CANONIC CONSTITUTION OF THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN AUTONOMOUS MITROPOLY OF BERGAMO AND EUROPE

CANONIC CONSTITUTION OF THE

ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN AUTONOMOUS MITROPOLY

OF BERGAMO AND EUROPE

 

No. 126/01th February 2015

 

Section  I. ORGANIZATION

Art. 1. The Orthodox Christian Autonomous Mitropoly of Bergamo and Europe, is set up according to the Saint canonization of the Orthodox Church, without infringing the decisions of the Saint Synods. It is organized in the following manner:

  1. MITROPOLY/MITROPOLITAN CENTER;
  2. ARCHDIOCESES, DIOCESE/EPARCHIAL CENTERS;
  3. ARCHPRIETSHIPS/MISSIONARY CENTERS;
  4. PARISHES/MISSIONS;
  5. MONASTERIES (SKETES)/MONACHAL CENTERS.

Art. 2. All these institutions or centers set up by the Mitropoly, have the approval of the Metropolitan, according to the decision of the Saint Synod.

Art. 3. Parishes/Missions shall be denominated „ Christian/Orthodox Parish/Mission” and shall add the official title of the Mitropoly, shall benefit of all legal and canonic documents, issued by the Metropolitan, in order to function correspondingly and without infringing the constitutions of the Italian state or of the states on which there function.

Art. 4. The Parish/Mission is managed by a Parish Priest, in his suborder functioning the Parish Council, composed by at least 5 councilors, whose president is a parish priest.

Art. 5. Besides the Parish Council, there is a committee, composed by at least 3 women, having as object their implication in the philanthropic activities of the Parish.  The committee is subordinated to the Parish council.

Art. 6. The Council/Committee members are chosen initially by the parish priest in the set up moment, for a period of 5 years, with the possibility to extend the mandate, but not for 5 years more.  At Parishes/Missions that held those organisms, the procedure of choosing the new members is done in the Parish Council meeting, with at least 30 days before the expiry date of the functioning council members mandate.

Art. 7. The parson priest that retires at the age imposed by the civil laws, on the state where he develops his activity, he looses the quality of parson, remaining a sole missionary priest.

Art. 8. The replacement of the parson priest is done in the Metropolitan Council.

Art. 9. A number of minimum 3 and maximum 5 Parishes/Missions, from a region delimited by the decision of the Metropolitan, can set up a Missionary/Archpriestship Center, that shall be subordinated directly to the Mitropoly.

Art. 10. A number of 3 Missionary/Archpriestship Centers can set up an Archdiocese, Diocese/Eparchial Center, which shall be managed by an Archbishop or Bishop.  Various Archdiocese, Diocese/Eparchial Centers from the same state set up the Curch National Council, whose superior has the title of the President of the Council.

Art. 11. The Church National Council is composed by all bishops, protopopes and councilors named by vote in the Saint Synod or in the General Assembly of the Orthodox Christian Autonomous Mitropoly of Bergamo and Europe, managed by the high-priest  Onufrie Pop, Archbishop and Primate Metropolitan.

Art. 12. Members of the Church National Council are chosen for the entire period when they shall occupy hierarchic, clerical or administrative functions within the Archdiocese or Diocese of that state.

Art. 13. Church organisms which function within the Orthodox Christian Autonomous Mitropoly of Bergamo and Europe are the following:

  1. SAINT SYNOD;
  2. EXARCHATE;
  3. DISCIPLINE COUNCIL/CONSISTORY

Art. 14. The Saint Synod is composed by the total number of vicar bishops, titular bishops, from the Mitropoly (Archdioceses and Dioceses).  This council is organized once a year, or any time it is necessary, being presided by the Metropolitan.

Art. 15. The Council of discipline is composed by all superiors of Missionary/Archpriestship Centers and by the members of the Saint Synod, having as object the maintenance of the order and of the discipline within each Archpriestship/center affiliated from canonic or legal point of view to the Mitropoly.

Art. 16. Within the Mitropoly can function centers or institutions with legal independence, pertaining only from canonic point of view.  Those undertake to observe all the laws of the state, where they develop their activity, for a good functioning, the Canons and the provisions of the Orthodox Christian Autonomous Mitropoly of Bergamo and Europe.

Art. 17. Exarchate is the organism that includes various monasteries from the same state, being managed by a representative named by the Saint Synod and that occupies the title of exarch.

Art. 18. Exarchate members are persons from the monarchs group, both monarchs and monarchies, having as object the consolidation of the monarchical life by dialogue and by sharing experiences, as well as the good functioning of Monasteries/Monarchical Centers, both from spiritual and from economical point of view.

Art. 19. Each exarch helds one or various Economical councilors that have to present the economical documents directly to the Metropolitan in function.

 

Section II. MITROPOLY/METROPOLITAN CENTRE

Art. 10. The Metropolitan Centre represents the supreme management of the Mitropoly, being represented by the president of the Association, having the function of Archbishop and Primate Metropolitan.

Art. 11. As superior organism, the Metropolitan Centre shall have various members according to the law, as it follows:

  1. PRIMATE METROPOLITAN;
  2. GENERAL VICAR;
  3. ADMINISTRATIVE VICAR;
  4. EPARCHIAL SECRETARY;
  5. ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCILOR;
  6. EXARCH;
  7. CULTURAL COUNCILOR;
  8. ECONOMICAL COUNCILOR

Art. 12. The metropolitan has the right to name the members that shall set up the Metropolitan Council.

Art. 13 It shall be presented a report on the situation in Archdioceses, Dioceses/Eparchial centers, Exarchats, Monasteries/Monarchical centers, Parishes/Missions, Missionary/Archpriestship Centers, as well as a report in the month of December, the current year.

