NEW YORK: 9 December, 2022
A regular session of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia convenes

On Thursday, 8 December 2022, the Leave-taking of the Feast of the Entry of the Most-Holy Theotokos into the Temple, a regular session of the Synod of Bishops convened by video connection, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas of Eastern America and New York, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. Participating in the meeting were His Eminence Metropolitan Mark of Berlin and Germany; His Eminence Archbishop Kyrill of San Francisco and Western America, Secretary; His Eminence Archbishop Gabriel of Montreal and Canada; His Eminence Archbishop Peter of Chicago and Mid-America; His Grace Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe and His Grace Bishop Theodosy of Seattle, Deputy Secretary.

Opening the session, His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas congratulated his fellow participants on the conclusion of the Feast, beseeching divine aid for their forthcoming work. His Eminence also thanked the archpastors for their prayers and their brotherly support.

Accepting the proposed agenda, which had been distributed in advance, the Synod of Bishops heard a report by Archimandrite Roman (Krassovsky), Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Russian Church Abroad.

A report by Bishop Irenei was also presented, during which various matters pertaining to Inter-Orthodox relations were discussed, as were recent events in the Orthodox world.

Metropolitan Mark proposed separately to examine and deliberate on matters pertaining to the life of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is now subjected to persecutions and politically-motivated agitation. The Synod of Bishops expressed its alarm over the aggression and violence directed against the life of the canonical Church on the territory of Ukraine, calling upon all those in positions of authority not to close their eyes but to lift their voices and insist on the reestablishment and observance of the elementary rights and religious freedoms of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onouphry, the archpastors, pastors and many millions who constitute the flock of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Synod of Bishops deliberated on various ecclesio-disciplinary, property and administrative matters, as well as the intercessions of the eminent archpastors for Church awards for their clergymen and parishioners.