Belarusian Orthodox Church

Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate
Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate
Беларускі Экзархат Маскоўскага Патрыярхата; Белорусский Экзархат Московского Патриархата
	The Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk
Type	Eastern Orthodox
Scripture	Septuagint, New Testament
Theology	Eastern Orthodox theology
Polity	Episcopal
Metropolitan	Vienijamin
Bishops	17 (2020)
Parishes	1,612 (2015)
Priests	1,676 (2019)
Dioceses	15 (2019)
Monasteries	35 (2019)
Language	Church Slavonic; Russian; Belarusian;
Headquarters	Holy Spirit Cathedral, Minsk
Territory	Belarus
Origin	11 October 1989 (autonomy granted by the Moscow Patriarchate)
Recognition	Recognised as part of the Russian Orthodox Church
Members	81% of the Belarusian Christian population, according to own claims
Official website	church.by

The Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC; Belarusian: Беларуская праваслаўная царква, romanized: Bielaruskaja pravaslaŭnaja carkva, Russian: Белорусская православная церква, romanized: Belorusskaya pravoslavnaya tserkva) is the official name of the exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus.^[2] It represents the union of Russian Orthodox eparchies in the territory of Belarus and is the largest religious organization in the country, uniting the predominant majority of its Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Bishop Vienijamin (Vital Tupieka) became the Patriarchal Exarch of the Belarusian Orthodox Church in 2020.^[3]

The church enjoys a much lower degree of autonomy than the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which is a semi-autonomous entity associated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Belarusian Orthodox Church strongly opposes the minor and largely emigration-based Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

^ "Белорусский экзархат - 30 лет истории / Интервью / Патриархия.ru".
^ Zaprudnik, Jan (27 August 2003). "Belarus: in search of national identity between 1986 and 2000". In Korosteleva, Elena; Lawson, Colin; Marsh, Rosalind (eds.). Contemporary Belarus: Between Democracy and Dictatorship. London: Routledge (published 2003). p. 119. ISBN 9781135789480. Retrieved 2 June 2021. Orthodox Christian believers are organised in the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC), since 1989 an exarchate [...].
^ ВЕНИАМИН, МИТРОПОЛИТ МИНСКИЙ И ЗАСЛАВСКИЙ, ПАТРИАРШИЙ ЭКЗАРХ ВСЕЯ БЕЛАРУСИ - "Решением Священного Синода от 25 августа 2020 г. (журнал № 46) назначен Патриаршим Экзархом всея Беларуси, митрополитом Минским и Заславским, с сохранением временного управления Борисовской епархией.
Возведен в сан митрополита Святейшим Патриархом Московским и всея Руси Кириллом 6 сентября 2020 г. за Божественной литургией в кафедральном соборном Храме Христа Спасителя в городе Москве."

[1] "Белорусский экзархат - 30 лет истории / Интервью / Патриархия.ru".

[2] Zaprudnik, Jan (27 August 2003). "Belarus: in search of national identity between 1986 and 2000". In Korosteleva, Elena; Lawson, Colin; Marsh, Rosalind (eds.). Contemporary Belarus: Between Democracy and Dictatorship. London: Routledge (published 2003). p. 119. ISBN 9781135789480. Retrieved 2 June 2021. Orthodox Christian believers are organised in the Belarusian Orthodox Church (BOC), since 1989 an exarchate [...].

[3] ВЕНИАМИН, МИТРОПОЛИТ МИНСКИЙ И ЗАСЛАВСКИЙ, ПАТРИАРШИЙ ЭКЗАРХ ВСЕЯ БЕЛАРУСИ - "Решением Священного Синода от 25 августа 2020 г. (журнал № 46) назначен Патриаршим Экзархом всея Беларуси, митрополитом Минским и Заславским, с сохранением временного управления Борисовской епархией.
Возведен в сан митрополита Святейшим Патриархом Московским и всея Руси Кириллом 6 сентября 2020 г. за Божественной литургией в кафедральном соборном Храме Христа Спасителя в городе Москве."

[1]

[2]

[3]