A meeting of the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan took place in Almaty

February 17, 2024 Almaty. In the synodal hall of the spiritual, cultural and administrative center of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District named after Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov), under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the first meeting of the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan this year was held in an internal-remote format.

As part of the Synod of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District: Archbishop Varnava of Pavlodar and Ekibastuz, Archbishop Sevastian of Karaganda and Shakhty, Archbishop Amphilohiy of Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk, Archbishop Serapion of Kokshetau and Akmola, Archbishop Vladimir of Petropavlovsk and Bulaevsk, administrator of the affairs of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, Bishop of Kaskelen Gennady, Bishop of Aktobe and Ignatius of Kyzylorda, vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop of Taldykorgan Claudian, Bishop of Chimkent and Turkestan Chrysanf, vicar of the Astana diocese, Bishop of Talgar Veniamin, Bishop of the Ural and Atyrau Vianor; honorary member – Archbishop Anthony (Moskalenko).

After the general prayer, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan greeted the archpastors with an opening speech and announced the agenda.

Metropolitan Alexander opened the work of the Synod with his speech on the upcoming celebration of a special historical date - the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Astana and Alma-Ata diocese.

The head of the Metropolitan District told those present about preparations for church and public celebrations dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the blessed death of Metropolitan Joseph (Chernov) and the 225th anniversary of the birth of the first archpastor of the Turkestan diocese - Archbishop Zephaniah (Sokolsky), which will take place in 2025.

The Synod considered current issues in the life of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan and made a number of decisions.

The journals of the meeting of the Synod of the Kazakhstan Metropolitan District are published after their approval by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' (see Article 9 of Chapter XIII of the Statute of the Russian Orthodox Church: “The journals of the Synod of the Metropolitan District are presented to the Holy Synod and approved by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'”).