15. The Diocesan Bishop can issue archpastoral letters to the clergymen and laymen within his diocese.
16. The Diocesan Bishop shall be obliged to submit an annual report in the prescribed form about the religious, administrative, financial and economic state of the diocese and his own activities to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
17. The Diocesan Bishop shall be a plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Orthodox Church before the appropriate bodies of state authority and administration in the matters, which concern his diocese.
18. In governing the diocese the Bishop shall:
a) take care for the preservation of the faith, Christian morality and piety;
b) supervise the correct celebration of the divine services and preservation of church beauty;
c) be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of the present Statute, the decisions of the Councils and of the Holy Synod;
d) convene the Diocesan Assembly and the Diocesan Council and chair them;
e) exercise the right of ‘veto’ on the decisions of the Diocesan Assembly with subsequent submission of the matter to the Holy Synod for consideration;
f) approve the civil statutes of the parishes, monasteries, church representations and other canonical units, which comprise the diocese;
g) in accordance with the canons visit the parishes in his diocese and exercise control over their activities directly or through his plenipotentiary representatives;
h) have the higher authoritative supervision for the diocesan institutions and monasteries in his diocese;
i) supervise the activities of the diocesan clergymen;
j) appoint rectors, parish priests and other clergymen;
k) submit for the approval by the Holy Synod the names of the rectors of the Theological educational institutions, father superiors (mother superiors) and abbots of the monasteries in the diocese;
l) approve the composition of the Parish meetings;
m) partly or fully change the composition of the Parish meeting, if the members of the Parish meeting deviate from canonical rules and regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church;
n) take a decision on the convocation of the Parish meeting;
o) approve the candidatures for the chairmen of the Parish councils and the Auditing commissions;
p) withdraw members from the Parish councils, who violate canonical norms and statutes of the parishes;
q) approve financial and other reports of the Parish councils and reports of the Auditing commissions of the parishes;
r) approve the candidates for the chairmen of the Parish councils elected by the Parish meetings and dismiss them from their positions, if they violate canonical norms and the statute of the Parish;
s) approve the minutes of the Parish meetings;
t) give leave to the clergy;
u) care for the improvement of the spiritual and moral state of the clergy and for the enhancement of the level of their education;
v) care for the training of the clergymen and church servants and for this objective send the worthy candidates to the Theological educational institutions;
w) supervise church sermons;
x) petition the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for the awarding worthy clergymen and laymen with appropriate awards and himself confer the awards upon them in the prescribed manner;
y) give his blessing to the establishment of new parishes;
z) give his blessing to the construction and repair of the churches, prayer houses and chapels and take care for their exterior and interior decoration to be in line with the Orthodox church tradition;
1) consecrate churches;
2) care for the state of church singing, icon-painting and applied church arts;
3) intercede before the bodies of state authority and administration for the return to the diocese of the churches, other buildings and constructions destined for ecclesiastical purposes;
4) solve the matters of ownership, use and disposal of the property of the diocese;
5) dispose of the financial assets of the diocese, and on its behalf conclude agreements, give powers of attorney and open accounts in banks;
z6) exercise control for religious, administrative and financial activities of the dioceses, monasteries, educational institutions and other units of the diocese;
z7) issue his executive and managerial acts on all matters of the life and activities of the diocese;
z8) confirm the belonging to his diocese of all parishes, monasteries and other canonical units of the diocese located on its territory;
z9) directly or through the appropriate diocesan institutions care for:
- works of charity and social ministry;
- provision of the parishes with all objects necessary for celebrating divine services;
- meeting other ecclesiastical needs.
19. In supervising canonical order and church discipline the Diocesan Bishop shall:
a) have the right of fatherly influence on the clergymen and incur penalty upon them, including punishment by reprimand, dismissal from the occupied position and temporary suspension;
b) admonish laymen and, if need be, impose punishments upon them or temporarily excommunicate them; submit grave misdemeanours to the consideration of the ecclesiastical court;
c) approve the punishment imposed by the ecclesiastical court and have the right of mitigation;
d) in accordance with the canons solve the problems pertaining to church marriages and divorces.
20. A vacant diocese shall be temporarily governed by the bishop appointed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. During the period of vacancy of the episcopal see no business shall be conducted pertaining to the re-organization of the diocesan life and no changes in the work begun in the period of governance of the previous bishop shall be made.
