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Providential Alignment and the Papal Title of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church
from the Pontifical Court
23 April 2025
The Roman-Ruthenian papal insignia, combining the Key of St. Peter and the Sword of St. Mark.
It is also seen, either in whole or only the tiara, in the heraldic and other symbology of the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State.
See also the Church's Canonical Status.
See also the Temporal Rights of the Church.
Read more on the Hierarchy of the Household in this article.
I. Introduction
In 2014, the present
Prince-Bishop and Pope-Catholicos of Rome-Ruthenia was recognized by
the Roman Cardinal Dean as Coadjutor of the Roman Pope with full papal
authority within his own jurisdiction, now known as the United
Roman-Ruthenian Church. This was kept private until Christmas 2019,
when the fullness of the Prince-Bishop's office slowly began to be
revealed to the public in the 10th year of his ecclesiastical reign,
which began in 2020, with full revelation in 2025.
Then, on 21 April 2025, His Holiness
Pope Francis of Rome died—the same date on which, in 753 BC, Rome was
founded, and on which the current Pope-Catholicos of the United
Roman-Ruthenian Church received the Roman sacrament of Confirmation
into the full Apostolic faith. This extraordinary alignment of sacred,
historical, and personal events cannot be dismissed as coincidence.
Rather, it marks a moment of providential transition in the life of the
Church.
What follows here is a theological and ecclesiastical reflection on the
papal dignity, its present expression within the United Roman-Ruthenian
Church, and the role of the Pope-Catholicos as both temporal successor
of St. Peter and in continuation of the historic Petrine ministry
continued now within the United Roman-Ruthenian Church. And indeed this
document reflects the theological and canonical interpretation
exclusively of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church and is not intended to
contest the internal governance or legal standing of any other
religious or civil institution.
II. Apostolic Foundations and the Petrine Legacy
The title “Pope” (from the Greek pappas,
meaning father) historically signified not simply jurisdiction over
Rome, but the vocation of apostolic guardianship. Similarly,
“Catholicos” in the East denoted universal episcopal headship within
autonomous Churches. Both titles predate centralization and carry with
them the responsibility of transmitting the Apostolic faith intact. The
title of Pope for a Patriarch was seen in Alexandria before Rome, and
both the Coptic and Byzantine/Greek Patriarchs of Alexandria today hold
this title.
It is noted also that, following the division of East and West, and
most especially after the Second Vatican Council, the Roman papacy
embraced increasingly modern approaches, leading to shifts in doctrinal
emphasis and a redefinition of its temporal and spiritual role. Today,
the
traditional understanding of the papal office lies largely dormant
within Roman Catholicism.
III. The Identity and Role of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church.
The United
Roman-Ruthenian Church is
recognized as a canonical, autocephalous Orthodox and Old Catholic
Church. Of Eastern and Western heritage, it is Orthodox and Catholic in
faith and
is a derivative patriarchate of these Russian, Syrian, Greek, and
American patriarchates, as well as Rome as rightful temporal successor
of St. Peter. It also holds a particular lineage from Pope St. Leo X,
through which it received recognition of its temporal patrimony and
apostolic continuity. The
Church integrates core beliefs and liturgical elements from both
Orthodoxy and Catholicism, preserving the essence of early
Christianity.
Unlike
national or expansionist bodies, the United Roman-Ruthenian Church is a
custodial Church. Its mission is not territorial expansion but the
preservation of the undivided Church’s legacy—liturgical, theological,
cultural, and spiritual. It functions as a bridge between the Christian
East and West, much like the Eastern Roman Empire once did, offering a
unified expression of the Apostolic Faith for those alienated by
modernism or ecclesiastical minimalism.
Its community is diverse—serving through chaplaincies, mission
parishes, and support for Christian nobility and traditionalist
believers across multiple continents. Its strength lies in continuity,
not popularity. (Read more about the Canonical Status of the Church.)
