Difference between revisions of "List of autocephalous and autonomous churches"

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(rv -- The ROCOR is not autonomous in the same sense these other churches are.)
(Autonomous churches)
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*[[Church of China]] (virtually non-existent, autonomy recognized by Moscow but not Constantinople)
 
*[[Church of China]] (virtually non-existent, autonomy recognized by Moscow but not Constantinople)
 
*[[Church of Ukraine]] (autonomy recognized by Moscow but not Constantinople)
 
*[[Church of Ukraine]] (autonomy recognized by Moscow but not Constantinople)
 +
*[[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]]
 
*[[Archdiocese of Ohrid]] (autonomy recognized only by Serbia]]
 
*[[Archdiocese of Ohrid]] (autonomy recognized only by Serbia]]
  

Revision as of 02:04, May 30, 2007


Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Orthodoxy
Autocephalous Churches
Four Ancient Patriarchates: Constantinople · Alexandria · Antioch · Jerusalem
Russia · Serbia · Romania · Bulgaria · Georgia · Cyprus · Greece · Poland · Albania · Czech Lands and Slovakia · OCA* · Ukraine*
Autonomous Churches
Sinai · Finland · Estonia* · Japan* · China* · Ukraine*
The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized.


The autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox churches are those churches which have self-government.

Despite these churches all being in full communion with one another, there is not currently unanimous agreement on which churches are considered autocephalous or autonomous. There is, however, an order which is followed in international Inter-Orthodox gatherings, which is included here first. There is an expanded order which is recognized by some churches, most notably the Church of Russia and its dependencies and historical daughter churches.

Inter-Orthodox order

Autocephalous churches

Autonomous churches

Expanded order

Autocephalous churches

It should be noted that in the diptychs of the Moscow Patriarchate and some of its daughter churches (e.g., the OCA), the ranking of four of the patriarchal churches is different. Following Moscow in rank is Georgia, followed by Serbia, Romania, and then Bulgaria. The remainder of the rankings beginning with Cyprus is the same.

Autonomous churches

Formerly independent churches

These churches were formerly autocephalous or autonomous, no longer Orthodox, or in some cases no longer exist.

Unrecognized independent churches

The following churches are variously unrecognized by the mainstream churches as independent and/or canonical.

See also

Sources

  • Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity (ISBN 0631232036)
  • Fitzgerald, Thomas E. The Orthodox Church. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998, p. 151.
  • World Orthodox Churches, from the OCA website

External links