Old Believers in today's Russia

In the middle of the 17th century Patriarch Nikon of Moscow imposed a series of reforms intended to bring Russian Orthodox practice in line with that of the Greeks. Millions of Russians dissented from these reforms. They have come to be known to most of us as Old Believers, and they have suffered persecution at the hands of the authorities over the past three and a half centuries. Although their exact numbers are unknown, there are thought to be some two million Old Believers, whose story is told here: "Old Believers: Heterodox Orthodox." What this report does not tell us is that there are colonies of exiled Old Believers in various countries, including Canada, where there are about 500 members.