On May 15, 2024, on the 80th anniversary of the blessed death of Holy Patriarch Sergius of Moscow and All Russia, a scientific conference «Patriarch Sergius and his spiritual inheritance» was held in the rectory of The Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhov, Moscow.
The event was organized by Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Divine.
The event was organized by Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian, ANO «Russian Expert School» and Epiphany Cathedral.
The conference was attended by the head of the Administrative Secretariat Moscow Patriarchate, rector of Epiphany Cathedral Archbishop Thomas of Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, President of the Russian Academy of Education O.Y. Vasilieva, Professor Moscow Patriarchate.html">Moscow Theological Academy Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin, Rector of the Russian Orthodox University, Deputy Head of the World Russian People's Council A.V. Shchipkov, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at Lomonosov Moscow State University A.P. Kozyrev, Director of the Russian Expert School V.A. Shchipkov, professors of the theological faculty of the Russian People's Council, teachers of the theological faculty of the Russian Public University in — Archpriest Michael Dudko, head of the Theology Department, Priest Boris Verbovik, Priest Gleb Sedov, Priest Boris Sedov, Deacon Anatoly Goldman, and students of the theological faculty of RPU.
At the conference, the participants prayed at a memorial service for His Holiness Patriarch Sergius in the Nicholas side chapel of the Cathedral of the Theotokos.
Before the conference began, participants prayed at the memorial service for His Holiness Patriarch Sergius in the Nikolsky aisle of the Epiphany Cathedral, which was conducted by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
Ahead of the conference, participants prayed at the memorial service for His Holiness Patriarch Sergius in the Nikolsky aisle of the Epiphany Cathedral.
Archbishop Thomas opened the conference by reading the message of the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the repose of His Holiness Patriarch Sergius.
A.V. Shchipkov welcomed the audience and noted that the message sent by His Holiness Patriarch on the occasion of this memorable date brings its celebration to the all-church level. The Rector of RPU expressed confidence that this message will become an important material for future historians and it will be reread with a pencil in hand. In turn, A.V. Shchipkov read out Patriarchal greeting to the participants of the conference.
The Rector of the Russian Orthodox University presented two thematic issues of the scientific journal «Orthodoxy» dedicated to His Holiness Patriarch Sergius and timed to the commemorative anniversary of the Patriarch's death. date. It is necessary to correctly evaluate the deeds of His Holiness Patriarch Sergius as a churchman who defended the Church during the years of persecution, to pay tribute to his works and reflect them in the textbooks of the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. To condemn the notion of "Sergianism" imposed on us, to tell the truth about who, where and with what political purposes created and propagandized this notion; — concluded the Rector of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The report of the President of the Russian Academy of Education O.Y. Vasilyeva «Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky): ministry and destiny» covered the milestones of His Holiness' pastoral ministry, as well as theological, missionary, administrative labors carried out by him for the good of the Church. The speaker noted that the ministry of Metropolitan Sergius can be considered essentially martyrdom: the conscious renunciation of personal glory for the sake of the salvation of the Church is a true feat of Patriarch Sergius and his undeniable merit before all believers.
The speech of Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin was devoted to the analysis of church-state relations in the Soviet state of 1920-1930s and the role of Metropolitan Sergius in their formation. The speaker noted that «the hopes of the witnesses of the catastrophe of the Russian Empire, His Holiness Patriarchs Tikhon Tikhon, Sergius, Alexius I on the full normalization of church-state relations in the traditional symphony was destined by the Providence of God to begin to be fulfilled only in the twenty-first century. It is not a question of copying those models of symphony that developed in Byzantium, pre-Petrine Russia and the Russian Empire, for this is a creative process.
The report of A.P. Kozyrev considered some circumstances related to the ecclesiastical controversy surrounding the book by Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov «Lamb of God» published in Paris in 1933, and the participation in it of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky), the Deputy Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, who issued in Moscow in 1935 two decrees denouncing the theological errors of the professor of dogmatic theology at the St. Sergius Theological Institute. The speaker also touched upon some aspects of V.N. Lossky's criticism of the doctrine of Sophia, which are connected with the mentioned decrees of Metropolitan Sergius.
The participants of the conference also raised the question of the possibility of canonization of His Holiness Patriarch Sergius. A.V. Shchipkov recommended the speakers and listeners to pay attention to the words of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, said by him before the commencement of the funeral service for Patriarch Sergius in the Epiphany Cathedral: «We remember His Holiness Sergius. Patriarch as a confessor. He was not a martyr, but his entire service as Patriarchal Locum Tenens and Patriarch was undoubtedly a confession.
At the end of the event, A.V. Shchipkov thanked all the participants, expressing confidence that the conference was a historic event, which, according to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, will encourage representatives of spiritual academies and seminaries to also actively participate in the development of this promising research direction.
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