Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; Russian: Русская православная церковь, РПЦ,) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has many areas in Russia where it operates. The primate of the ROC is the patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'.

The history of the ROC begins with the Christianization of Kievan Rus', which started in 988 with the baptism of Vladimir the Great and his people by leaders from the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople. Moscow became an important place for the Russian church from the 14th century. The ROC declared autocephaly in 1448 when it chose its own leader. In 1589, this leader became known as the patriarch. In the mid-17th century, some changes caused a split in the church, leading to the Old Believers group.

The ROC says it has authority over Eastern Orthodox Christians living in areas that were once part of the Soviet Union, except for Georgia. The ROC also started the autonomous Church of Japan and Chinese Orthodox Church. The ROC has groups in Belarus and Latvia that have some self-government.

The ROC is different from the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (or ROCOR, also known as the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), which is based in the United States. The ROCOR started in the 1920s by Russian people outside the Soviet Union who did not agree with the Moscow Patriarchate. The two churches reconciled on 17 May 2007; the ROCOR is now part of the Russian Orthodox Church.

History

The Russian Orthodox Church, also known as the Moscow Patriarchate, is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. It has many areas, called dioceses, in Russia. The leader of the church is called the Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus'.

The history of the Russian Orthodox Church started when Christianity spread to Kievan Rus' in the 10th century. In 988, Grand Prince Vladimir was baptized and helped his people learn about Christianity. This made Christianity the official religion of the country. Over time, the church grew and set up many important places across Russia.

After attacks by the Mongols, the center of the church moved from Kiev to Moscow. Moscow became the new spiritual heart of Russia. In 1589, the church was officially recognized as a patriarchate, making Moscow an important center for Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The church kept playing a big role in Russian history, even during hard times and changes.

Structure and organization

See also: Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church is organized in a clear way. The smallest part is a parish, which is one church and its members, led by a priest. Many parishes in one area form an eparchy, like a Western diocese, led by a bishop. There are 261 eparchies around the world.

Some larger areas are grouped into exarchates or metropolitan districts, and some have special status as self-governing churches. The main leader of the whole church is the Patriarch of Moscow, who works with bishops and other leaders called the Holy Synod. The highest group of leaders is the Local Council, which meets to make very important decisions.

Canonical territory

The Russian Orthodox Church claims sixteen countries as its canonical territory:

1. Azerbaijan
2. Belarus
3. China
4. Estonia
5. Japan
6. Kazakhstan
7. Kyrgyzstan
8. Latvia
9. Lithuania
10. Moldova
11. Mongolia
12. Russia
13. Tajikistan
14. Turkmenistan
15. Ukraine
16. Uzbekistan

Orthodox Church in America

Main article: Orthodox Church in America

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR)

Self-governing branches of the ROC

The Russian Orthodox Church has four levels of self-government.

The autonomous churches which are part of the ROC are:

1. Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), a special status autonomy close to autocephaly
2. Self-governed churches (Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia)
3. Belarusian Orthodox Church, an exarchate; Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia; Patriarchal Exarchate in Western Europe; Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa
4. Pakistan Orthodox Church
5. Metropolitan District of Kazakhstan
6. Japanese Orthodox Church
7. Chinese Orthodox Church

Worship and practices

Main article: Canonization in the Russian Orthodox Church

See also: List of Russian saints

Main article: Russian icons

In the Russian Orthodox Church, special people of strong faith can be honored as saints. This starts in local areas, where leaders decide after hearing stories and making special prayers and paintings called icons. Later, the whole church may honor them.

Icons are important in Russian Orthodox worship. They are special paintings, often on wood, that show holy people and events. They follow old styles from Byzantine art but have unique Russian features. Icons are placed in homes and churches, and some very large ones help separate parts of the church space. These icons are treated with great respect.

Ecumenism and interfaith relations

In 2011, a leader of the Russian Orthodox Church talked about how different Christian groups, like Orthodox and Evangelical Christians, share similar views on important topics such as families and marriage. They want to work together more closely on these issues.

This leader also spoke about how Islam and Christianity can live peacefully together in Russia, since they have not fought religious wars there. Today, the Russian Orthodox Church has missions in places like Jerusalem and other countries around the world.

Membership

The Russian Orthodox Church is one of the biggest Christian churches in the world. Many people around the world belong to it. In Russia, a lot of people say they are part of this church.

Even though many people say they are Orthodox, only a few go to services often or say religion is very important to them. But, most people keep special items called icons in their homes.