IV. The Pontifical Imperial State: Custodian of Temporal Heritage
The Pontifical Imperial State of Rome-Ruthenia
is the cultural and legal expression of the URRC’s historic
sovereignty. Together the joint bodies are often known simply as the
Roman-Ruthenian Church and State. It is not a territorial state in the
modern political sense, but a non-territorial ethno-religious nation,
safeguarding the spiritual and temporal legacy of: The Roman Empire,
The Holy Roman Empire, The Kingdom of Ruthenia (Russia, Old Rus'), and
ultimately, the Church of the Apostles.
This includes spiritual descent from the Patriarchal Kingdom of Rus’,
established under papal blessing by Pope Innocent IV, and inherited
after its fall through nobiliary custom and ecclesiastical succession.
The United Roman-Ruthenian Church's independent titular temporal
patrimony is held and asserted by its
position as the closest legitimate claimant to the temporal authority
of the Roman Church via succession from Pope St. Leo X, following the
renunciation of St. John Paul II, establishing
its authority as the temporal successor to St. Peter. Historically, the
Roman Popes held both spiritual and temporal
authority over the Western Roman Empire. This is further solidified by
the special grants and recognition, include that given in 2014. (Read in detail about the Roman-Ruthenian Church's temporal status.)
V. The Recognition and Role of the Pope-Catholicos of Rome-Ruthenia
In 2014, the Prince-Bishop of Rome-Ruthenia was formally recognized by the Dean of the College of Cardinals as a coadjutor of the Roman Pope
and granted papal authority within his own jurisdiction, i.e., the
United Roman-Ruthenian Church and the Pontifical Imperial State of
Rome-Ruthenia. Though this recognition was initially kept private by
the Prince-Bishop, this status became visible beginning Christmas 2019,
generally manifested by 2020, and fully manifested in 2025.
In Church tradition, a coadjutor is not merely an assistant, but a
designated heir. The language used, within a document acknowledging the
Prince-Bishop's jurisdictional autonomy and cardinalatial dignity,
effectively states that the Prince-Bishop stands as a recognized
spiritual successor in substance to Roman See, even if not by formal
Roman canonical claim. Indeed, the Prince-Bishop as Roman-Ruthenian
Pope makes no claims to the Roman Papacy, the Vatican, or the spiritual
leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
Historically,
the concept of coadjutorship extended not only to diocesan episcopacy
but was occasionally used in broader terms when preparing for
succession within patriarchal or major ecclesiastical offices. Within
the context of the Roman Papacy, the office of the Pope has no formal
coadjutor in canonical modern practice. However, there are instances in
early Christianity and medieval ecclesiastical history where prelates
in the Roman Church exercised leadership in a spiritual role during
times of crisis, particularly in but not limited to situations of sede impedita, exercising delegated or de facto authority.
And so, in the present context, the designations given carry significant theological weight, implying
not simply service, but a participation in the Petrine ministry with an
orientation toward continuity and succession.
Given that modern Roman Catholic canonical structure does not permit coadjutor status in
any practical sense for the Roman Papacy, the only plausible theological reading is that
this phrase was intended to convey a unique standing—a form of
spiritual coadjutorship or continuity with the Petrine office,
particularly in light of, but not necessarily limited to: The
Pope-Catholicos' autonomous ecclesial jurisdiction that had previously
been recognized as in full communion with the Roman Church in
perpetuity; his traditionalist and apostolic fidelity; and the Vatican’s own forfeiture of temporal and monarchical aspects of the Roman See
Taken
in full context, these recognitions affirm a spiritual continuity with
the Apostolic See, not in external jurisdiction, but in internal
integrity. Thus, the Roman-Ruthenian Pope may rightly be regarded as:
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A coadjutor not by canonical appointment, but by ecclesiastical recognition and theological necessity;
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A successor not to the Vatican bureaucracy, but to the Apostolic function of the See of Peter;
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A bearer of the Petrine spirit within a renewed, traditional, and globally recognized expression of the Church.
