In What Cases One May Not Enter the Church or Partake of Holy Things #
Entering an Old Believer church is not permitted in the following cases:
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For a person who is unbaptized, or baptized outside the Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church. However, in such cases, by the permission of the priest—or, in his absence, a substitute church servant (such as the ustavshchik, or cantor)—such a person may be allowed to remain in the church, especially if they have come to learn about the right faith in search of the true Church. Nevertheless, they may stand only near the entrance (in the narthex or vestibule), and must not display outward signs of prayer (such as making prostrations or the sign of the Cross). If such a person wishes to light a candle, they must ask one of the parishioners to do so on their behalf, according to their intention.
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For an Old Believer woman who has not yet completed forty days since giving birth. As is known, childbirth involves natural impurity, from which, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, a woman is purified after forty days, when a priest reads special (purification) prayers over her. Without these prayers—even if forty days have passed since the birth—the woman is not permitted to enter the church. It should also be noted that these prayers are part of the rite of Holy Baptism. If the child is baptized after the fortieth day from birth, the mother is present at the baptism in the church, and these prayers are read for her at that time (in the narthex). If the infant is baptized before the fortieth day, then the mother does not attend the baptism, and these prayers are not read. In that case, in order to be purified and gain permission to enter the church, she comes to the church after forty days, and the priest reads the prayers for her in the narthex, near the doors of the church.
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For an Old Believer woman (or maiden) during the period of her monthly cycle.
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For Old Believer Christians living in lawful marriage, on the day when they have had marital relations.
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For an Old Believer Christian who has committed grave sins and has been excommunicated by a bishop. This refers primarily to sins such as murder, fornication, and implacable enmity toward any fellow Christian, in all their forms. There are, however, cases in which remaining outside the church and deprived of divine service does not correct the sinner but rather casts him into even greater lawlessness. In such instances, examining his conscience, a person who has committed a grievous sin may, by the counsel and discernment of a spiritual father, be permitted to remain in the church and pray—but, like the unbaptized or the heterodox, he must stand near the doors and refrain from kissing the holy icons, the precious Cross, or other sacred objects. With humility and sincere repentance, he must weep over his fall, “as Adam before the gates of Paradise.”