The 1945 Local Council meeting of the Russian Orthodox Church took place in the period from January 31 to February 4, 1945, in

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 millio ...

, in the in

Sokolniki District Sokolniki District (russian: райо́н Соко́льники) is a district of the Eastern Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow located in the north-east corner of the city. Population: Etymology Sokolniki derives its name fro ...

of the city. The meeting was attended by all registered bishops, together with representatives of the clergy and laity of their dioceses. Among the honored guests present at the Council were patriarchs of Alexandria ( Christopher II), Antioch ( Alexander III), Georgia ( Callistratus), and representatives of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Serbian and Romanian churches. To the meeting were also sent 2 representatives of the North American archdiocese, but due to difficulties they wartime they missed the meeting. At the Council, 171 people attended from various dioceses and provinces. In the list is the 61 dioceses in the USSR and one overseas (North American). In this meeting ruling bishops in the USSR was only 44. The right to vote at the Council was given to some bishops. The meeting was promoted in Soviet propaganda as an example of

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freed ...

in the Soviet Union. For the successful conduct of the meeting Georgy Kaparov, chairman of the Council on 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 ...

at the USSR, was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

References

1945 in Christianity 1945 in the Soviet Union 20th-century Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodoxy in the Soviet Union History of the Russian Orthodox Church Russian Orthodox Church in Russia 1945 conferences {{Russia-stub