Meeting of the Synod of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan Held in Astana

September 28, 2024. Astana. A meeting of the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan was held in the Synodal Hall of the Spiritual, Cultural, and Administrative Center of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan, named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equals-to-the-Apostles, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan.

The Synod of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan consists of: Archbishop Barnabas of Pavlodar and Ekibastuz, Archbishop Sebastian of Karaganda and Shakhtinsk, Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Archbishop Serapion of Kokshetau and Akmola, Archbishop Vladimir of Petropavlovsk and Bulayevo, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Administrator of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Bishop Ignatius of Aktobe and Kyzylorda, Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, Vicar of the Astana Diocese, Bishop Benjamin of Talgar, Vicar of the Astana Diocese, Bishop Vianor of Uralsk and Atyrau; honorary member—Archbishop Antony (Moskalenko).

After the common prayer, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan welcomed the archpastors with an opening address, congratulated those present on the joyful occasion of the arrival of the relics of Blessed Matrona of Moscow in Kazakhstan, and announced the agenda for the meeting.

The Synod's work was initiated by Metropolitan Alexander, who delivered a report on the visit of the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God "The Healer" to Almaty, the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana and Almaty Diocese in the southern capital this past May, and the festivities marking the 170th anniversary of the founding of the oldest church in the Astana Diocese—the Cathedral of Saints Constantine and Helen, Equals-to-the-Apostles, in Astana, in June of this year.

The Head of the Metropolitan District also informed the members of the Synod about his visits to the Shymkent and Aktobe dioceses and his meetings with diplomatic leaders, including the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation, D.A. Abayev, the Apostolic Nuncio to Kazakhstan, Archbishop George Panamthundil, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to Kazakhstan, P.V. Utyupin.

Reports were heard from Metropolitan Alexander on the III International Theological Conference "Timonov Readings," held in the Kostanay and Rudny Diocese, as well as on the visit of the President of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso, to the Ascension Cathedral in Almaty.

The Metropolitan also informed the Synod about the pilgrimage of the delegation from the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan to the holy sites of the Belarusian Exarchate in August of this year, which was part of the preparation for the 50th anniversary of the repose of the ever-memorable elder and hierarch, Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), a native of Belarus.

The Administrator of the Metropolitan District, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, presented reports on his participation in several events, including the meeting of the Inter-Council Presence Commission on issues of public life, culture, science, and information; the international interreligious online conference "The Role of Religious Leaders in Achieving Sustainable Peace"; and a roundtable discussion on the issues of artificial intelligence and bioethics.

The Synod members listened to a report by Archbishop Amphilochius of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk on his meeting with the akim (governor) of the East Kazakhstan Region, Y.B. Kosherbayev, and a report by Bishop Vianor of Uralsk and Atyrau on his meeting with the akim of the Atyrau Region, S.Zh. Shapkenov.

The Vicar of the Astana Diocese, Bishop Klavdian of Taldykorgan, presented a report on the educational conference for monastics of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan titled "Strengthening the Brotherhood of the Monastery: What Does It Depend On?"

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Synod members offered their congratulations to the Head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Metropolitan Alexander, who celebrated the 35th anniversary of his episcopal consecration on September 27, wishing him God's mercy, strength, and many more years of service to the Church of Christ.

The minutes of the Synod meetings of the Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan are published after their approval by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia (see Article 9, Chapter XIII of the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church: "The minutes of the Synod of the Metropolitan District are submitted to the Holy Synod and approved by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia").