List of priests of the Russian Orthodox Church. Church hierarchy in the Russian Orthodox Church. What an Orthodox Christian should know

The Polish Orthodox Church has banned its priests from contacts with representatives of the UOC Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC). The decision was made at the Council of Bishops of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church (PAOC), according to the official website of the church.

“The Holy Council of Bishops prohibits clergy of the Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church from entering into liturgical and prayerful contacts with the “priests” of the so-called “Kyiv Patriarchate” and the so-called “Autocephalous Church,” the text of the message says.

The reason given is that non-canonical structures in Ukraine “have done a lot of evil.” The council participants also called the initiators of the procedure for granting autocephaly schismatics who provoke even greater disorder and chaos.

“Only compliance with the dogmatic and canonical norms of the church and the preservation of age-old traditions will protect Orthodoxy from complex ecclesial consequences on an international scale,” the bishops concluded.

They called on the leaders of all canonical Orthodox churches together and in a spirit of mutual respect to “bring to a calm resolution the issues of divided Orthodoxy on Ukrainian soil.”

During the council, the problem of parishes and monasteries created arbitrarily by representatives of the Kyiv Patriarchate on the territory of Poland was raised. The PPC is outraged by such actions.

In mid-October, the Patriarchate of Constantinople announced the start of the process of granting autocephaly to the church in Ukraine. Thus, the decree of 1686 on the transfer of the Kyiv Metropolis to the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate was canceled. The anathema imposed on the Ukrainian schismatics Filaret Denisenko (head of the Communist Party of the UOC) and Makarii Maletich (head of the UAOC) was also lifted.

In Kyiv they hope to receive a tomos of autocephaly by the end of 2018. However, the corresponding decree can only be issued to the head of the united church. In order to choose him, the UOC-KP and UAOC are planning to hold a so-called unification council. Representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate of the UOC have already refused to participate in this event. Its date is unknown.

The Russian Orthodox Church called the actions of Constantinople support of the schism and broke off Eucharistic communion with it throughout the canonical territory, including Ukraine and Belarus. Later, the synod of the Russian Church Abroad made the same decision.

The hierarchs of the Serbian Church condemned the actions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to grant autocephaly to the UOC-KP and called for the convening of a Pan-Orthodox Council to discuss this situation.

The Belarusian Orthodox Church, in turn, also warned Constantinople that granting autocephaly to Ukraine would lead to a split in world Orthodoxy.

In this regard, the BOC is convinced that the decision on this should be disavowed or withdrawn, reports FAN .

“In order to somehow sober up the hotheads,” the BOC decided to suspend services with the episcopate of the Church of Constantinople, the commemoration of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during services, and the participation of the BOC in all events headed or co-chaired by a representative of the Church of Constantinople, the Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus reported. Metropolitan of Minsk and.

At the same time, the head of the BOC separately emphasized that “this is not a break yet.” According to him, the church in Belarus is forced to take these measures in order to draw the attention of Patriarch Bartholomew to the existing problem and encourage him to “suspend this act, otherwise there may be a split in Orthodoxy on our planet, this is very sad.”

In November, representatives of the Vinnitsa diocese in Ukraine also spoke out against autocephaly. 42 out of 44 clergy refused to support their bishop, Metropolitan Simeon.

Let us recall that earlier Metropolitan Simeon became the only bishop of the canonical UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate who did not sign the final document of the Council of Bishops of November 13, which condemned the actions of Constantinople. Together with two other hierarchs of the UOC, he attended a closed meeting with the President of Ukraine. Simeon also advocated a unifying council of churches in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, the ministers of the Vinnitsa diocese stated that they do not welcome such decisions, and also expressed full support for Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine.

This document was developed by the Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media in collaboration with Priest Svyatoslav Shevchenko, Priest Alexander Kukhta, Priest Pavel Ostrovsky, Hieromonk Macarius (Markish), Hieromonk Alexander (Mitrofanov), Archpriest Andrei Fedosov and Archpriest Sergiy Voronkin.

