The Local Council meeting was held in connection with the need to elect a new primate of the Church after the death of Patriarch Alexy I.
The decision to convene the council was adopted on 25 June 1970, by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Council has 234 members, including 72 bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, 84 representatives of the clergy and 78 lay faithful.
Participants heard and discussed the report of the Patriarchal locum tenens Metropolitan Pimen, "The life and work of the Russian Orthodox Church".
The reports and speeches of participants positively evaluated relation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the socialist political system, domestic and foreign policy of the Soviet government.