Church Law and Pastoral Aspects of the 1981–1993 Decrees by Archbishop of Vologda and Veliky Ustyug Michael (Mudyugin; 1912–2000)

The article deals with 17 decrees of 1981–1993 by Archbishop Michael (Mudyugin, 1912–2000). The author systematized the decrees into three groups: 1) decisions with canon sanctions; 2) decisions with removal or mitigation of punishment, as well as with the appointment of educational measures; 3) decrees containing various aspects of ecclesiastic law. The article analyzes the decrees from point of view of the Canonical Code of the Orthodox Church. The author concludes that 1) Archbishop Michael does not refer to Canonical rules; 2) he makes judicial decisions only on inner conviction, without taking into account the canons and the sanctions provided; 3) found no correlation between the decisions of Archbishop Michael and the time of their adoption. The article notes the special importance that Archbishop Michael attached to pastoral influence on a Church offender. Finally, the judicial activity of Archbishop Michael 1) is an example of living ecclesiastical law-making in late 20th century; 2) shows the real possibility of resolving the issues raised at the 1917–1918 Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, namely, the separation of ecclesiastic court from administration. The article is written based on the report made at the 4th Barsov Readings (St. Petersburg Theological Academy, December 7, 2020).