The Synodal Department for Relations of the Church with Society and the Media will continue to interact with the community of priests-video bloggers in order to develop dialogue, further study the phenomenon of Orthodox video blogging, optimize these recommendations and, if necessary, develop new ones.

Basic provisions

1.1. The development of modern technologies has given humanity the Internet - the latest means of communication in which any information is distributed at high speed over long distances and in real time. This characteristic makes the World Wide Web attractive for preaching the Good News, which Christ directly and imperatively commanded: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). To a greater extent, this call is addressed to the modern successors of the apostles - the clergy. In this regard, the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by its hierarchs and supreme governing bodies, has repeatedly pointed out the need for evangelism online, in particular, to representatives of the clergy.

1.2. The most actively developing segment of the Internet is Web 2.0 resources, which includes various social networks, blogging platforms, instant messengers, video hosting services, etc. A distinctive feature of this format is that the content on these sites is generated by the users themselves. This parameter makes the dissemination of information on these resources most effective. Against the backdrop of their growing popularity, information sources are decentralized, and many local information dissemination centers are emerging, representing a serious alternative to centralized media.

Bloggers covering a wide variety of public spheres become opinion leaders in their environment, since they have a high degree of trust among the audience, in contrast to the federal and regional media, which for various reasons are losing their rating positions. In a highly competitive information environment, where the personality of the author and his subjective view of current events play a big role, blogs are building up huge audiences, comparable in quantitative terms to large tabloids and TV channels.

1.3. Video blogs deserve special attention, as they give modern missionaries undeniable advantages in the form of audiovisual opportunities to testify to the Gospel truths, the way of conveying them tends to be the classic “face-to-face” mission. It is noteworthy that video bloggers are generally considered to be authors who directly address the audience from their channel. Modern priests, in most cases, take on this newest type of apostolate voluntarily at the call of their souls, which on the one hand means a high degree of responsibility that they bear for the content created both before the Church and before God. On the other hand, not every priest undertakes a mission through video blogging due to various circumstances and personal talents given by God, as well as for the reason mentioned by the Savior: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). In this regard, the good endeavors of video bloggers in the priesthood deserve close attention and support of the Mother of the Church.

Problems of activity

2.1. Currently, anti-clerical discourse is widely represented in the Russian-language segment of the blogosphere. Criticism of real and imaginary problems of the Church has become one of the easy ways to gain audience popularity, which is becoming a trend on video hosting sites. As a result, priests who counter these trends in their video blogs often find themselves in an aggressive environment, which requires them to develop the virtues of love and patience. The Lord warned about such an attitude of outsiders towards the preaching of Christianity: “I send you out like sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16), advising them to show wisdom coupled with simplicity.

2.2. Basically, Orthodox priests create and maintain video blogs at the expense of personal enthusiasm and their own funds, so in most cases they are inferior in terms of quality and professionalism to the general level of channels on one or another video hosting site. This factor affects audience growth and activity on the channel. In addition, representatives of the clergy do not always have access to competent expert advice, so they build a strategy for developing vlogs at their own discretion, which leads to serious mistakes and miscalculations.

2.3. It is also necessary to note the systematic lack of time that priests have for video blogging, since for the majority of the clergy this work is not their main job, but only an additional hobby after liturgical activities. In this regard, a high frequency of releases cannot be expected from personal hobby work that requires time spent on video production. This factor makes it difficult to grow the audience and activity on the channel, which affects the effectiveness of the Internet mission.

Goal setting and motivation

3.1. The main purpose of the presence of clergy in the field of vlogging is Christian witness. Consequently, the sub-goals of maintaining a video blog for clergy can be a variety of educational lectures, public conversations, catechesis, apologetics, etc. A creative approach is also important here, from which interesting non-classical formats can be born.

In this regard, video blogging can be seen as a direct continuation of the pastoral activity of the priest, given that, in this case, the boundaries of the parish community are significantly expanded. The shepherd receives a certain amount of trust from his subscribers, who to some extent become his virtual parishioners.

