The number of Old Believer parishes in the Russian Church is increasing, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said. "Old Believer parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose number is gradually increasing along with the frequency of archbishop services using old rituals, play a special role in church life," the patriarch was quoted as saying in a statement published on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate on 29 November.

The development of the Patriarchal Center of Ancient Russian Liturgical Tradition is underway, and it helps improve the training of the clergy of Old Believer parishes, Patriarch Kirill said. The center has groups that study chant; clergymen have internships there; and educational and scientific literature, as well as prayer books for practical use, is published, with assistance from other large parishes.

The first diocesan Center of Ancient Russian Liturgical Tradition has been created in Simbirsk (now Ulyanovsk), the patriarch said, adding that all of these things promote the study of the rich inheritance of the church's centuries-old holy tradition. (Quelle: www.interfax-religion.ru, 29. November 2017)