Actual questions of spiritual care about monks

The article is devoted to the issue of spiritual care about the population of monasteries actively discussed recently. Exercising the spiritual guidance of both the general and personal brethren of the monastery precisely by the hegumen was the subject of substantive and lengthy discussion in the monastic community and at the general church level of the Russian Orthodox Church. The result of this discussion was the return to the ancient tradition preserved in many Local Churches and Mount Athos, which was reflected in the Regulations on Monasteries and Monastics adopted by the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2017. The essence of this tradition is that the hegumen is the father of the whole brotherhood. In the article on specific examples, the correctness and relevance of this practice is shown. In addition, some other issues related to the spiritual nourishment of monks are also considered. This article was presented in the form of a report at the II Monastic conference, which was organized by the Historical Society of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and was held on March 29, 2018.