3.2. It is worth especially noting the possibility of deformation of the motives of clergy running channels on popular video hosting sites. To varying degrees, a video blogger in holy orders receives a certain psychological power over subscribers, which can transform into egocentrism, the illusion of infallibility, and even guruism, called lust of authority in the church tradition. This phenomenon, which in modern church usage has received the name “young age,” was condemned by the definition of the Holy Synod of December 28, 1998, which stated that the task of the pastor is “to lead people to God, and not to group parishioners around themselves.”

On this basis, vanity can also form, which is expressed in the pursuit of ratings and attracting attention to one’s person, which can push the author to manipulative practices that provoke a wide audience to emotions and show activity on the channel (hype, clickbait, trolling, etc.). ). In this series we can also identify people-pleasing, which for a video blogger consists of a passionate desire to please his subscribers, which means it can force the author to fall into dishonesty and even deceit.

Monetizing a video blog is often a way for an enthusiastic priest to recoup the costs of developing a channel, purchasing equipment and software, as well as the possibility of additional income, which is not a sinful phenomenon, since “the worker is worthy of his food” (Matthew 10:10). But this should not turn into an end in itself, since complete commercialization of the project will distort the original motivation of the author, which can turn part of the audience away from the clergyman, and lead him to the passion of love of money. Clerics-video bloggers are called upon to combat this and other negative phenomena described above through efforts of will, sincere prayers and the systematic acceptance of church sacraments.

Methods and language

4.1. Each video blogger in the priesthood independently creatively determines the methods and style of presenting the material, in accordance with his Christian conscience, the Holy Scriptures and Tradition. In this regard, he can be guided by the “Concept of missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church”, adopted at the meeting of the Holy Synod on March 27, 2007. In particular, the document proposes as a method to use the principles of the church's reception of the culture of nations, based on the words of the Apostle Paul: “I have become all things to all, in order that I might save at least some” (1 Cor. 9:22).

This method is appropriate to use in relation to various modern subcultures, including in relation to Internet culture. Here, the boundaries of the possible use of, for example, so-called “memes” and trending topics are determined by the norms of pastoral ethics and aesthetics. On the other hand, with due diligence, all this can become a cultural bridge and lead to the formation of conditions for the transition of people from the virtual world to real parish life. Although we should not forget the obvious fact that the non-church audience does not expect priests to be completely integrated into their conceptual matrix, since they are a priori aware of a certain initial otherness of the clergy. In this regard, a reasonable question arises about the language of video blogging by priests.

4.2. As is known, apologists of the first centuries and the holy fathers of the Church adopted the language of ancient philosophy, which was pagan in origin, and used this terminology to preach universal Christian truths. In the same way, missionaries of our era can use modern approaches in preaching the Gospel. This will require updating Christian ideas through meaningful images of new realities. Therefore, Christ preached sermons in the language of parables, using elements of folklore, rituals, agricultural traditions, etc. Such missionary tactics will be appropriate in our time of development of digital technologies. This means that the effectiveness of the mission in video blogs directly depends on the degree to which the channel author is immersed in the cultural and linguistic environment of the target audience, that is, it is necessary to speak the same language with them.

In addition, unlike a temple sermon, in video blogging the expression of emotions, self-irony, good jokes, moderate gestures and other non-verbal methods of communication are acceptable. For this reason, it is important for a priest leading a video blog to find a middle way between an overly subjective presentation of material that goes beyond the framework of church tradition, and formal clerical language, which is unlikely to be understood by a modern audience. Operating with biblical quotations, especially in an environment where the Holy Scripture is not an authoritative source, will also not have the desired effect, so you need to learn to substantiate your opinion on the example of the subcultural characteristics of the audience.

