Decision of the Holy Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, June 24-29, 2008, "On matters of internal life and external activities of Russian Orthodox Church"

On June 27, 2008 the Bishops' Council of Russian Orthodox Church at the plenary session adopted a decision, "On matters of internal life and external activities of Russian Orthodox Church".

31. The Council again calls for the full implementation of previously reached agreements on the Estonian church issue, and strongly rejects the attempts by the Constantinople Patriarchate to create a semblance of a inter-Orthodox recognition of its church structure in Estonia as an autonomous Local Church without taking into account the views and interests of the overwhelming majority of Orthodox believers in Estonia. In connection with the opinion of the Patriarchate of Constantinople that inter-Orthodox measures may include representatives of a church organization which has not received general acceptance as an autonomous or Local Autocephalous Church, the Council considers it necessary to insist that all meetings where the Orthodox Plenitude is represented, include the participation of representatives of autonomous and self-ruled Churches in the composition of the Moscow Patriarchate: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Japanese Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church in Moldova, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, the Latvian Orthodox Church, the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Chinese Orthodox Church. The Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America should also participate in these meetings.
33. The Bishops' Council declares the inviolability of the canonical borders of the Autonomous Chinese Orthodox Church and endorses the position on the issue made in a corresponding statement by Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on April 15, 2008.
46. It is recognized as necessary to continue the dialogue with the authorities of People's Republic of China, aimed at normalizing the situation of Orthodox believers in this country and providing a legal status for the autonomous Chinese Orthodox Church, daughter of the Russian Orthodox Church.