Regular Session of the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate is Held

On April 20, 2005, a regular session of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate was held. Heard among the reports on the internal life and external activities of the Moscow Patriarchate was that of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy on the bringing of the relics of New Martyrs Elizaveta and Varvara to Russia. On this matter, the Holy Synod made the following resolution:

"1. To thank God for His all-generous mercy brought upon the Russian Orthodox Church through the visit to her territories of the relics of these Holy New Martyrs.

"2. To mark with great satisfaction the positive significance of the travels of the relics in the edification of the faith of the peoples nourished by the Russian Orthodox Church.

"3. To thank His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus of Eastern America and New York and the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia for the good will they shown and to express hope that the travels of the relics of these Holy New Martyrs will be a step upon the path of further rapprochement between the two parts of the single Church of Christ.

"4. To thank the organizers of this event [that is, the Fund of St Andrew the First-called—Ed.] for their labors."

The following decision was rendered following the report of Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad on the fourth joint session of the Committees of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate:

"1. To approve the documents drafted during the fourth joint session of the committees.

"2. To approve the publication of the documents already approved by the Hierarchies of the Moscow Patriarchate and of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia in accordance with the joint proposals of the Committees."

The documents adopted at the last session of the Church Committees and approved by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate, and also materials from the Pre-Council Committee preparing the 4th All-Diaspora Council, will be considered at the spring session of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, scheduled be held in Munich on May 23-25, 2005.