Chancellor of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan Participates in the General Assembly of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church

On 11 November 2025, under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, the General Assembly of the members of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church was held in a mixed in-person and online format.

Participants included: Metropolitan Longin of Simbirsk and Novospassk; Bishop Nikolai of Balashikha and Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Chief Editor of the Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate; Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan; Bishop Innokenty of Ussuriysk; Bishop Makary of Kozelsk and Lyudinovo, Deputy Chairman of the Publishing Council; Archimandrite Alipy (Kastalsky), Chief Editor of the Patriarchal Publishing and Printing Center of the Holy Trinity–St. Sergius Lavra; Archpriest Valentin Vasechko, Deputy Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church; Hegumen Ioann (Rubin), Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department for Religious Education and Catechesis; Archpriest Andrey Izakar, Head of the Publishing Department of the Voronezh Diocese; Archpriest Andrey Sikoiev of the German Diocese; Hieromonk Irinei (Pikovsky), Head of the Publishing House of the Sretensky Stavropegial Monastery in Moscow; Deacon Dmitry Serov, Director of the Publishing House of the Moscow Theological Academy; Professor K. V. Antipov, Doctor of Economics and Head of the Information Representation Department of the St. Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design; N. Yu. Breev, Director of the “Nikea” Publishing House; D. V. Voluzhkov, Director of the Publishing House of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy; A. S. Golovin, General Director of the “Orthodox Book” Association; Priest Antony Kindyakov, Head of the Publishing and Media Relations Department of the Podolsk Diocese; and Archpriest Mikhail Gorovoy, Chairman of the Commission on Libraries and Departments of Orthodox Literature of the Smolensk Diocese.

Also taking part were staff members of the Publishing Council: Assistant to the Chairman Hieromonk Avgustin (Pirogov); Priest Nikolai Balan, Senior Specialist in Competition and Educational Programs; Priest Zakhary Savelyev, Senior Specialist for Diocesan Relations; Assistant to the Chairman M. A. Kireev; and O. V. Kostishak, Head of the Secretariat for Theological Review and Expertise.

The main topic of the meeting was publishing and educational activity, as well as the development of book culture.

In his opening remarks, Metropolitan Clement spoke about the work of the Publishing Council in the months since the last meeting. He noted that during this period, 486 publications had been submitted for review; two sessions of the working group on the codification of akathists had been held; and two conferences dedicated to the study of the life and writings of St. Theophan the Recluse had taken place. The literary forum “The World of the Word” convened to discuss the work of experts evaluating entries for the young writers’ competition “Good Beginning” and to review the submissions received this season.

The Chairman of the Publishing Council paid special attention to cultural and educational events for youth held as part of the “Joy of the Word” exhibitions, and reported on trips to the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye region, where literature was distributed and creative meetings with authors – including laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius – were organized.

Metropolitan Clement also spoke about the 20th “Enlightenment Through the Book” competition, the implementation of the cultural and educational project “Russian Writers: The Path to God” at the “Zlatoust” Orthodox Youth Center, and round tables, one of which was devoted to literature about the special military operation.

Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen presented publications issued by the Metropolis of Kazakhstan. The hierarch noted that the publishing department has been operating for 15 years, producing liturgical literature, the Holy Scriptures (including in the Kazakh language), works by Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, books about ascetics who labored in Kazakhstan, and publications about Orthodox churches. He also presented collections of academic papers published by the Almaty Theological Seminary and journals aimed at youth and children.

With a report on cultural and educational work in the Podolsk Diocese, Priest Antony Kindyakov, Head of the Diocesan Department for Publishing and Media Relations, emphasized that the diocese regularly cooperates with the Publishing Council. It has hosted “Joy of the Word” exhibitions, creative meetings with authors – including Patriarchal Literary Prize laureates – librarian seminars, and events of the traveling project “Russian Writers: The Path to God.” He expressed hope for continued cooperation.

Archpriest Mikhail Gorovoy, Chairman of the Commission on Orthodox Libraries and Departments of Orthodox Literature of the Smolensk Diocese, focused on departments of Orthodox literature within state libraries, which have become centers of moral and spiritual education for youth and adolescents.

Priest Zakhary Savelyev, Senior Specialist for Diocesan Relations of the Publishing Council, spoke about the second youth festival of book culture “The Space of the Word” held this summer, and plans to expand the reading comprehension competition “The Reasonable, the Good, the Eternal” for pedagogy students.

Finally, Hieromonk Avgustin (Pirogov), Assistant to the Chairman of the Publishing Council, reported on the implementation of the Council’s educational projects in the dioceses of Donbass, Novorossiya, and Crimea.

Bishop Makary of Kozelsk concluded by noting that next year “Joy of the Word” exhibitions and forums are planned to be held in new regions, with particular attention to cities where such events have not yet taken place.

Source: izdatsovet.ru