21. In the event the diocese is vacant, the ruling bishop is transferred or retired, the Diocesan Council shall set up a commission, which shall proceed to the auditing of the diocesan property and shall draw up an appropriate act of transference of the diocese to the newly-appointed bishop.
22. The church property, which belonged to the bishop in virtue of his rank and office and which is in the official bishop’s residence shall be put into the inventory book of the diocese after his death and shall be passed over to it. The personal property of the deceased bishop shall be inherited in accordance with the acting laws.
23. The diocese cannot remain vacant for more than forty days, except in special cases, when there are sufficient reasons to prolong the vacancy.
24. The Diocesan Bishops shall have the right to leave their dioceses on valid reasons for not more than 14 days without preliminary permission from the highest church authorities. If the absence is planned for more than 14 days, the bishops shall ask for the permission in the prescribed manner.
25. The Holy Synod shall determine the maintenance of the diocesan bishops. Upon retirement they will be given bishops’ pension, the size of which shall be determined by the Holy Synod.
26. When the bishop is 75, he shall submit his petition for retirement to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
2. The Diocesan Assembly
27. The Diocesan Assembly headed by the Diocesan Bishop shall be the governing body of the diocese and shall be composed of the clergymen, monastics and laymen living on the territory of the diocese and representing the canonical units in the composition of the diocese.
28. The Diocesan Assembly shall be convened by the Diocesan Bishop at his discretion but no less than once a year, and also by the decision of the Diocesan Council or on the demand of no less than 1/3 of the members of the previous Diocesan Assembly.
The procedure of convening the members of the Diocesan Assembly shall be established by the Diocesan Council.
29 The Diocesan Assembly shall:
a) elect delegates to the Local Council;
b) elect members of the Diocesan Council and the Diocesan Court;
c) establish necessary diocesan institutions and care for their financial maintenance;
d) work out general diocesan rules and regulations in accordance with the resolutions of the Councils and the decisions of the Holy Synod;
e) supervise the diocesan life;
f) hear the reports on the state of affairs in the diocese, on the work of the diocesan institutions, on the life of the monasteries and other canonical units in composition of the diocese, and take decision upon these reports.
30. The Diocesan Assembly shall be chaired by the Diocesan Bishop. The Diocesan Assembly shall elect the deputy chairman and the secretary. The deputy chairman can guide the Assembly if so instructed by the Chairman. The secretary shall be responsible for the minutes of the Diocesan Assembly.
31. The quorum of the Assembly shall be the majority (more than a half) of its members. The decisions shall be taken by the majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote.
32. The Diocesan Assembly shall work in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.
33. The minutes of the Diocesan Assembly shall be signed by the Chairman, his deputy, the secretary and two members of the Assembly elected to do it.
3. The Diocesan Council
34. The Diocesan Council headed by the Diocesan Bishop shall be the governing body of the diocese.
The Diocesan Council shall be formed with the blessing of the Diocesan Bishop and shall consist of no less than four persons.
35. If the members of the Diocesan Council violate the doctrinal, canonical or moral norms of the Orthodox Church and if they stand trial in the ecclesiastical court or are under investigation, they shall be dismissed from their office by the decision of the Diocesan Bishop.
36. The Diocesan Bishop shall be the Chairman of the Diocesan Council.
37. The Diocesan Council shall meet regularly, but not less than once in six months.
38. The quorum of the Diocesan Council shall be the majority of its members.
39. The Diocesan Council shall work on the basis of the agenda presented by the Chairman.
40. The Chairman shall guide the sessions in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.
41. The Bishop shall appoint the secretary of the Diocesan Council from among its members. The secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of the necessary materials and for keeping the minutes.
42. In the event that disagreements appear concerning the matter under consideration, the matter shall be solved by the majority of votes. In the event of a tie, the Chairman shall cast the deciding vote.
