What do we Orthodox know about ourselves? How many of us are there? Which Local Churches does the one Church of Christ consist of? What do they do in each of them? This publication is intended to clarify this issue a little.

Here you will not find detailed reports on the state of affairs in this or that Church, but some statistics and interesting facts will give you an idea of ​​what and how the Orthodox Churches live in different countries peace.

Church of Christ

Historically, the one Church founded by the Savior is divided into a number of Orthodox communities according to territorial principle. These communities are in communication with each other through worship, prayers for each other and diplomatic contacts. They recognize each other as absolutely equal and resolve any difficulties that arise through joint discussions at Church Councils.

Each canonically recognized part of the united Church has its own hierarchy (bishops), an unbroken chain of ordinations of which goes back to the apostles themselves, and a tomos of autocephaly (a special document of independence), issued by the mother Church or is an ancient see directly founded by the apostles.

Currently, in the world there are 15 Local Orthodox Churches: Church of Constantinople, Church of Alexandria, Church of Antioch, Church of Jerusalem, Russian Church, Georgian Church, Serbian Church, Bulgarian Church, Romanian Church, Cyprus Church, Greek Church, Albanian Church, Polish Church, Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia and the American Church.

In total, the number of Orthodox Christians in the world today is estimated at 225-300,000,000 people.

The largest Church is the Russian Church (180,000,000 believers), the oldest is the Jerusalem Church (founded on the day of Pentecost by the apostles Peter and John), the youngest is the American Church (received autocephaly in 1970), and the first in honor is the Constantinople Church (after the fall of Rome in 1054). year), the leader in missionary work is Alexandria (since the late 1930s, the flock has grown hundreds of times).

One of the biggest problems of the modern Church is the presence of several patriarchates with dioceses in diasporas. This leads to existence in the same territory (for example, the USA, Canada, Western Europe or Australia) simultaneously bishops of two, three or even six different Local Churches, which creates fertile ground for conflicts.

Russian church

To the canonical territory of Russian Orthodox Church includes 16 states: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, China, Japan and Mongolia.

The Moscow Patriarchate includes a number of self-governing Churches: the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Japanese Orthodox Church, the Chinese Orthodox Church.

The Russian Church has about 300 dioceses, 1,000 monasteries, 35,000 parishes, 40,500 clergy and about 180,000,000 believers.

Since the end of the 20th century, the efforts of the Church have been focused on educating residents in the territory former USSR, especially young people, who during the years of Soviet power lost much Christian traditions and faith. IN last years The Church is also taking steps to revive Orthodoxy in China and is engaged in missionary work in Southeast Asia.

In 2009, a long schism with the ROCOR was overcome, as a result of which the latter became part of the Russian Orthodox Church. In recent years, the Russian Church has managed to achieve a significant presence in the army, revive the institutions of prison clergy and sisterhoods of mercy at hospitals, and also achieve the introduction of the “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” course in schools.

The Church actively uses the media (including its own: TV channels “Spas” and “Soyuz”, radio “Vera”, online publications “Pravoslavie.ru”, “Sedmitsa.ru”, “Orthodoxy and the World”, “Foma” " and etc.).

Church of Constantinople

The Patriarchate of Constantinople has long been trying to extend its canonical territory to all areas not included in the canonical territories of other Local Churches. The Patriarch of Constantinople even adopted the title “Ecumenical”.

However, in fact, the territories of the Church of Constantinople include the territory of Turkey in Asia Minor, Istanbul with its suburbs, some islands Aegean Sea, the Athos peninsula, the island of Crete and the dioceses of the Greek diaspora that exist in certain countries, as well as Finland. The Church of Finland and the Archdiocese of Crete enjoy broad autonomy. Also has disputed jurisdiction in Estonia.

The Church has about 5,255,000 believers in all controlled territories, 63 dioceses, about 60 monasteries, 3,200 parishes and 130 bishops. The Church is headed by the 232nd Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew.

After the fall into heresy of the Roman Church, the Patriarch of Constantinople has the advantage of honor among the Primates of the Local Churches. The advantage of honor gives the Patriarch of Constantinople the right to convene and preside over pan-Orthodox events, address the rest of the world on behalf of all Churches, provided that he is authorized to do so by all local Orthodox Churches, as well as resolve disputes between Local Churches if they both appeal to him, as to the referee.

