Bishops’ Council given information on Patriarch ministry in inter-council period

At the first session of the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the summarized information on the work carried out by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in the inter-council period was given.

Announcing the report, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted, ‘For the last two years I have made 51 visitations to dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church, visiting 43 dioceses including those in Kirgizia and Uzbekistan. Altogether for almost nine years since my election to the Patriarchal see of Moscow I have made 221 trips to 116 dioceses’.

In the inter-council period, there were visits beyond the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, namely, to Cuba, Paraguay, Chile, Brazil, Greece – to Holy Mount Athos; Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and Romania. During the visit to South America, Patriarch Kirill came to Antarctica.

For the two years, visits to the Russian Church were made by ten Primates of Local Orthodox Churches.

His Holiness also had many meetings with leaders of countries in the canonical responsibility of the Moscow Patriarchate and other states and attended a number of major church-wide and international forums.

In the period under consideration, the Holy Synod assembled 12 times, and the Supreme Church Council held 12 meetings. In the inter-council period, a plenary session of the Inter-Council Presence and several meetings of its presidium were held.

From February 2016 to today, there were 31 episcopal consecrations. The episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church consists of 377 hierarchs, which is 23 more than as of February 1, 2016, and 177 more than as of the beginning of 2009. Today there are 293 ruling bishops, that is, 11 more that in the beginning of 2016 and 114 more than in 2009.