With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, an inter-diocesan round table "Practical fulfillment of monastic vows in modern conditions" was held via videoconference. The meeting, organized with the participation of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, brought together the bishops, abbots and abbesses of the monasteries, as well as the monastics of the Belgorod, Kursk, Orel and Tula metropolitans.
The work of the round table was led by Metropolitan Alexy of Tula and Efremov. Opening the meeting, His Eminence noted the relevance of the issues of monastic life under discussion and wished the participants fruitful work.
The main speaker from the Tula Diocese and moderator of the meeting, Bishop Theodoret, made a presentation on "The ideals of ancient monasticism in the modern world: contact with the world." Hieromonk Theodosius (Makarov), a resident of the Dormition Monastery in Novomoskovsk, presented a report on the spiritual instructions of St. Porfiry Kavsokalivit and the essence of the monastic path.
The participants also considered the issues of patient endurance of sorrows, spiritual improvement using the example of Egyptian ascetics and the fulfillment of the vow of non-covetousness in modern conditions. Special attention was paid to the interpretation of monastic vows in the light of the patristic heritage.
Summing up the results of the round table, Metropolitan Alexy thanked the participants for their informative work. As a result of the meeting, a resolution was adopted.