Coats of Arms Approved for the URRC Russian Province

27 June 2026

The Office of H.A.H. the Most Holy Roman-Ruthenian Pope approved the following coats of arms: 

For H.Em. Cardinal Avgustin of Irkutsk, Baron of Crescencia, Primate of the Russian Lands of the URRC: 

Per pale, dexter (for the See of Irkutsk) per fess Azure and Gules; First: on waves Argent and Azure a Slavic church with walled enclosure Argent upon a mount Vert, accompanied in chief dexter by an estoile and in chief sinister by an Orthodox cross, Or; Second, a flaming heart Or pierced bendwise by an arrow Or; sinister (for the Cardinal himself), Or, a cross nebuly Gules charged at the centre with a flaming heart Or and between four babrs (in the style of Irkutsk) rampant Sable.

     The shield ensigned with a baronial coronet and a mitre of the Gallo-Russo-Byzantine Rite. Behind the shield is placed a crozier. The shield is set beneath a red galero with cords and fifteen tassels pendent on either side.

For the Russian Lands of the URRC:

Per pale, dexter per fess Azure and Gules; First: on waves Argent and Azure a Slavic church with walled enclosure Argent upon a mount Vert, accompanied in chief dexter by an estoile and in chief sinister by an Orthodox cross, Or; Second, a flaming heart Or pierced bendwise by an arrow Or. The shield is surrounded by a gold wreath joined in base with a ribbon of Gules and Azure. Upon the shield is set a mitre of the Gallo-Russo-Byzantine Rite. 

Congregation des Compagnons de Saint Benoît (Congregation of the Companions of St Benedict) in Africa Received into the Catholicate of Rome-Ruthenia

By M. Derosiers

CAMEROON 7 May 2026 (NRom)

The United Roman Ruthenian Church has announced the formal admission of the Congrégation des Compagnons de Saint Benoît (CCSB) into the Catholicate of Rome-Ruthenia, the patriarchal jurisdiction of the Roman-Ruthenian Pope. According to ecclesiastical officials, the decree of admission was enacted through a papal bulla signed by His Holiness on 6 May 2026, marking a significant development in the expanding international relationships and global presence of the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State.

Founded on 11 July 2007 in Cameroon by the Revd Brother Emmanuel Oba’a CCSB/OSB within the Anglican Church of Cameroon, the Congregation of the Companions of St Benedict is a Benedictine religious community composed of priests, brothers, and sisters dedicated to a life of prayer, service, and charitable outreach. The congregation combines monastic spirituality with active ministry, particularly in support of vulnerable children, including orphans, homeless youth, and children affected by poverty and disease. Headquartered at Saint Joseph Priory in Ebolowa, Cameroon, the community follows a semi-contemplative religious life based on the Rule of St Benedict and shaped by commitments to obedience, poverty, chastity, stability, and conversion of life.

The congregation’s liturgical is built on the Roman Rite. Its apostolic works include educational and social initiatives aimed at long-term community development and self-sufficiency. Projects envisioned by the congregation include education, medicine, and hospitality services connected to local charitable ministries.

The admission of the CCSB into the Catholicate is expected to strengthen ecclesial ties between African religious communities and the wider United Roman-Ruthenian Church, which already had a global presence across several continents.

Sources within the Catholicate also noted the distinctive ceremonial tradition surrounding papal bullae issued by the United Roman-Ruthenian Church. The seals bear on the obverse an image of St Stephen the Apostle and Proto-Deacon, while the reverse carries the traditional Seal of the Fisherman depicting St Peter as a fisherman together with the name of the reigning Pope rendered in Russian Cyrillic script.

Eva Duarte Perón Declared Servant of God

 

A. DiNardo

BUENOS AIRES 17 April 2026 (NRom)

The Apostolic Office for the Glorification of the Saints of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church has announced that Eva Duarte Perón has been declared a Servant of God by His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Pope Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia. This designation marks an important step in her cause for canonization, which was formally opened in 2025 and remains ongoing.

The Holy Father’s recognition highlights Perón’s widely acknowledged virtues, particularly her lifelong commitment to the care of the poor and marginalized. Her charitable initiatives and advocacy for social justice have been cited as key elements in evaluating her life of Christian witness.

