Meeting of the Inter-academic Doctoral Dissertation Council
On September 15, the Bishop of Istra Seraphim chaired a regular meeting of the Joint Doctoral Dissertation Council, which included the Moscow Theological Academy, the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and the Minsk Theological Academy. The meeting was held in a blended format and attended by 19 council members.
Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, opened the meeting by announcing the decision of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill to appoint the Bishop of Istra Seraphim as a Chairman of the Joint Doctoral Dissertation Council.
In his welcoming speech the Bishop of Zvenigorod Theodorite, Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy, underlined the great importance of church science nowadays.
The Bishop of Istra Seraphim listed a number of tasks for the Council to deal with. He noted that nowadays the Church especially requires Doctors of Theology for higher educational theological institutions that means a compulsory defense of doctoral dissertations as an integral part of a scientific life. Bishop Seraphim addressed teaching corporations of the theological Academies of the Russian Orthodox Church to stimulate such an important matter as training church scholars, identify and support students, who are able to engage in academic work.
The Council reviewed and approved the theme of a PhD dissertation by priest Ilia Makarov called "Theological Comprehension of Church Musical Creativity", a scientific consultant is the Bishop of Istra Seraphim.
The next meeting of the Council, where PhD applicants could present their scientific reports, is scheduled in December 2021.
In conclusion, Bishop Seraphim encouraged theological institutions to intensify their scientific in order to raise the level of theological science at the Russian Orthodox Church.
MThA Press Office
