Patriarchate is the most important management system

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) is also called the Moscow Patriarchate. This is the largest autocephalous local Orthodox church in the world. And are you acquainted with the interpretation of the term "patriarchate"? This is what can you explain in simple words? Believers need to have a concept about the structural features of the construction of the system to which they belong. Otherwise, you can get confused and fall into the trap of villains who seek to knock a person off the path of the true. Let's see, the patriarchate is what it is.

Definition

First of all, when studying an unfamiliar concept, you should look it up in dictionaries. Patriarchate is a system of hierarchical church management, written in them. It has its own distinctive features, they are visible from the title. The Russian Orthodox Church is headed by the patriarch. For the living believers this is a given, since people did not know any other state of affairs. However, the patriarchate is not a constant. There were times when the church life was organized differently. Thus, Orthodoxy came to Russia from abroad. For quite a long time the temples submitted to the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, the community grew. The conditions for the establishment of autocephaly matured towards the end of the sixteenth century. Then the patriarchate was established for the first time in Russia. This means that the local church has become independent. All parishes received guidance not from Constantinople, but from Moscow. This can not be overemphasized.

Russian Patriarchate: the meaning

Religion has always played a huge role in the life of states. Temples unite people, contribute to the preservation of civil peace. At the same time, the church has the ability to influence the positioning of the country in the international arena. Now this factor is not so relevant. And during the establishment of the patriarchate, the ROC was the only local church connected with the Orthodox state. Separation from Constantinople was due historically. The country at that time was ruled by the tsar, heir to the Romans. But the separation of the church from Constantinople was problematic. The Patriarch was offended by the ROC for wanting autonomy. Without his recognition, autocephaly would be considered illegal. But all obstacles were overcome by the end of the 16th century, under the reign of Tsar Fedor Ioannovich. The establishment of the patriarchate made the local church more influential. It became equal to Constantinople. Now the patriarchs jointly worked out important decisions concerning faith.

The internal arrangement of the system

The ROC approved the charter, according to which, the highest ecclesiastical bodies were singled out. They are the cathedrals:

• Local, solves common questions, chooses the patriarch.
• Bishops - this is the highest organ of hierarchical control of the ROC. Its composition includes only bishops.

In addition to these bodies, the system includes:

• The Supreme Church Council (DEC), established in March 2011. This is the executive body, headed by the patriarch. He is engaged in the organization of church life.
• The Patriarch is the first among the bishops.

History of establishment

Separation of churches is not an easy task. The establishment of the patriarchate began with the visit of Antiochian Patriarch Joachim to Russia in 1586. At that time, Boris Godunov, the brother-in-law of the tsar, was engaged in the state policy. He conceived a small intrigue, as a result of which Joachim came to the Assumption Cathedral, where Dionysius served, then Metropolitan of Moscow. Godunov sought to impress the Patriarch of Antioch, which he fully succeeded. Dionysius in solemn vestments, surrounded by Russian clergy, looked very impressive, as should the abbot of the largest Orthodox church. But the intrigue did not end there. As soon as he entered the temple, Joachim received a blessing from Dionysius, which was against all the rules. In addition, the incumbent patriarch was not invited to head the service. In this way it was shown that foreign church leaders are asking for help from the ROC. This created some dissonance, because in Moscow there was only a metropolitan. The further negotiations with Constantinople Godunov took over. As a result, the patriarchate was established in Russia.

Some historical features

According to the charter, the patriarch is elected. The first in 1589 was Job. However, the institution of the patriarchate itself existed only until 1700. Peter the First banned the election of a new head of the ROC after Adrian's death. He established another governing body of the church - the Holy Synod, who worked until 1918. He was part of the state system and exercised the functions of regulating religious issues. The Synod headed the emperor. He is called the "last judge of this college." In 1917, by the decision of the All-Russian Local Council, the patriarchate was restored. At the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was the then Metropolitan of Moscow, Tikhon.

Thus, the patriarchate is a special system for governing church life. Now it extends to the religious communities of Russia and Ukraine.