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== History ==
The RTOC traces its origins to Archbishop Lazar (Zhurbenko) of Odessa, who was secretly ordained as a catacomb bishop for Russia by [[Varnava (ProfievProkofiev) of Cannes|Bishop Varnava (ProfievProkofiev)]] of the [[ROCOR]]. Following the Mansonville Schism in November, 2001, Bishop Lazar, and with him Bishop Benjamin (Rusalenko) of Kuban left the [[ROCOR]] for the [[Russian Orthodox Church in Exile]], the jurisdiction formed by Bishop Varnava with the self-retired [[Vitaly (Ustinov) of New York|Metropolitan Vitaly]] at its helm.
However only a few months after the Mansonville schism, Lazar and Benjamin left the ROCiE synod and set up their own organization in Russia. In 2002, they unilaterally consecrated bishops for Russia, one of whom was Leonid Alimpovich Pasechnik, the future Archbishop Tikhon.