Due to the complexity financial situation does not recognize the autocephaly of the American Orthodox Church, since it receives a significant part of its funds from parishes in the USA and Canada.

Alexandria Church

The Patriarch of Alexandria, like the High Priest of Rome, is often called pope. Alexandria is an ancient see, founded by the apostles themselves, as well as the birthplace of monasticism, with which the high authority of the Church in the world is associated.

For several centuries the Church struggled with the Monophysite schism, then was under the unfriendly rule of various Muslim governments and received relative freedom in its actions only in the 20th century.

The canonical territory of the Alexandrian Patriarchate is all African countries. Since the 1930s, the Church has had an active mission among the inhabitants of the continent and currently its flock numbers more than 6,800,000 people in 31 dioceses.

Church missionaries preach and worship in Greek, Arabic, French and English, as well as in the languages ​​of indigenous peoples of Africa. Among the priests and bishops of the patriarchy there are many blacks. Large Orthodox communities have already developed in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Zaire, Ghana and Madagascar.

In addition to Christian preaching, the patriarchate is engaged in the construction of educational institutions and hospitals, as well as the organization of humanitarian actions. Among the recent important undertakings of the Church we can mention the opening of an Orthodox university in Madagascar.

Antioch Church

Also an ancient apostolic see, which has its center in Damascus and extends jurisdiction to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, as well as some Orthodox communities in the USA and Western Europe.

For several centuries, the Church was under conditions of official domination of Islam in the canonical territory and a ban on the preaching of Christianity. IN Lately, due to the destabilization of the situation in the region and the activities of terrorist groups, is in extremely difficult living conditions.

Despite the persecution and genocide of Christians opened by Islamists, the Church has about 7,500,000 believers, united in 22 dioceses and more than 400 parishes. The main liturgical languages ​​are Arabic and Greek, as well as English.

A feature of the development of the life of the Antiochian Church in the last twenty years has been the mission among the residents of the USA and Canada and a significant increase in the number of patriarchates due to the massive conversion to Orthodoxy of the Anglican and Protestant communities, for which a special metropolitanate of the Western rite was created. Also, the parishes of the Antiochian Church in the USA have been replenished with Orthodox refugees from the Middle East for several decades.

Jerusalem Patriarchate

The Jerusalem Patriarchate was the very first Christian community in the world, created by the apostles Peter and John the Theologian in the places where the Lord Jesus Christ directly preached and lived. Most of the most significant shrines of the entire Christian world are located on the territory of the patriarchate.

The canonical territory of the patriarchate consists of Israel, Palestine and Jordan, as well as the Sinai Peninsula. The Autonomous Church of Sinai is unique in that it consists of a single monastery of St. Catherine the Great Martyr, headed by an archbishop who is ordained by the Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The Patriarchate has about 130,000 believers, mostly Greeks and Arabs, in whose languages ​​the services are performed. There are 65 parishes and 25 monasteries in the 4 dioceses of the Patriarchate. Cathedral patriarch is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Patriarchate owns about 18% of the total territory in Jerusalem. One of the most important areas of activity Jerusalem Church is the preservation and maintenance of Christian shrines in proper condition, as well as organizing access to them and residence in Israel for pilgrims from all over the world.

Georgian Church

The canonical territory of this patriarchate is quite small - Georgia and Abkhazia. Also, the dioceses in Europe are subordinate to the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, North America and Australia.

The Georgian Church has about 3,500,000 believers. 45 dioceses unite under their omophorions 170 monasteries and 550 parishes, in which about 1,300 clergy serve. This is one of the most ancient Churches in the world. Tradition says that it was the territory of Georgia that fell as the lot for the preaching of the Mother of God.

Services in the Church are conducted in Georgian, which is one of the claims of Abkhazians and Ossetians, who have long had translations of services and the Gospel into their languages. The parishes in Abkhazia have currently declared their autocephaly (which has historical grounds in the form of the existence of their own patriarchate) and are in schism with the Georgian Church.

