Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Cross
Russian Orthodox Church
(Moscow Patriarchate)
Русская православная церковь
AbbreviationROC
ClassificationEastern Orthodox
OrientationRussian Orthodoxy
ScriptureElizabeth Bible (Church Slavonic)
Synodal Bible (Russian)
TheologyEastern Orthodox theology
PolityEpiscopal
GovernanceHoly Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church
StructureCommunion
PrimatePatriarch Kirill of Moscow
Bishops382 (2019)[1]
Clergy40,514 full-time clerics, including 35,677 presbyters and 4,837 deacons[1]
Parishes38,649 (2019)[1]
Dioceses314 (2019)[2]
Monasteries972 (474 male and 498 female) (2019)[1]
AssociationsWorld Council of Churches[3]
RegionRussia, post-Soviet states, Russian diaspora
LanguageChurch Slavonic, Russian
LiturgyByzantine Rite
HeadquartersDanilov Monastery, Moscow, Russia
55°42′40″N 37°37′45″E / 55.71111°N 37.62917°E / 55.71111; 37.62917
FounderSaint Vladimir the Great[4][a]
Origin988
Kievan Rus'
Independence1448, de facto[7]
Recognition
Separations
Members110 million (95 million in Russia, total of 15 million in the linked autonomous churches)[8][9][10][11]
Other name(s)
  • Russian Church
  • Moscow Patriarchate
Official websitepatriarchia.ru

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; Russian: Русская православная церковь, romanizedRusskaya pravoslavnaya tserkov, abbreviated as РПЦ), alternatively legally known as the Moscow Patriarchate (Russian: Московский патриархат, romanizedMoskovskiy patriarkhat),[12] is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia.[13] The primate of the ROC is the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'.

The Christianization of Kievan Rus' commenced in 988 with the baptism of the Rus' Grand Prince of KievVladimir the Great—and his people by the clergy of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. The ecclesiastical title of Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' remained in the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate until 1686.

The ROC currently claims exclusive jurisdiction over the Eastern Orthodox Christians, irrespective of their ethnic background, who reside in the former member republics of the Soviet Union, excluding Georgia. The ROC also created the autonomous Church of Japan and Chinese Orthodox Church. The ROC eparchies in Belarus and Latvia, since the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, enjoy various degrees of self-government, albeit short of the status of formal ecclesiastical autonomy.

The ROC should also not be confused with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (or ROCOR, also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), headquartered in the United States. The ROCOR was instituted in the 1920s by Russian communities outside the Soviet Union, which had refused to recognise the authority of the Moscow Patriarchate that was de facto headed by Metropolitan Sergius Stragorodsky. The two churches reconciled on 17 May 2007; the ROCOR is now a self-governing part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

  1. ^ a b c d "Внутренняя жизнь и внешняя деятельность Русской Православной Церкви с 2009 года по 2019 год". www.patriarchia.ru (in Russian).
  2. ^ "Доклад Святейшего Патриарха Кирилла на Епархиальном собрании г. Москвы (20 декабря 2019 года) / Патриарх / Патриархия.ru". www.patriarchia.ru (in Russian).
  3. ^ "Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)". World Council of Churches. January 1961. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  4. ^ Voronov, Theodore (13 October 2001). "The Baptism of Russia and Its Significance for Today". orthodox.clara.net. Archived from the original on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  5. ^ Damick, Andrew S. "Life of the Apostle Andrew". chrysostom.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  6. ^ Voronov, Theodore (13 October 2001). "The Baptism of Ukraine and Its Significance for Today". orthodox.clara.net. Archived from the original on 18 April 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
  7. ^ "Primacy and Synodality from an Orthodox Perspective". Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Religions in Russia: a New Framework". www.pravmir.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Number of Orthodox Church Members Shrinking in Russia, Islam on the Rise - Poll". www.pravmir.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  10. ^ "Russian Orthodox Church | History & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. 27 January 2024.
  11. ^ Brien, Joanne O.; Palmer, Martin (2007). The Atlas of Religion. Univ of California Press. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-520-24917-2.
  12. ^ "I. Общие положения – Русская православная Церковь". www.patriarchia.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  13. ^ Hanna, Alfred. "Union Between Christians".


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