Patriarch Sergius and the Patriarchal Conciliar System

Abstract

The article highlights the positive role of Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky) as the successor of Patriarch Tikhon (Bellavin) in the restoration of the patriarchal conciliar system of governance within the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia. Ecclesiological and administrative regulation of the Church’s life was disrupted under Peter the Great. The institution of the patriarchate briefly revived after the 1917 revolution, but this process was interrupted by the actions of the new Bolshevik government. Becoming the helmsman of the Church after 1925, Sergius, as the locum tenens of the patriarchal see, continued to revive the canonical administrative church system despite severe pressure from state authorities. This included overcoming the renovationist schism, strengthening church discipline, and restoring the order of worship. These efforts resulted in the second revival of the institution of the Patriarchate, which occurred during the Great Patriotic War at the Bishops’ Council in 1943. Patriarch Sergius’ works laid the foundation for subsequent stages in the restoration of the patriarchal conciliar system of Church administration in 1945 and 1988.