Responsabilities of The Holy Synod

Promotes co-responsibility, consultation, and cooperation among its hierarchs, during and between working sessions, through concelebration at various central and regional church events, through letters of congratulation, through continuous collaboration between neighboring metropolitan synods at the pastoral-missionary, social-philanthropic, and cultural levels, through fraternal assistance to poorer eparchies within and outside the country, and through spiritual and material solidarity expressed in cases of emergency (disasters, natural calamities, etc.);

Examines any matter of a dogmatic, liturgical, canonical, or pastoral-missionary nature, resolving it in accordance with the teachings of the Orthodox Church, and decides, according to the Holy Canons, on church matters of any kind;

Oversees the consecration of the Holy Chrism, in accordance with pastoral-missionary requirements of the Romanian Orthodox Church;

Approves the canonization of saints and issues the synodal tomos of canonization;

Expresses the official position of the Romanian Orthodox Church on draft normative acts of the state concerning the activity of recognized cults and religious organizations, theological and religious education, social and religious assistance, national cultural heritage, especially church heritage, and other important areas for the Church and society;

Approves, by open vote with a two-thirds majority of the members present, the Statute for the organization and functioning of the Romanian Orthodox Church and its implementing regulations, and amends these documents when strictly necessary;

Initiates and approves agreements and partnerships with the state and other institutions in areas of general ecclesiastical interest;

Expresses the official position of the Romanian Orthodox Church on matters of general societal interest;

Approves, with a two-thirds majority of the members present, the establishment, abolition, territorial modification, and renaming of eparchies (dioceses and archdioceses) and metropolises within the Romanian Patriarchate, and, in the case of establishing new eparchies, issues the synodal tomos of establishment;

Has the right and duty to oversee the pastoral care of Romanian Orthodox faithful outside Romania, for which purpose it approves or returns, with justification, the statutes of organization and functioning of eparchies (dioceses and archdioceses) and metropolises, as well as other church units abroad, and issues pastoral guidance to them;

Elects, with a two-thirds majority of all valid votes, the Patriarch of Romania, and with a majority of one-half plus one of all valid votes, the metropolitans, archbishops, and ruling bishops of the eparchies within the Romanian Patriarchate;

Elects, with a majority of one-half plus one of all valid votes, the patriarchal auxiliary bishops, vicar bishops, and vicar hierarchs;

Issues the synodal gramata for the enthronement of the Patriarch of Romania;

Decides, with a two-thirds majority of members present, on the retirement of hierarchs and determines their rights;

Approves, with a two-thirds majority of members present, proposals from the Final Episcopal Consistory or returns them with justification for reconsideration;

Approves or rejects with justification the forgiveness requests of priests and deacons sanctioned by defrocking, which have become final and irrevocable after appeal, if they have demonstrated repentance and amendment over several years;

Approves or rejects with justification the forgiveness requests of hierarchs sanctioned by defrocking or deposition from episcopal service, which have become final and irrevocable after appeal, if they have demonstrated repentance and amendment over several years;

Establishes criteria for the eligibility of archimandrites or widowed priests for episcopal service;

Approves proposals of the metropolitan synods regarding the composition of the Superior Church Consistory and the Superior Monastic Church Consistory;

Approves proposals of the Permanent Synod regarding the composition of the First Episcopal Consistory and the Final Episcopal Consistory;

Approves or rejects decisions of the Superior Church Consistory and the Superior Monastic Church Consistory regarding appeals from clerics of the laity and monastic orders sanctioned by defrocking;

Approves or rejects, with a two-thirds majority of members present, the decisions of the Final Episcopal Consistory;

Guides and supervises the activities of the deliberative and executive bodies at the level of eparchies, archdioceses, metropolises, and the Romanian Patriarchate to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory provisions;

Initiates and fosters fraternal inter-Orthodox relations, inter-Christian dialogue, and interreligious cooperation nationally and internationally;

Approves, at the request of the hierarch, the establishment, organization, functioning, and closure of pre-university theological education units (church singer schools/art and trade schools, theological high schools) and university education units (departments and faculties of theology), as well as other educational institutions organized by the Romanian Orthodox Church, and norms regarding the teaching of Religion in state, private, and confessional schools;

Establishes norms for confessional education at all levels and programs for the catechism of youth and adults;

Approves the establishment and closure of written media institutions (magazines, newspapers, official periodicals) and audiovisual media (radio, television, and others) of the Romanian Patriarchate and eparchial centers, upon a well-founded proposal from the Patriarch of Romania or the eparchial hierarchs, for the purpose of preserving, promoting, and defending the unity of faith and church life;

Approves norms for missionary-pastoral activities and for promoting the religious and moral life of the clergy;

Establishes norms for social-philanthropic assistance for the entire Romanian Orthodox Church and approves measures for organizing religious assistance in the army, prisons, hospitals, children’s and elderly homes, social and medical institutions for disadvantaged persons, etc.;

Approves the establishment, organization, and closure of national church associations and foundations constituted and managed by the Romanian Orthodox Church;

Grants or withdraws the blessing (written approval) for the establishment, organization, or closure of national associations and foundations, other than church ones, founded or associated with religious units, with leadership composed of Orthodox Christians, contributing to missionary, social, cultural, and educational work within the Romanian Patriarchate, and operating in its eparchies;

Approves or rejects with justification the annual financial report and semi-annual activity reports of associations and foundations operating with the blessing of the Holy Synod, which are obliged to submit them to the Office of the Holy Synod;

Initiates, authorizes, and supervises the translation, correction, editing, and dissemination of the Holy Scriptures, the printing and distribution of liturgical books and Akathist Hymns, the church calendar, theology handbooks, and Religion textbooks;

Supervises from a dogmatic, liturgical, and canonical perspective the works of architecture, painting, sculpture, and other forms of Orthodox church art, taking appropriate measures in case of deviations;

Approves annually the method of constitution and distribution of the central missionary fund;

Establishes special funds and determines their constitution and destination;

Approves or rejects with justification the proposals of hierarchs regarding the conferral of the rank of archimandrite;

Approves or rejects with justification requests received by the Romanian Patriarchate or eparchies from institutions or individuals for academic, journalistic, or other types of research of documents from the Archives of the Romanian Patriarchate or central eparchial archives regarding the personal life and activity of hierarchs;

Interprets, in a final and binding form for all church bodies, statutory or regulatory provisions (Art. 14 of the Statute).