By J. Du Bois
H.A.H. the Prince-Bishop of Rome-Ruthenia
gives the Apostolic Blessing for Orthodox Old
Catholics in the Roman-Ruthenian Church
and State around the world.
ROME-RUTHENIA 26 May 2025 (NRom)
This past Sunday, the United Roman-Ruthenian Church and Pontifical Imperial State celebrated, for the first time since its formal designation, the Principal Patronal Feast honoring Saints Peter, Andrew, Stephen, and Mark—the spiritual foundation of the Roman-Ruthenian mission and identity.
Held annually on the Sunday nearest to 28 May, this feast commemorates the date in 2023 when the jurisdictions that would become the modern United Roman-Ruthenian Church were formally united by papal bull. The alignment of Apostolic succession, Eastern and Western heritage, and imperial patrimony is embodied in this day, which now serves as the main spiritual and civic holiday of the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State.
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| H.A.H. Radislav I of Rome-Ruthenia signing the bull to merge jurisdictions and establish the modern United Roman-Ruthenian Church. |
The four Apostolic Patrons—Peter, first among the Apostles and keeper of the keys; Andrew, the First Called and founder of the Church of Rus’; Stephen, the Apostle, Archdeacon, and Protomartyr, defender of truth; and Mark, evangelist of the apostolic tradition and founder of the See of Aquileia—together represent the URRC’s apostolic heritage and calling to uphold unity, orthodoxy, and evangelic mission across the Christian world. The Roman-Ruthenian Church and State is the rightful temporal successor of St. Peter, carrying the historical and documented patrimony of Rome and Russia through St. Leo X, with full Orthodox and Catholic autocephalous authority — equal to the Vatican, Constantinople, and other Patriarchates. And, the Patriarchal succession of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church derives principally from the Russian Orthodox Patriarchs of Moscow, the Syrian Patriarchs of Bablylon, the Orthodox Patriarchs of America (Russian derivative), the Greek Patriarchs of Jerusalem, and the Western Patriarchate of Rome. The specific patriarchate of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church, known as the Catholicate of Rome-Ruthenia is not new, but is a continuing derivative of the principal patriarchal successors and part of the one original Church. (Read more about the Roman-Ruthenian papacy here.)
The day was marked by liturgical celebrations, prayers for unity among all Apostolic Christians, and official messages from the Pontifical Court. His Apostolic Highness Prince-Bishop Radislav I, Roman-Ruthenian Pope, offered a reflection on the Church’s continuing mission “to walk with the faithful as a father, servant, and brother in the fullness of Apostolic truth.”
This inaugural celebration underscores the unique calling of the URRC as the custodian of both Eastern and Western Christian legacies. In a world increasingly fractured by modernism, secularism, and forgetfulness of sacred tradition, the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State stands as a living bridge — not by conquest, but by providence.
“Through the witness of these holy Apostles, may we remain firm in the faith once delivered to the saints, and continue to shine as a beacon of unity in Christendom.” Radislav I
