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| H.E. Metropolitan Augustine of Irkutsk |
By A. DiNardo
IRKUTSK, 15 October 2025 (NRom)
The United Roman-Ruthenian Church (URRC) has announced the formal establishment of its Province in the Russian Lands, marking a significant development in the Church’s mission to serve the faithful across the historic territories of Holy Rus’, marking a significant development in the Church’s mission to serve the faithful across the historic territories of Holy Rus’, in response to growing pastoral needs and the call to deepen Christian unity within the Orthodox-Catholic tradition
The newly created ecclesiastical province is headed by Metropolitan Augustine of Irkutsk, who will oversee several parishes and a growing number of faithful members throughout the region. The province follows the traditional Anglican-Catholic Rite of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, preserving the Western Orthodox liturgical and theological patrimony within the fullness of the Orthodox-Catholic faith. The local jurisdiction has also been officially registered for several years with the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, underscoring the Church’s ongoing commitment to its global pastoral mission and the diverse lands of its cultural and spiritual heritage.
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| A facsimile of the first page of the Pontifical Decree of Establishment for the Province in the Russian Lands, rendered in the traditional language and orthography of Old Russian, has been released by the Pontifical Chancery. |
According to the Holy Apostolic See, the new province has been affiliated with the United Roman-Ruthenian Church through its pontifical court for several years. The recent transfer of the jurisdiction to direct patriarchal oversight was authorized by His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy Pope Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia, acting for pastoral and administrative reasons. The province now forms an integral part of the Catholicate of Rome-Ruthenia, the personal patriarchal jurisdiction of the Prince-Bishop of Rome-Ruthenia.
The United Roman-Ruthenian Church, also known as the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State, continues the temporal and spiritual patrimony of the Apostolic See of St. Peter, united historically with both Rome and Rus’ through the legacy of St. Leo X and his successor. The Church maintains Orthodox and Catholic autocephalous authority, equal in dignity to the ancient Patriarchates of Rome, Constantinople, and others.
The Holy Apostolic See of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church is the true visible Orthodox head of all Latin Christians, and for all others entrusted to her pastoral care. The Church serves as the Orthodox Old Catholic jurisdiction for the historic lands of the Western Patriarchate and Holy Rus’. The URRC is the Eastern Roman Church with Latin heritage, the continuation of the Apostolic faith in both East and West. Its mission is to preserve and renew the Orthodox-Catholic faith in its full inheritance.
The establishment of the Province in the Russian Lands signifies not only the continued growth of the URRC’s global mission but also the strengthening of its pastoral presence across the Eurasian region. The United Roman-Ruthenian Church, however, is not a political organization, but rather a religious, cultural, and ethnic body. It does not seek civil rule, but is dedicated to the unity of faith, the preservation of Christian tradition, and the promotion of peace and reconciliation among peoples and cultures.
In this spirit, the establishment of the Province in the Russian Lands reflects the Church’s ongoing mission to bear witness to the undivided faith of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church — a living bridge of love and tradition uniting East and West in the peace of the Gospel.
