The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

who is the

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...

of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

. It is often preceded by the honorific "His Holiness". While as the diocesan bishop of the

Moscow diocese Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million r ...

he has direct canonical authority over Moscow only, the Patriarch has a number of church-wide administrative powers within and in accordance with the charter of the Russian Orthodox Church.Устав Русской Православной Церкви (принят на Архиерейском Соборе 2000 г.; Определениями Архиерейских Соборов 2008 и 2011 гг. в текст Устава был внесен ряд поправок)
// IV. Патриарх Московскийи всея Руси. The patriarchate was established in Moscow in 1589: the first patriarch was Job. Abolished in 1721 by

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

, the patriarchate was restored on 28 October (10 November by

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years d ...

) 1917, by decision of the All-Russian Local Council. Patriarch Kirill acceded to this position on 1 February 2009.

Etymology

Different variations of the title "Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia", "Patriarch of Moscow and all the

Great Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, and

Small Small may refer to: Science and technology * SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language * Small (anatomy), the lumbar region of the back * ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication * <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text ...

, and

White Russia White Russia, White Russian, or Russian White may refer to: White Russia *White Ruthenia, a historical reference for a territory in the eastern part of present-day Belarus * An archaic literal translation for Belarus/Byelorussia/Belorussia * Ru ...

" and others have been used. The modern form, "Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'", was initially used in 1589 (when the see was elevated to patriarchate) through 1721 (when abolished by

). The current version of the title was restored beginning in 1917 until suspended by Soviet authorities in 1925, and since being reinstated with the election of Metropolitan Sergius as patriarch in 1943.

History

Church reform of Tsar Peter I

Upon the death of Patriarch Adrian in 1700, Peter I did not permit the election of a new patriarch; after 20 years he established a Theological College, soon renamed the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...

, which, as a public body, acted as the general church administration from 1721 to 1917. The emperor (to 2 March 1917) was "the highest judge of the assembly." In the subsequent period, the Synod of Church authorities in Russia was considered an institution of public administration.

Restoration

The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church was restored by decision of the All-Russian Local Council on 28 October (11 November) 1917. The first patriarch elected after restoration was Patriarch Tikhon, Metropolitan of Moscow.

Selection

According to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church adopted in 2000, the tenure of a patriarch is for life, and the right to trial a deposed patriarch as well as the question of his retirement belong to the Council of Bishops. Between terms, the

Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church ( rus, Священный синод Русской православной церкви, Svyashchennyy sinod Russkoy pravoslavnoy tserkvi) serves by Church statute as the supreme administrative g ...

elects the chair from among its permanent members of the locum tenens of the Patriarchal throne. "Not later than six months after the release of locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, and the Holy Synod of the local council ... shall convene to elect a new Patriarch of Moscow and All the Rus'." The candidate for the patriarch must be a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the Russian Orthodox Church, not younger than 40 years old, have a "higher theological education, the expertise of the diocesan administration". The procedure for the election of the patriarch of the charter was not detailed, "place-holder establishes the procedure for electing the Holy Synod". In 2011, the Presidium of the Inter-Council Presence reviewed the draft document "The procedure and criteria for the election of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia" and decided to send it to the diocese for comment and publish the discussion. In the 20th century, Metropolitan Tikhon as patriarch was elected by lot from the three pre-approved for the Local Council candidates; between rigid state control over the affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church Sergius, Alexy I and Pimen were elected uncontested open vote on the approval of the government. Alexius II was elected to the Local Council in 1990 by secret ballot in the first round, which was attended by three candidates approved by the Council of Bishops earlier (and local council had the right to add to the list of new candidates), and the second - the two candidates with the most votes in the first round. Kirill I was elected on 27 January 2009 by the ROC Local Council (the 2009 Pomestny Sobor) as Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter includin ...

of the Russian Orthodox Church, with 508 votes out of 700. He was enthroned on 1 February 2009. The Patriarch enters the dignity during a special ceremony of enthronement, which is held a few days after the election.

References