4.3. Particular attention should be paid to the dangers that await a video blogger in holy orders when searching for formats and language to address his audience. For example, such trends in non-church video blogging as profanity, obscene language, eroticism, idle talk, hypocrisy, offensive behavior, humiliation of people’s dignity, demonstration of scenes of violence, dissemination of slander and other unverified information are alien to the church tradition.

A cleric conducting a video blog also cannot allow the following techniques in his activities: ridiculing the shortcomings of individuals or groups; using contradictions and tensions between people or groups, flaunting ideological cliches, using offensive nicknames and labels. All this will have serious spiritual consequences, since “for every idle word that people speak, they will give an account on the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). It is worth recalling that in the church tradition it is customary to understand by this absolutely any words that impede a person’s salvation in eternity.

4.4. The appearance of the clergyman, his manners, and openness also play an important role in the positioning of the Church on popular video hosting sites, which also must be attributed to the methods of presenting the material. It befits him to appear on camera in at least a cassock or even a cassock, preferably with a pectoral cross. In some cases, a cleric-video blogger (if he is not a monastic) may wear secular clothes if the topic or circumstances in which the recording was made absolutely require it. Consequently, in such cases there can be no talk of any anonymity - subscribers and guests of the channel must know who is in front of them, what diocese he is from, etc. For the effectiveness of the mission, the neatness of the channel’s author and command of competent speech play an important role.

In this regard, an Orthodox video blogger in holy orders must remember the high degree of responsibility before God and people for his words, behavior and appearance. Therefore, the cleric needs to maintain Christian sobriety in order to prevent the seduction of the viewers of his channel, since, in the words of the Savior, “woe to that man through whom temptation comes” (Matthew 18:7).

Issue topics

5.1. Christian mission should not become an abstract agenda from the past. The most accessible and effective way to convey gospel ideas is by applying them to recognizable events and images. Thus, the current news agenda can serve as a reason or starting point for a sermon on a video channel. At the same time, church video blogging has the potential not only to respond to external news events, but also, with the accumulation of certain experience and media recognition, to initiate its own Christian discourse.

5.2. When developing topics for new releases, a priest-video blogger should be guided by the principle of Christian expediency. When choosing a topic, a cleric should avoid subject matter that he does not understand at all, as this will undermine the trust of the target audience. A priest should beware of topics that are capable of dividing Orthodox believers along political, social or ethnic lines. Thematic issues that promote unhealthy lifestyles, immorality, violence, etc. are unacceptable for publication. Of particular danger are topics that can provoke a church schism, the sin of which, according to the word of St. John Chrysostom, is not washed away even by the blood of martyrdom.

Synodal Department for Church Relations with Society and the Media

Every denomination in the world has a leader, for example, the head of the Orthodox Church is Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'.

But besides him, the church has another leadership structure.

Who is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church

Patriarch Kirill is the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill

He leads the church life of the country, and the Patriarch is also the head of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and several other monasteries.

What is the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church among clergy

In fact, the church has a rather complex structure and hierarchy. Each clergyman fulfills his role and takes his assigned place in this system.

The scheme of the Orthodox Church has three levels, which were created at the very beginning of the birth of the Christian religion. All servants are divided into the following categories:

Deacons.
Priests.
Bishops.

In addition, they are divided into “black” and “white” clergy. “Black” includes monks, and “white” includes lay clergy.

Structure of the Russian Orthodox Church - diagram and description

Due to some complexity of the church structure, it is worth considering in more detail, for a deep understanding of the algorithms of the work of priests.

Bishop titles

These include:

Patriarch: the lifelong main title of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, at the moment in Rus' this is Kirill.
Vicar: the bishop's right hand, his deputy, but he does not have his own diocese and cannot manage the bishop's diocese.
Metropolitan: the governor who leads the metropolitan areas, including those outside the Russian Federation.
Archbishop: The rank of senior bishop, considered an honorary title.
Bishop: The third level of priesthood in the Orthodox hierarchy, often with the rank of bishop, governs a diocese and is appointed by the Holy Synod.

Titles of priests

The priests are divided into “black” and “white”.