As a Servant of God, Perón’s life will now undergo further theological and historical examination as part of the Church’s discernment process regarding sainthood. The Apostolic Office emphasized that the cause continues to progress, inviting the faithful to reflect on her example and to support the process through prayer.

Metropolitan Archbishop of Irkutsk named Cardinal

His Eminence Cardinal Avgustin,
Metropolitan Archbishop of Irkutsk

M. Derosiers 

IRKUTSK 15 April 2026 (NRom)

His Holiness Pope Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia has formally assigned His Eminence Cardinal Avgustin of Irkutsk the title of Cardinal Priest of Santa Barbara, showing the importance of the Russian lands to the history and heritage of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church.

Cardinal Avgustin, who serves as Metropolitan Archbishop of Irkutsk and Primate of the Russian Lands in the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, received this designation as part of the longstanding tradition linking members of the College of Cardinals to titular churches. The assignment symbolizes both symbolic membership in the Diocese of Rome-Ruthenia and the Cardinal’s role as a principal advisor to the Holy Father. It also reflects recognition of Cardinal Avgustin’s leadership and pastoral service across the Russian territories under his care.

Church officials note that the title of Santa Barbara carries historic and spiritual significance, reinforcing the unity between local Churches and the Apostolic See.

Roman-Ruthenian Pope Comments on Profane Images of Christ

ROME-RUTHENIA 15 April 2026 (NRom)

Statement by His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia on recent profane depictions of Our Lord Jesus Christ: 

We are gravely saddened to learn of a recent video, reportedly disseminated by authorities in Iran, in which the Divine Person of Our Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed in a manner gravely offensive to His sacred dignity.

In this representation, the Redeemer is depicted within a profane and violent scene, unworthy of Him who is meek and humble of heart, and who shall come again not in spectacle, but in justice and majesty.

Such misuse of the sacred image constitutes an offense against religion itself, and cannot be justified under the pretext of political expression or national rivalry.

At the same time, We must recall that the Holy Name and image of Our Lord are never to be employed lightly, irreverently, or as instruments of mere political display by any party whatsoever. For Christ the King is not to be enlisted in the contests of men, nor reduced to a figure of worldly contention, but adored in spirit and in truth.

We therefore condemn all such profanations, from whatever source they may arise, and call upon all men to restore due reverence to the sacred, lest the sense of the divine be further obscured among the nations.

Roman-Ruthenian Pope Reaffirms the Unique Kingship of Christ Amid Irreverent Political Imagery

ROME-RUTHENIA 13 April 2026 (NRom)

Statement by His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Pope Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia:

Politicians are not the Saviour. Therefore, the Church, as guardian of the honor due to Almighty God, cannot remain silent when the sacred Person of Our Lord Jesus Christ is treated in a manner unbecoming His divine majesty. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, the Eternal Word made flesh, is the sole Redeemer of mankind and the universal King to whom all nations and rulers are subject. His kingship is not metaphorical nor symbolic, but real, supreme, and absolute over all creation.

Therefore, any representation that places a temporal ruler, whether implicitly or explicitly, in the likeness, role, or action proper to Christ the Lord, especially in His divine works such as the healing of the sick, constitutes a grave disorder, regardless of who created the image. Such imagery risks sowing confusion among the faithful, diminishing the reverence owed to the Incarnate Word, and encouraging a spirit akin to idolatry, whereby man looks to earthly power for what belongs to God alone. The Second Commandment forbids not only false worship, but also the irreverent use of holy things. Sacred images exist to elevate the soul to God; they must never be made instruments of worldly ambition or nationalistic exaltation.

The faithful are therefore admonished to reject all tendencies to attribute quasi-messianic significance to any political figure. Put not your trust in princes (Ps. 145:2), but in Christ the King, whose reign is eternal and whose authority admits no rival.

At the same time, we exhort all to respond not with intemperate speech, but with due gravity, charity, and fidelity to the truth. Let reparation be made for offenses against the sacred dignity of Our Lord, and let all renew their allegiance to Him who alone heals, saves, and reigns. Given this, we call upon all the Christian faithful to hold fast to the perennial teaching of the Church, honoring Christ not in word alone, but in rightly ordered worship, reverent devotion, and the submission of both personal and public life to His sovereign rule.

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat.

Allocution and Blessing ex Urbe by H.H. the Roman-Ruthenian Pope, Pascha 2026