Russian True Orthodox Church
| Russian True Orthodox Church | |
| Acronym(s) | RTOC |
| Origin | Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Current primate | Archbishop Tikhon (Pasechnik) |
| Headquarters | Omsk, Omsk Oblast, Russia |
| Territory | Russia, Europe, Americas, Australia, Asia |
| Liturgical language(s) | Russian/local |
| Musical tradition | Russian/Byzantine |
| Bishops | 5 |
| Parishes | not available |
| Monasteries | not available |
| Official website | https://www.ripc.info/ |
The Russian True Orthodox Church (RTOC) is a True Orthodox Church based in Omsk, Russia. The RTOC has parishes in Russia, Europe, North America, South America and Australia. The origins of the RTOC lie in the priestly ministry of the catacomb cleric Lazar Zhurbenko. On the decision of the ROCOR synod, he was secretly ordained in 1981 as a bishop for the catacomb church. Currently, the president of the synod of bishops is Archbishop Tikhon of Omsk.
History of the RTOC
In 2001, the ROCOR bishops forcibly retired Metropolitan Vitaly, the First Hierarch of the ROCOR. Then the ROCOR Council, presided over by the newly elected Metropolitan Laurus, officially decided to begin the process of unification with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Archbishop Lazar, Archbishop of Odessa and Tambov and Benjamin, Bishop of the Black Sea and Kuban did not agree with the apostate decisions of the ROCOR Council. In order to canonically protect themselves and their flock, after discussing the situation at the Synod of the Bishops of Russia, with the blessing of Elder Metropolitan Vitaly, Archbishop Lazar and Bishop Benjamin in August 2002 ordained for the needs of the Russian Church Hieromonk Dionisy as Bishop of Borovichi, Hieromonk Jeriney as Bishop of Burnin, Hieromonk Hermogenes as Bishop of Zhlobnisky, and Hieromonk Tikhon as Bishop of Shadrinsk.
On June 22/July 5, 2003, in fulfillment of the decisions of the Second All-Russian Conference of Bishops, Clergy and laity, in accordance with the Ukas 362 of St. Patriarch Tikhon, and with the blessing of Metropolitan Vitaly, the canonical governing body of the RTOC parishes was transformed into the Synod of Bishops of the Russian True Orthodox Church. The senior Russian bishop, Archbishop Lazar of Odessa and Tambov, was elected president of the Synod of Bishops of the RTOC.
After the death of Archbishop Lazar in 2005, at an extraordinary meeting of the RTOC Synod, His Eminence Tikhon, Bishop of Omsk and Siberia, was elected First Hierarch and elevated to the rank of Archbishop.
