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The '''Russian Catholic Church''' is a [[Byzantine Rite]] church ''[[sui juris]]'' of the [[Church of Rome|Roman Catholic Church]]. Historically it represents a [[schism (religion)|schism]] from the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]. It is now in [[full communion]] with and subject to the authority of the [[Pope of Rome]] as defined by Eastern canon law. As of 2006, Russian Catholics have no hierarchy; their few parishes are served by priests ordained in other Byzantine Catholic Churches, former Orthodox priests, and Roman Catholic priests with biritual faculties, many of them [[Jesuits]].
In Russia, it is purported that after the gradual development of the [[East-West Schism]], a tiny group of Russian families maintained themselves as “Old Catholics,” (rus: старокатолики (starokatoliki)), a name which should not be confused with the [[Döllinger]]ite [[Old Catholic Church]]es of Europe and the U.S., who formally split with the Roman Catholic Church in the wake of the reforms of the [[First Vatican Council]]. The status of this group of Russian "Old Catholics", families and groups of individuals to whom the union with [[Holy See|Rome]] remains dear and essential, or its relation to the current Russian (Rite) Catholic Church is unclear.