Moscow Patriarchate’s Doubling of Bishoprics under Kirill Backfiring, ‘Nezavisimaya Gazeta’ Journalist Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Aug. 20 – One of the most dramatic developments in the Russian Orthodox Church over the 15 years Kirill has been patriarch is the doubling of the number of bishoprics from 200 in 2009 to 402 as of January 2024, a move intended to solidify his control and bring the bishops into closer contact with the population.

            But, Nezavisimaya Gazeta journalist Anastasiya Koskello says, the effort has backfired. Not only have bishops found themselves less able to defend the interests of the patriarchate against demands of parishioners, but they have been in some cases prompted to protest against Moscow itself (ng.ru/ng_religii/2024-08-20/9_10_578_bishops.html).

            Partially as a result, the reputation of the Patriarchate itself has fallen to the lowest level ever; and thus this process, which has involved at least four bishoprics in recent months, seems certain to spread, further eroding the standing of the central structures of the church rather than reenforcing them as Kirill had hoped.

            When there were fewer bishoprics, the leads of each were more distant from the population and the laity of the church and more likely to do what Moscow wanted, Koskello says; but as their number has grown, the old rules have become increasingly violated, something that threatens the power vertical Kirill has sought to impose on Orthodox religious life.