On October 29, 2024, a meeting of the General Assembly of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church was held in a hybrid format.
Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Kazakhstani Metropolitan District, participated in the plenary session.
The meeting began with an opening address by Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, Chairman of the Publishing Council, who outlined the main areas of activity since the previous session on June 20 of this year. He reported that 439 publications had been submitted for review during this period, of which 426 were reviewed, with 370 receiving approval. The Council held nine sessions of the Review and Expert Evaluation Board and nineteen sessions of the Secretariat, where simplified review procedures were applied.
The Chairman also noted that three meetings of the working group on codifying Akathists took place during this period.
Metropolitan Kliment announced the completion of the preparation of Volume VII of The Chronicle of the Life and Works of St. Theophan the Recluse of Vysha, which has been transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate Publishing House. He also spoke about the 18th annual Theophan Readings, held on October 10, titled The Influence of St. Theophan’s Works on Modern Theological Science.
The metropolitan then highlighted various literary awards and competitions, including The Lord’s Summer, New Library, The Good Beginning, and the Enlightenment through Books publication contest, noting that the award ceremony for winners and laureates of this competition will take place on October 31. Special attention was given to the Patriarchal Literary Prize in the name of Saints Cyril and Methodius and a new competition for students, Reasonable, Good, Eternal, conducted in collaboration with the Russian Academy of Education.
Metropolitan Kliment also mentioned five “Joy of the Word” exhibitions, including one in Berdyansk, where he met with students and faculty of Azov University. He discussed the Space of the Word youth book culture festival held for the first time this summer, as well as the traveling cultural and educational project Russian Writers: The Path to God.
During the meeting, there was a presentation of the NEBO journal, published by the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, introduced by the head of the academy’s publishing department, D.V. Voluzhkov, who shared insights on the journal’s inception, growth, and current status.
Another topic of discussion focused on developing book culture among youth and students. Priest Zachary Savelyev, a specialist in diocesan book distribution, spoke about projects such as Space of the Word and the Reasonable, Good, Eternal competition in this area.
The assembly also reviewed plans for the upcoming 15th anniversary of the Patriarchal Literary Prize in the name of Saints Cyril and Methodius and the 20th anniversary of the Enlightenment through Books publication contest. The primary report was given by Priest Nikolai Balan, a specialist in competitive and educational programs.
Hieromonk Makary, Deputy Chairman of the Publishing Council, introduced a draft design for the Award for Contributions to Book Education, intended to honor specialists in church book distribution.
As part of the session, Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen, Chancellor of the Kazakhstani Metropolitan District, was awarded the Second-Class Medal of Deacon Ioann Fedorov, the First Printer.
At the close of the meeting, members of the Publishing Council discussed agenda topics for the next session.
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