Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church

Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church
Type	Eastern Orthodox
Classification	Independent Eastern Orthodox
Orientation	True Orthodox
Primate	Metropolitan Theodore (Gineyevsky) [ru]
Archbishops	5
Bishops	10
Language	Church Slavonic, some English
Headquarters	Suzdal, Russia
Possessions	Russia , Ukraine , Latvia, Switzerland , United States , Canada , Greece, Italy, Australia , Congo
Independence	1994
Recognition	Unrecognized by most Orthodox churches – see True Orthodoxy
Separated from	Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (as Russian Orthodox Church Aboard in 1994)
Official website	Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church

The Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC, Russian: Российская православная автономная церковь, РПАЦ) is a non-canonical Russian Orthodox church body. ROAC identifies as part of True Orthodoxy. It was formed in 1994 by a number of former ROCOR parishes, who formed an independent jurisdiction because of disagreements with the ROCOR and the Russian Orthodox Church.

Their synod is located in Suzdal, Russia . The ROAC rejects the "Sergianist heresy" and holds that the sacraments of the Moscow Patriarchate (considered distinct from the Russian Orthodox Church that existed before the Bolshevik revolution) are anathema or invalid and ineffectual for salvation.^[1] The ROAC upholds in principle and emphasizes the ROCOR 1983 anathema against ecumenism.^[2]

The ROAC has 10 bishops, including five Archbishops (Seraphim, Hilarion, Victor, Timothy and Andrei),^[3] led by Metropolitan Theodore. The ROAC has a section in Latvia called the Latvian Orthodox Autonomous Church.

History

When this group split from ROCOR in 1994, it was called the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA).

The ROAC was also historically referred to as the Karlovci Synod (Russian: Карловацкий синод) or "Karlovatsky group," dating to early years of the church outside Russia, when its bishops were based in Sremski Karlovci, Serbia. ^[4]^{[clarification needed]}