On January 30 and 31, meetings of the Metropolis Council took place in Moscow, in the building of the New Chambers at Rogozhskoye, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Korniliy. Council resolutions are published in the “Documents” section.
The agenda of the meetings included 11 church-canonical and socio-cultural issues.
One of the issues was the continuation of the search for candidates for sacred degrees, the development of the newly formed Sochi and Kuban diocese, the tendencies and prospects for the creation of a diocese in Uganda, and relations with the fraternal Belaya Krinitsa Metropolis.
Such concerns, as humanitarian aid provided by the Church to soldiers, refugees, and war victims were not left aside. The dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Old Believer Church and individual parishes regularly collect and send humanitarian aid, such as building materials, medicines, and basic necessities. Metropolitan Korniliy also called for providing spiritual assistance: to perform prayer services for peace in parishes, to pray for the health of soldiers, and for the repose of those killed on the battlefield.
The Metropolis Council paid considerable attention to upcoming events in the sphere of culture and history. Thus, the issue of organizing the International Old Believers Forum in Tomsk, which is scheduled for June 26–28, 2024, was actively discussed. Applications for participation in this event are being collected. Cooperation has been established with Old Believers of other denominations and with the “Pravda Russkaya” Foundation. Moreover, 2024 was declared by the President of the Russian Federation the Year of the Family, and the Metropolis Council expressed a desire to prepare speeches and reports for the forum, devoted to this topic.
The Metropolis Council could not ignore the upcoming date – the 350th anniversary of the demise of the venerable martyr and confessor Theodora (boyarynia Theodosia Morozova) in 2025. Metropolitan Korniliy called on the participants of the Metropolis Council to take the initiative to organize events dedicated to the memory of the saint. The Bishop noted:
— It is our duty to honour the memory of Boyarynia Morozova, including by organizing events dedicated to this date.
Patron S. S. Kondrashov was invited to the Metropolis Council. As Metropolitan Korniliy noted, it was largely thanks to the efforts of Sergei Sergeevich Kondrashov, that the realization of many events dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the birth of Archpriest Avvakum became possible.
In his speech S.S. Kondrashov called the holy martyr Theodora (Morozova) “a symbol of the steadfastness of the Russian people.” Sergei Sergeevich noted that the image of the boyarynia Morozova is often distorted in the public consciousness. “We must use this anniversary and these events for the educational purposes as well,” he concluded.
S.S. Kondrashov proposed organizing a series of events as part of celebrating the anniversary:
– A concert of spiritual chants.
– A scholarly conference dedicated to boyarynia Morozova with the subsequent publication of a collection of papers.
– Filming a documentary.
– Release of a historical guide to the city of Borovsk.
– Petition to name a street in honour of boyarynia Morozova (presumably in the city of Borovsk).
– As a recapitulation of all these events, a forum (final event) aimed at an “external audience”.
– Opening of the Museum of Old Believers named after boyarynia Morozova at the Holy Trinity Church in Borovsk.
It was noted that some of the events should be held not only in Borovsk, but also at Rogozhskoye, and this should be an all-Old Believers celebration.
Another idea formulated at the Metropolis Council was to petition the administration of the city of Borovsk to erect a monument to Boyarynia Morozova.
Metropolitan Korniliy thanked S.S. Kondrashov for his active participation in the church and public life and presented him a memorable gift — the book “I, Avvakum archpriest, so I believe.”
On January 31, 2024, in the morning, the Metropolis Council completed its work.
