The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church made a number of serious personnel decisions

The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, held on July 25, 2024, made a number of serious personnel decisions, including the release and removal of bishops from their chairs, the change of leadership of the Orthodox Saint-Tikhon Humanities University and the Orthodox Saint-Tikhon Theological Institute, and even the deprivation of dignity of one of the bishops. This is reported by the official website of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The most notorious decision of the past Synod was the removal of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) of Budapest and Hungary from the chair and his office. The Synod decided to form a commission to study the situation in the Budapest-Hungarian diocese and to suspend Metropolitan Hilarion of Budapest and Hungary from ruling the Budapest-Hungarian diocese for the duration of the commission’s work. In addition, Metropolitan Hilarion was also relieved of his posts as chairman of the Synodal Biblical and Theological Commission and chairman of the Commission on Theology and Theological Education of the Intersocietal Presence.

At the same time, the Crimean bishops — Metropolitan Platon of Feodosia and Kerch and Bishop Kallinik of Bakhchisarai, vicar of the Simferopol diocese — were retired.

In addition, for serious and repeated canonical violations, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to expel from the sacred dignity of Bishop Ignatius (Punin), determining his place of residence to bear penitential labors in the monastic rank in the Nizhny Novgorod diocese at the discretion of His Grace Metropolitan George of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas and under his supervision.

The Holy Synod also decided on personnel changes at the Orthodox Svyato-Tikhonovsky University for the Humanities. The Synod decided to dismiss Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov from the position of Rector of the Orthodox Svyato-Tikhonovsky Humanities University and the Orthodox Svyato-Tikhonovsky Theological Institute with an expression of gratitude for his labors and thirty years of fruitful service in the creation, establishment and development of these educational institutions. The priest was appointed to the position of president of these educational institutions.

Bishop Methodius of Egorievsk was appointed Rector of the Orthodox Saint-Tikhon University for the Humanities and the Orthodox Saint-Tikhon Theological Institute, with his dismissal from the position of Rector of the Nikolo-Ugresh Theological Seminary and retention of the position of Vicar of the Nikolo-Ugresh Stavropegial Monastery.

Also, a number of decisions were made with regard to the rectors of the ROC’s theological seminaries. In connection with the request of His Eminence Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea to relieve him of the position of rector of the Tauris Theological Seminary and appoint the first vice-rector of the seminary Hieromonk Andrei (Korotkov) as acting rector. In addition to Metropolitan Tikhon, Archpriest Michael Litvinko, who headed the Ekaterinodar Theological Seminary, was also dismissed from the position of rector.

Recall, earlier we reported that Metropolitan Leonid (Gorbachev) of the Russian Orthodox Church, known for his harsh criticism of the Primate and episcopate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, on September 8, 2023 was removed from the post of rector of the Church of All Saints of the Patriarchal Palace on Kulishki in Moscow. Later, on December 27, 2023, a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was held, at which it was decided to retire the bishop.