Art. 14. The semestrial contribution shall be established by the Metropolitan council of which it is a member also the Economic councilor.

Art. 15. The Metropolitan center has the full right to dissolute/set up or transform Monasteries/Monarchical center, Parishes/Missions, Missionary/Archpriestship Centers, or Archdioceses/Dioceses/Eparchial centers Also, he can nominate in the function/relieve/advance from the function Priests, protopopes, etc. in the Discipline council.

Art. 16. Archbishops or bishops are named in the function/relieved or advanced by the Saint Synod, by the uninominal vote that shall need 50%+1 from the number of votes of the titular members.

Section III. DISCIPLINE COUNCIL/CONSISTORY

Art. 17. The Council of discipline/Consistory is the deliberative organism that assembles only in case it is necessary, being presided by the Metropolitan and having as purpose the sanction of each irregularity discovered in Parishes/Missions, Missionary/Archpriestship Centers, Sketes/Monarchical Centers, or Archdioceses/Dioceses/Eparchial centers, or for disciplinary deviations committed by the Mitropoly members, which have a clerical or administrative function.

Art. 18. Each churchman judged by the Council of Discipline/Consistory has the right to defense and can submit appeals to the Saint Synod, in one of the meetings with fix date.

Art. 19. The Council of Discipline/Consistory analyzes the economical issued and the progresses of each member of the Mitropoly or of the competent organism.

Art. 20. The Council of Discipline/Consistory decides sanctions as the: disfrock, the ministration for a limited period of time, demission of some organs or of councilors, application of penalties, penitences, canons, etc.

Art. 21. Persons judged by the Council of Discipline/Consistory, who do not submit an appeal, agree with the decision, without having the right to an appeal.

Art. 22. Churchmen who do not want to submit themselves to the penitences of the Council of Discipline/Consistory are sanctioned by defrock or by another sanctioning modality decided by the  Saint Synod or by the Metropolitan (according to the case).

Art. 23. Admission of churchman coming from other jurisdictions can be done only within the Saint Synod. Those shall not possess a criminal record or with antecedents, not to be divorces, or to infringe the Canonic provisions of the Orthodox Church or the decisions of the Saint Synod of the Mitropoly.

Section IV. UNIFORM AND RANKS

Art. 24. Each member of the Mitropoly that holds an administrative function in the church rank, he shall wear an uniform correspondent to his personal status.

  1. PRIESTS:
  • Reverend, Culion, Chest Cross;
  • Priest clothes correspondent to the rank; in case he shall have another rank, he shall wear the correspondent decorations;
  1. PROTOPOPES:
  • Reverend, Culion, Chest Cross;
  • Priest clothes, Epigonation, Mitre without cross and Baton;
  1. EPISCOPACIES:
  • Reverend/Long robe of black color, Culion/Kamilavkion, Chest cross, Engolpion and church baton/rod;
  • Bishop clothes correspondent to the episcopal rank;
  1. ARCHBISHOPS:
  • Reverend/Long robe of black color, Black Culion/Kamilavkion with cross, Chest cross, Engolpion and church baton/rod;
  • Bishop clothes correspondent to the archbishop rank;
  1. METROPOLITAN:
  • Reverend/White or black color long robe; Black color culion/White color Kamilavkion; Chest cross and two engolpions, archbishop baton/rod;
  • Archbishop clothes correspondent to the metropolitan rank;

FINAL PROVISIONS

Art. 25. Each Archdiocese, Diocese/Eparchial Centre shall have an eparchial centre and an Eparchial secretary.

Art. 26. Parishes/Missions which are set up abroad, can set up a vicarage, having as superior a churchman named in the rank of a vicar by the Saint Synod of the Christian Autonomous Mitropoly of Bergamo and Europe.

Art. 27. Managers of churches, are named superiors/guardians by the Eparchial center.

Art. 28. Churchmen from monasteries shall be named:

  1. Hierodeacon/archdeacon;
  2. Hieromonk/hegumen;
  3. Archimandrite/Archimandrite Mitroforo;

Art. 29. Each Monastery shall have an economist.

Art. 30. Abbesses’ Monasteries shall be managed by an abbess named into function by the Eparchial centre, which shall have one of the following Monastery ranks:  Monk, Nun or Friar.

Art. 31. Each monastery shall have a churchman chosen from the nuns, named by the Eparchial center,  In exceptional cases, this function shall be substituted (temporarily) by a secular.

Art. 32. Clerks and hierarchs don’t have the canonic permission to officiate churches service together with clerks of other confessions, clerks named by the Mitropoly or by other Orthodox churches in communion with the Mitropoly.

Art. 33. Each Parish/Mission, Missionary/Archpriestship Centers, Monastery, Skete/Monarchal center or Archdiocese/Diocese/Eparchial center shall have an own register for the registration of goods and of the actual activities developed within the institution.  Representatives are obliged to keep in good status all registered goods and not to sell or use those in other purposes.

Art. 34. Metropolitan center can set up a Control council, composed by inspectors, which shall develop inspection activities of each institution pertaining to the Mitropoly.

Art. 35. Saint Synod is the legal organism that can complete/modify or abrogate the herein Constitution, being necessary 50%+1 of the number of votes of the legal and titular members.

Art. 36. Dissolution of an organ or organism functioning within the Mitropoly can be done by the decision of the Saint Synod.

 

Dr.ONUFRIE POP

                                         

Archbishop and Metropolitan

 

Bishop MIHAIL BURUIANA, Exarch for the East Europe

SECRETARY OF THE SAINT SYNOD

                       

Protopope Mitroforo NICOLAE MARIUS CONSTANTIN

GENERAL VICAR – CASTELLON, Spain