Consider the “black” clergy:

Hieromonk: a monk-clergyman, it is customary to address him with the words: “Your Reverence.”
Hegumen: head (abbot) of a monastery. Until 2011 in Russia, this title was honorary and did not necessarily correspond to the post of head of any monastery.
Archimandrite: the highest rank for a clergyman who has taken monastic vows. He is often the abbot of large monastic monasteries.

The “white” ranks include:

Protopresbyter: the highest rank of the Russian Orthodox Church in its “white” part. Given as a reward for special service in some cases and only at the request of the Holy Synod.
Archpriest: senior priest, the wording can also be used: senior priest. Most often, the archpriest presides over a church. You can receive such a position no earlier than five years of faithful service upon receipt of the pectoral cross and no earlier than ten years after consecration.
Priest: junior rank of clergy. The priest may be married. It is customary to address such a person as follows: “Father” or “Father, …”, where after the father comes the name of the priest.

Titles of deacons

Next comes the level of deacons, they are also divided into “black” and “white” clergy.

List of "Black" clergy:

Archdeacon: the senior rank among deacons in a monastic monastery. It is given for special merits and length of service.
Hierodeacon: priest-monk of any monastery. You can become a hierodeacon after the sacrament of ordination and tonsure as a monk.

"White":

Protodeacon: the main diocesan deacon; like the archdeacon, it is customary to address him with the words: “Your high gospel.”
Deacon: a priest who stands at the very beginning of the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. These are assistants for the rest, higher ranks of clergy.

Conclusion

The Russian Orthodox Church has a complex but logical organization at the same time. The basic rule should be understood: its structure is such that it is impossible to get from the “white” clergy to the “black” without monastic tonsure, and it is also impossible to occupy many high positions in the hierarchy of the Orthodox Church without being a monk.

The hierarchical principle and structure must be observed in any organization, including the Russian Orthodox Church, which has its own church hierarchy. Surely every person who attends services or is otherwise involved in the activities of the church paid attention to the fact that each clergyman has a certain rank and status. This is expressed in different colors of clothing, type of headdress, presence or absence of jewelry, and the right to perform certain sacred rites.

Hierarchy of clergy in the Russian Orthodox Church

The clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church can be divided into two large groups:

white clergy (those who can marry and have children);
black clergy (those who renounced worldly life and accepted monastic orders).

Ranks in the white clergy

Even the Old Testament scripture says that before the Nativity, the prophet Moses appointed people whose task was to become an intermediate link in God’s communication with people. In the modern church system, this function is performed by white priests. The lower representatives of the white clergy do not have holy orders; they include: altar boy, psalm-reader, subdeacon.

Altar boy- this is a person who helps the clergyman in conducting services. Such people are also called sextons. Staying in this rank is a mandatory step before receiving holy orders. The person performing the duties of an altar server is secular, that is, he has the right to leave the church if he changes his mind about connecting his life with serving the Lord.

His responsibilities include:

Timely lighting of candles and lamps, monitoring their safe combustion;
Preparation of priests' robes;
Offer prosphora, Cahors and other attributes of religious rites in a timely manner;
Light a fire in the censer;
Bring a towel to your lips during communion;
Maintaining internal order in church premises.

If necessary, the altar server can ring bells and read prayers, but he is forbidden to touch the throne and be between the altar and the Royal Doors. The altar boy wears ordinary clothes, with a surplice on top.

Acolyte(otherwise known as a reader) is another representative of the white lower clergy. His main responsibility: reading prayers and words from holy scripture (as a rule, they know 5-6 main chapters from the Gospel), explaining to people the basic postulates of the life of a true Christian. For special merits he may be ordained subdeacon. This procedure is carried out by a cleric of higher rank. The psalm-reader is allowed to wear a cassock and skufia.

Subdeacon- assistant to the priest in conducting services. His attire: surplice and orarion. When blessed by the bishop (he can also elevate the psalmist or altar server to the rank of subdeacon), the subdeacon receives the right to touch the throne, as well as enter the altar through the Royal Doors. His task is to wash the hands of the priest during services and give him the items necessary for the rituals, for example, ripids and trikirium.

