Orthodox Old-Rite Church | |
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Biserica Ortodoxă de Rit Vechi | |
Type | Eastern Christianity |
Classification | Old Believers |
Orientation | Russian Orthodoxy |
Scripture | Septuagint, New Testament |
Theology | Eastern Orthodox theology |
Polity | Episcopal |
Metropolitan bishop | Leontius Izot |
Language | Church Slavonic |
Liturgy | A variation of the Byzantine Rite |
Headquarters | Fântâna Albă (1846-1940), Brăila (since 1940) |
Territory | claim to lead the Old Believers all over the world, except Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Central Asia |
Origin | 1846 |
Separated from | Russian Orthodox Church |
Members | 32,558 (2011) |
Places of worship | 67 |
The Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church (or Orthodox Old-ritualist Church, Orthodox Old-Rite Church, Romanian: Biserica Ortodoxă de Rit Vechi din România; Russian: Православная старообрядческая Церковь в Румынии) is the Romanian Old Believer jurisdiction of the Belokrinitskaya Hierarchy.
The head of the Church carries the title of Archbishop of Belaya Krinitsa and Bucharest and Metropolitan of all Orthodox Christians of the Old Rite everywhere (Russian: Архиепископ Белой Криницы и Бухареста и митрополит всех православных христиан старого обряда повсюду). His see is nominally in Bila Krynytsia/Belaya Krinitsa/Fântâna Albă (Bukovina), his residence in Brăila, Romania since 1940.
It positions itself as the world center of popovtsy, as the "Mother Church" for the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church; the latter does not recognize this.