Indeed, the phrase coadjutor of the [Roman] Pope, in this unique application,
implies more than courtesy. It implies succession through recognition
and spiritual inheritance. In an age when the traditional Roman Papacy has
been transformed into a globalist figurehead, this coadjutorship
symbolizes a re-rooting of the Apostolic office in orthodoxy,
tradition, and legitimate autonomy—now embodied in the Pope-Catholicos
of Rome-Ruthenia.
Thus, the use of the papal and patriarchal
title within the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State, i.e.,
Pope-Catholicos of Rome-Ruthenia, is neither an act of rivalry nor of
imitation. Rather, it is a fulfillment of abandoned responsibilities,
and a documented recognition of the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State's
role as a guardian of the Apostolic and Imperial legacy of Rome and
Ruthenia, and therefore of Christendom.
The Roman-Ruthenian Pope's full general title reflects this synthesis:
His Apostolic Highness the Prince-Bishop, Pope-Catholicos, and
Imperator of Rome-Ruthenia, Supreme Pontiff of the United
Roman-Ruthenian Church, Legate of Christ.
VI. A Providential Alignment: 21 April
April
21 marks the birthday of Rome, founded
in 753 BC. It is also the date on which the Prince-Bishop received the
Roman sacrament of Confirmation. Then, on 21 April 2025, His Holiness
Pope Francis died, closing one chapter of papal history. The United
Roman-Ruthenian Church, as the third and final successor of Rome
(following Constantinople and as the legitimate ecclesiastical heir and
successor to Old Rus’), sees in this timing a profound sign of divine
providence and historical transition. This alignment cannot be
dismissed as mere sentiment. The passing of the postmodern papacy on
the day of Rome’s foundation, coinciding with the Prince-Bishop’s
admission to the full Apostolic faith, forms a symbolic arc that speaks
to succession, not at all in rivalry, but by inheritance through
abandonment. Indeed, the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State, as heir to
Holy Rus’, Third Rome, and custodian of the Apostolic and Imperial
dignity, sees in this moment a heavenly affirmation: that while forms
may change, the divine mission continues, sometimes where least
expected.
Moreover, it is also noted that the
Prince-Bishop’s earlier traditional Anglican confirmation took place on
5 August—the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, commemorating the Basilica
of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, which is also the burial place of Pope
Francis. Overall, the probability of such a convergence of these sacred
dates and locations is truly astronomical, further underscoring the
providential nature of these events.
VII. Conclusion: Succession in Christian Charity and Brotherhood
The
Apostolic and temporal spirit once embodied in the Roman See now finds
renewed expression in a new custodian. The United Roman-Ruthenian
Church, through the Pope-Catholicos, does not contest the Vatican or
any other Patriarchal See, but in humility continues what others have
set aside: the patrimony of the Apostles and Saints; the temporal and
spiritual identity of the Church; and the sacramental and monarchical
office entrusted to St. Peter the Apostle. Where the old structures
have evolved into something new, the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State
stands in faithful continuity—not as a religious or political protest,
but as a living remnant, a voice crying in the wilderness, preserving
what endures.
In this sacred trust, we stand not in rivalry, but in resolve. Not in
reaction, but in renewal. The United Roman-Ruthenian Church embraces
its role with dignity and devotion, safeguarding the full expression of
the Apostolic faith for all who seek its light.
The Roman-Ruthenian Pope speaks not in contest, but in continuity. His
voice is not raised in protest, but in proclamation—a proclamation that
the ancient path lives on, not in the corridors of power, but in the
quiet fidelity of truth preserved.
The Roman-Ruthenian Papacy is not merely an ecclesiastical title. It is a testament of faith.
The chances of these unplanned alignments occurring on the same calendar date are estimated at 1 in 18 billion — at best.
Mathematically improbable. Theologically resonant.
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