Issues of teaching “The latest regulatory documents of the Russian Orthodox Church” course at theological seminaries

“The Latest Regulatory Documents of the Russian Orthodox Church” course was introduced in sem-inary curriculums just a few years ago. In fact, it is a continuation of the Canon Law course, but adapted to fit new terms. Currently, there is a number of problems associated with teaching this course at the bachelor’s degree level, e.g., there is no modern textbook, no generally recognized structure or clear church-legal base; it is necessary to update curricula and manuals regularly and to separate this course from the Canon Law course. It is also necessary to improve its teaching at the advanced training courses for clergy, which are usually offered by theological schools. It seems necessary for the student groups of such courses to be formed by the year of their graduation from the seminary or previous courses so that the teaching process may take the students’ knowledge into account and may avoid repetition of material. The issue of improving the quality of teachers’ training seems relevant too. It would be appropriate for them to have both theological and legal training (legal education, master’s degree or academic degree in Canon Law) as a pre-requisite. It is also important to offer a review of new church documents at the advanced training courses for teachers of Canon Law, as well as to include such a review in articles in central church periodicals. The article is based on the report at the “Problems of Teaching Canon Law in Church and Secular Universities” conference dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the Barsov Society (St. Peters-burg Theological Academy, 30.01.2024).