Moscow, May 16, 2024.
On May 16, 2024, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia visited the Novodevichy Stavropigial Nunnery in Moscow, Patriarchy.ru reported.
The Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church accompanied by Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna, Patriarchal Vicar of the Moscow Metropolis, Abbess Margaret (Feoktistova), Abbess of the Novodevichy Convent, Archpriest Dionisy Kazantsev, Secretary of His Holiness the Patriarch for the Moscow Region, Head of the Legal Service of the Moscow Metropolis, Director of the Moscow Metropolis Charitable Foundation for the Restoration of Destroyed Sanctuaries, and member of the Committee for the Celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Novodevichy Monastery, Priest Vasily Losev familiarized himself with the progress of repair and restoration work being carried out at the Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow Region. In connection with the 500th anniversary of the monastery.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in particular, visited the restored church of St. Ambrose of Mediola and familiarized himself with the work in the Treasury Chambers.
Under the chairmanship of His Holiness in the Patriarchal residence of the head of the Moscow Metropolis in the Novodevichy Monastery, a regular meeting of the Council of Bishops of the Moscow Metropolis was held.
The meeting was attended by: Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna; Metropolitan Grigory of Voskresensk, manager of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Thomas of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate; Archbishop Aksii of Podolsk and Lyubertsy, Secretary of the Council of Bishops of the Moscow Metropolis; Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha and Orekhovo-Zuevsky; Bishop Kirill of Sergievo-Posad and Dmitrov, Vicar of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.
The following were also invited to the meeting: Archpriest Dionisy Kazantsev, Secretary of the Holy Patriarch for Moscow Region; Priest Vasily Losev, head of the Legal Service of the Moscow Metropolis.
His Holiness addressed the participants of the meeting with welcoming remarks and announced the agenda, which included the following items:
- report on important events that have taken place in the Moscow Metropolis since the last meeting of the Council of Bishops (speaker - Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna);
- report on the activities of the inter-diocesan departments in 2023 and their work plans for 2024 (speaker - Archpriest Dionisy Kazantsev);
- report on the reorganization of the inter-diocesan department for the coordination of missionary and youth work (speaker - Archbishop Aksii of Podolsk and Lyubertsy);
- announcement of the change of deputy chairman of the Interdiocesan Department for Restoration and Construction and the Interdiocesan responsible for the registration of property rights of religious organizations of the Moscow Metropolis (rapporteur - Archbishop Axii of Podolsk and Lyubertsy);
- on changing the procedure for appointing members of inter-diocesan departments of the Moscow Metropolis (speaker - Metropolitan Pavel of Krutitsy and Kolomna);
- on the activities of the Charity Fund of the Moscow Metropolis for the restoration of damaged shrines (speaker - Priest Vasily Losev).
The Archdiocesan Council decided to create a The Interdiocesan Department for Youth Work and appointing Priest Demetrius Nesterov as its chairman. Priest Sergius Zolotov was appointed deputy chairman.
The new edition of the Statute of the Inter-Diocesan Department for Youth Work and the Statute of the Inter-Diocesan Department for Coordination of Missionary Work were approved.
Archpriest Afanasy Chornoguz was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Department for Restoration and Construction, responsible for the registration of property rights of religious organizations of the Moscow Metropolis.
