The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-22
RUSSIAN CHURCH
TO Be REFORMED
Gear Determined to Divorce Religious
Matters From Control of the
Bureaucracy.
AWAITS PRoPITIoUs TIME
SCHEME PROPOSED BY THE
HOLY SYNOD.

Correspondence Of the Associated
PTess.)
st. Petersburg, Jan. 21.-The invita-
ton of Emperor Nicholas to the Met
ropolitan Antonius, president OF the
holy synod, to convene an extraordi-
nary church council to consider re-
forms in the organization of the ma
tionaI church, the first conference OF
the kind since the patriarchate of Nj
kon in 1854, and the emperor's deter
miBation to call it, may signify the
restoration of the apostolic control of
Russia by the Greek church and bu-
reaucratie restrictions brought about
by NJ. Pobiedonostseff abolished.
Gar Took Up the Matter.
The discussion of the desirability of
changes in the church and government
of Russia was begun in a special meet
ing of the committee Of ministers and
department presidents of the depart
ment of state. But having been in
formed of it his majesty decided that
this particular question did not belong
to the category of affairs to be dis
cussed by an especial committee, but
should be decided exclusively by the
holy synod Therefore, the resolution
written in the enperor's own hand was:
Erase the question from the list Of
the council and submit it to the con-
sideration Of the holy synod"
Necessary Reform.
In accordance then with the emper-
or's wishes, the holy synod during it's
sessions last March has prepared re-
port concerning church reforms which
was submitted for the emperor's con-
sideration, This report reeites the re-
forms which are first necessary in the
local councils of the bishops OF the
various church districts, According to
this plan the patriarch, or metropoli-
tan, should be the controlling head OF
the council of bishops and should be
responsible for them, while they may
in turn accept responsibility for the
districts from which they are appoint
ed, and the council of bishops, headed
by the metropolitan, invested with GER
tain governing powers, should be the
best form of church rule.
According to this report, the holy
synod proposes, "to have the synod
consist Of permanent members tOgeth-
er with the members invited to turn
from among the prelates of the Rus
sian church and TO have it headed by
a patriarch, for the glory of the eOun-
try, granting to him all the canonical
rights of a local metropolitan; 70 call
in Moscow by order of your imperial
majesty a local council of all the
parochial bishops of the orthodox
church in Russia, or of their repre-
sentatives for the discussion Of the
following subjects:
Church Districts.
''The division of Russia into church
districts to be governed by metrOpoli-
tans, the discrimination of the legis-
lation of the existing organs of paro-
Chial government and their reforms in
accordance with the basis of general
councils; the introduction of better
order in the parishes with regard to
moral and religious conditions; the
better administration of charities and
places of instruction; the perfecting of
ecclesiastical schools, the re-examina-
ton of laws under which the church
acquires property; the parochial as
semblies of the clergy; the granting
to the higher representatives If the
church hierarchy the right to take part
in the sessions of the. council of state
and the committee of ministers in all
the cases which concern the interests
of the church and the granting to the
priests of the right to take part in the
local city and village councils"
Decision of the Gear.
Emperor Nicholas returned this re-
port to the holy synod on March 81
with the following in his own hand:
Il deem it impossible to accomplish
at the present restless time such an
important work as the calling Of a
local council ConfOrmable to the an
cient examples of the orthodox emper-
Ors I propose, at a propitious time, to
set this great work in motion and to
call q council OF the church of all the
Russias for the purpose of a canonical
discussion Of the objects of faith and
of the church rule
Awaiting this 'propitiOus time"
which reports now say will be in the
autumn, the then chief proeurator, M.
Pobied0nestseff, sent a communication
to the holy synod setting forth the
matter in more detail and expressing
by implication his well known antag-
onistic views.
This recalls the fact that when the
venerable prOcuratOr found he could
not command a majority of the synod
much less a church council, he retired
from the field beaten. His aide, Stab
Ter, tried to create the impression that
M. PobiedonOstseff himself favored
the council. But the pTocurator was
really so chagrined that at the time it
was reported he would resign, which
he actually did on Oct 81 being suc-