Church ranks of the Orthodox Church

The above-mentioned church ministers do not have holy orders, and, therefore, are not clergy. These are ordinary people living in the world, but wanting to become closer to God and church culture. They are accepted into their positions with the blessing of clergy of higher rank.

Deaconate degree of clergy

Deacon- the lowest rank among all clergy with holy orders. His main task is to be the priest's assistant during worship; they are mainly engaged in reading the Gospel. Deacons do not have the right to conduct worship services independently. As a rule, they perform their service in parish churches. Gradually, this church rank is losing its significance, and their representation in the church is steadily declining. Deacon ordination (the procedure for elevation to church rank) is carried out by the bishop.

Protodeacon- chief deacon at a temple or church. In the last century, this rank was received by a deacon for special merits; currently, 20 years of service in a lower church rank are required. The protodeacon has a characteristic robe - an orarion with the words “Holy! Holy! Holy." As a rule, these are people with a beautiful voice (they perform psalms and sing at services).

Presbytery Degree of Ministers

Priest translated from Greek means “priest.” Minor title of the white clergy. The consecration is also carried out by the bishop (bishop). The duties of the priest include:

Conducting sacraments, divine services and other religious ceremonies;
Conducting communion;
To carry the covenants of Orthodoxy to the masses.

The priest does not have the right to consecrate antimensions (plates of material made of silk or linen with a particle of the relics of an Orthodox martyr sewn into it, located in the altar on the throne; a necessary attribute for conducting a full liturgy) and to conduct the sacraments of ordination of the priesthood. Instead of a hood he wears a kamilavka.

Archpriest- a title awarded to representatives of the white clergy for special merits. The archpriest, as a rule, is the rector of the temple. His attire during services and church sacraments is an epitrachelion and chasuble. An archpriest awarded the right to wear a miter is called a miter.

Several archpriests can serve in one cathedral. Ordination to the archpriest is carried out by the bishop with the help of consecration - the laying on of hands with prayer. Unlike consecration, it is carried out in the center of the temple, outside the altar.

Protopresbyter- the highest rank for members of the white clergy. Awarded in exceptional cases as a reward for special services to the church and society.

The highest church ranks belong to the black clergy, that is, such dignitaries are prohibited from having a family. A representative of the white clergy can also take this path if he renounces worldly life, and his wife supports her husband and takes monastic vows.

Also, dignitaries who become widowers take this path, since they do not have the right to remarry.

The ranks of the black clergy

These are people who have taken monastic vows. They are prohibited from marrying and having children. They completely renounce worldly life, taking vows of chastity, obedience and non-covetousness (voluntary renunciation of wealth).

The lower ranks of the black clergy have many similarities with the corresponding ranks of the white clergy. The hierarchy and responsibilities can be compared using the following table:

Corresponding rank of white clergy	The rank of the black clergy	A comment
Altar Boy/Psalm Reader	Novice	A lay person who has decided to become a monk. By decision of the abbot, he is enrolled in the brethren of the monastery, given a cassock and assigned a probationary period. Upon completion, the novice can decide whether to become a monk or return to secular life.
Subdeacon	Monk (monk)	A member of a religious community who has taken three monastic vows and leads an ascetic lifestyle in a monastery or independently in solitude and hermitage. He does not have holy orders, therefore, he cannot perform divine services. Monastic tonsure is performed by the abbot.
Deacon	Hierodeacon	A monk with the rank of deacon.
Protodeacon	Archdeacon	Senior deacon in the black clergy. In the Russian Orthodox Church, an archdeacon serving under the patriarch is called a patriarchal archdeacon and belongs to the white clergy. In large monasteries, the chief deacon also has the rank of archdeacon.
Priest	Hieromonk	A monk who has the rank of priest. You can become a hieromonk after the ordination procedure, and white priests can become a monk through monastic tonsure.
Archpriest		Initially, he was the abbot of an Orthodox monastery. In the modern Russian Orthodox Church, the rank of abbot is given as a reward for hieromonk. Often the rank is not related to the management of the monastery. The initiation into abbot is carried out by the bishop.
Protopresbyter	Archimandrite	One of the highest monastic ranks in the Orthodox Church. The conferment of dignity occurs through hirothesia. The rank of archimandrite is associated with administrative management and monastic leadership.