43. The minutes of the sessions of the Diocesan Council shall be signed by all its members.
44. In accordance with the instructions of the Diocesan Bishop, the Diocesan Council shall:
a) carry out the decisions of the Diocesan Council pertaining to the Council’s competition and shall account to it about the work done;
b) establish the procedure of the election of the members of the Diocesan Assembly;
c) prepare the meetings of the Diocesan Assembly, including the proposals on the agenda;
d) submit its annual reports to the Diocesan Assembly;
e) consider matters pertaining to the opening of the parishes, deaneries, monasteries, objects of the industrial and economic activities, the governing bodies and other units of the diocese;
f) take care for the raising of means to meet the material needs of the diocese, and, if necessary, of the parishes;
g) determine the boundaries of the deaneries and the parishes;
h) consider the reports of the deans and take appropriate decisions;
i) supervise the activities of the Parish Councils;
j) consider the plans of construction, capital repairs and restoration of the churches;
k) take stock and take measures for the safety of the property of the Russian Orthodox Church: churches, prayer houses, chapels, monasteries, Theological educational institutions and other units of the Diocese, as well as the property of the Diocese;
l) within its competence solve matters pertaining to the ownership, use and disposal of the property of the parishes, monasteries and other canonical units of the diocese. The immovable property of the canonical units in the composition of the Diocese, namely, buildings, structures and plots of land can be alienated only on the basis of the decision of the Diocesan Council;
m) conduct inspection of the diocesan institutions;
n) take care for the material maintenance of supernumerary clergymen and church workers;
o) discuss the preparatory work for the jubilees, general diocesan celebrations and other important events;
p) solve any other matters, which the Diocesan Bishop refers to the Diocesan Council to take decision or consider them with the purpose of giving him necessary recommendations;
q) consider the matters of liturgical practice and church discipline.
4. The Diocesan Administrations and other Diocesan Institutions
45. The Diocesan Administration shall be an executive and managerial body of the diocese under direct guidance of the Diocesan Bishop, and together with other Diocesan institutions shall assist the Bishop in exercising his executive authority.
46. The Bishop shall exercise the highest authoritative supervision over the work of the Diocesan Administration and all Diocesan institutions and shall appoint their staff in accordance with the list of members of staff.
47. The activity of the Diocesan Administrations and of other Diocesan institutions shall be regulated by the Regulations (Statutes) approved by the Synod and also by the Bishop’s instructions.
48. All Diocesan Administrations must have a chancery, an accounting department and other pertinent departments, which shall provide for missionary, publishing, social and charitable, educational, restoration, constructions, economic and other kinds of activities of the Diocese.
49. The Secretary of the Diocesan Administration shall be responsible for the office work of the Diocese and within the competence determined by the Diocesan Bishop shall assist him in the governance of the Diocese and in guidance of the Diocesan Administration.
5. The Deaneries
50. The Diocese shall be divided into Deaneries headed by the Deans appointed by the Diocesan Bishop.
51. The boundaries of the Deaneries and their names shall be determined by the Diocesan Council.
52. The responsibilities of the Dean shall include:
a) care for the purity of the Orthodox faith and decent church and moral education of the believers;
b) supervision over the correct and regular celebration of the divine services, the beauty and decent order in the churches and the state of church sermon;
c) care for the carrying out of the resolutions and instructions of the Diocesan Authority;
d) care for the timely revenue return of the collections from the parishes;
e) giving counsel to the clergymen concerning the discharge of their duties and their personal life;
f) clearing up misunderstandings among clergymen and also among clergymen and laymen without formal legal proceedings but with reporting the most notable incidents to the ruling bishop;
g) preliminary inquiry into the church offences along the lines laid down by the ruling bishop;
h) petitioning the bishop for awarding worthy clergymen and laymen;
i) making suggestions to the ruling bishop for filling vacant offices of priests, deacons, psalm-readers and precentors;
j) care for the meeting of religious needs of the believers in the parishes, which are temporarily without priests;
k) supervision over construction and repair works of the church buildings within the Deanery;
l) care for the availability of all objects necessary for the correct celebration of the divine services and normal office work in the parish;
m) fulfilment of other duties placed upon him by the bishop.
53. In discharging his duties the Dean shall visit at least once a year all parishes of his deanery to inspect the liturgical life, interior and exterior of the churches and other church buildings as well as the regularity of the conduct of church affairs and church archives and to study the religious and moral state of the parishioners.
54. The Dean can hold sessions of the Parish meeting upon commission of the Diocesan Bishop or request of the Rector or the Parish meeting.
55. With the blessing of the Diocesan Bishop the Rector can summon the priests for fraternal meetings to consider church needs common for the Deanery.
56. The Dean shall submit annual reports to the Diocesan Bishop on the state of affairs in the Deanery and on his own work in the prescribed manner.
57. The Dean can maintain a chancery, the workers of which shall be appointed by the Dean with the consent of the Diocesan Bishop.
58. The work of the Dean shall be financed from the means of the parish which he heads and, if necessary, from the general diocesan means.