Episcopal degree of clergy

Bishop belongs to the category of bishops. In the process of ordination, they received the highest grace of God and therefore have the right to carry out any sacred actions, including the ordination of deacons. All bishops have the same rights, the eldest of them is the archbishop (has the same functions as the bishop; elevation to rank is carried out by the patriarch). Only the bishop has the right to bless the service with an antimis.

Wears a red robe and a black hood. The following address to a bishop is accepted: “Vladyka” or “Your Eminence.”

He is the leader of the local church - diocese. Chief priest of the district. Elected by the Holy Synod by order of the Patriarch. If necessary, a suffragan bishop is appointed to assist the diocesan bishop. Bishops bear a title that includes the name of the cathedral city. A candidate for bishop must be a representative of the black clergy and over 30 years of age.

Metropolitan- the highest title of a bishop. Reports directly to the patriarch. He has a characteristic robe: a blue mantle and a white hood with a cross made of precious stones.

The rank is given for high merits to society and the church; it is the oldest, if you start counting from the formation of Orthodox culture.

Performs the same functions as a bishop, differing from him in the advantage of honor. Before the restoration of the patriarchate in 1917, there were only three episcopal sees in Russia, with which the rank of metropolitan was usually associated: St. Petersburg, Kiev and Moscow. Currently, there are more than 30 metropolitans in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch- the highest rank of the Orthodox Church, the main priest of the country. Official representative of the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch is translated from Greek as “the power of the father.” He is elected at the Council of Bishops, to which the patriarch reports. This is a lifelong rank, deposition and excommunication of the person who received it, possible only in the most exceptional cases. When the place of the patriarch is not occupied (the period between the death of the previous patriarch and the election of a new one), his duties are temporarily performed by an appointed locum tenens.

Has primacy of honor among all bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. Carries out the management of the church together with the Holy Synod. Contacts with representatives of the Catholic Church and high dignitaries of other faiths, as well as with government authorities. Issues decrees on the election and appointment of bishops, manages the institutions of the Synod. Receives complaints against bishops, giving them action, rewards clergy and laity with church awards.

A candidate for the patriarchal throne must be a bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, have a higher theological education, be at least 40 years of age, and enjoy a good reputation and the trust of the church and people.

1. Basic provisions

1.1. The development of modern technologies has given humanity the Internet, the latest means of communication in which any information is distributed at high speed over long distances and in real time. This characteristic makes the World Wide Web attractive for preaching the Good News, which Christ directly and imperatively commanded: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). To a greater extent, this call is addressed to the modern successors of the apostles - the clergy. In this regard, the Russian Orthodox Church, represented by its hierarchs and supreme governing bodies, has repeatedly pointed out the need for evangelism online, in particular, to representatives of the clergy.

2. Problems of activity

3. Goal setting and motivation

4. Methods and language

4.4. The appearance of the clergyman, his manners, and openness also play an important role in the positioning of the Church on popular video hosting sites, which also must be attributed to the methods of presenting the material. It befits him to appear on camera in at least a cassock or even a cassock, preferably with a pectoral cross. In some cases, a cleric-video blogger (if he is not a monastic) may wear secular clothes if the topic or circumstances in which the recording was made absolutely require it. Therefore, in such cases there can be no talk of any anonymity - subscribers and guests of the channel must know who is in front of them, what diocese he is from, etc. For the effectiveness of the mission, the neatness of the channel author and the ability to speak competently play an important role.

5. Issue topics