Georgian Patriarch Ilia II came up with an original measure to support the birth rate in the country - he personally becomes godfather to every third and subsequent children.

Serbian Church

The first mass baptism of Serbs who settled on the Balkan Peninsula occurred under the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, and in 869, at the request of Prince Muntimir, the Byzantine Emperor Basil the Macedonian sent Greek priests to the Serbs.

The canonical territory of the Serbian Patriarchate extends to several states: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro, as well as several dioceses in Hungary, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

The Church consists of more than 3,500 parishes, united in 46 dioceses and has 47 active bishops, about 1,900 priests and 1,300 monastics. The church is headed by a patriarch whose residence is in Belgrade. The Church Slavonic and Serbian languages ​​are used in worship.

Since 1967, several dioceses of the Serbian Patriarchate have been in schism, declaring themselves the Macedonian Orthodox Church, which is not recognized by other Churches. This situation is very painful for the Serbian Church and it is negotiating with the separated dioceses about reunification.

Romanian Church

Christianity first appeared on the territory of Romania, in what was then Dacia, in the 1st century. Tradition says that the first sermon of the Gospel was brought here by the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

Divine services in the Romanian Patriarchate are conducted in Romanian and Ukrainian. The church has more than 18,800,000 believers. The Church consists of 38 dioceses, 11,674 parishes and 475 monasteries, in which more than 14,600 clergy serve. The Patriarchal Chair is in Bucharest.

Orthodoxy in Romania has the status of a state religion, and Romanian clergy and clergy are paid by the authorities. In the country's schools, the Law of God is officially taught by priests.

The Romanian Church has jurisdiction over Romania itself, as well as dioceses in North America and Western Europe, comprising mainly the Romanian diaspora. The Patriarchate also seeks to expand its canonical territory at the expense of the canonical territory of the Russian Church in Moldova and Ukraine.

Bulgarian Church

There are more than 8,000,000 Orthodox Christians in Bulgaria. In 15 dioceses of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, more than 1,500 clergy serve in 120 monasteries and 2,600 parishes. The residence of the patriarch is located in the capital of the country, Sofia.

The canonical territory of the Bulgarian Patriarchate is Bulgaria itself and dioceses in Western Europe, North America and Australia. The spread of Christianity in Bulgaria began in the 1st century by the first disciples of the apostles.

Since 1992, a large schism has occurred in the Church, through the mediation of the authorities, which could only be healed by a council with the participation of the Primates of the seven Local Churches. The last schismatic hierarch repented only in 2012, after which the schism can be considered finally healed.

During worship in all Orthodox Temples In Bulgaria, during the Great Entrance, Emperor Alexander II and the Russian soldiers who died for the liberation of Bulgaria in the war with Turkey of 1877-1878 are still commemorated.

Cyprus Church

On the island of Cyprus, the word of God was preached by the apostles Paul, Barnabas and Mark, and later Lazarus the Four-Days, resurrected by the Savior, became the bishop of one of the Cypriot cities.

In 1960, the Republic of Cyprus declared independence, with the Primate of the Church of Cyprus becoming its president. However, in 1974, more than a third of the island's territory was occupied Turkish troops and is still controlled by Turkey. At the same time, dioceses in the occupied territory were abolished, the clergy were expelled, and churches were closed, burned or turned into mosques.

The Church of Cyprus, centered in Nicosia, is headed by the Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus and has no canonical territories outside the island. In 9 dioceses of the Church there are more than 500 parishes and more than 40 monasteries (due to the occupation, 6 dioceses and 9 monasteries operate). 600 clergy minister to approximately 450,000 Orthodox believers.

Greek Church

The canonical territory of the Greek Church includes the territory of modern Greece and some islands of the Aegean Sea, which historically were part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but in the 19th century received autocephaly due to the emergence of the independent kingdom of Greece.

The canonical status of some territories has not yet been finally settled and they are considered “temporarily transferred” to the Greek Church by the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The church in Greece is supported by the state, and in the country’s schools the subject “The Law of God” is taught quite officially. Orthodoxy in Greece is the state religion, professed by about 85% of the country's population.

The Church's flock consists of more than 9,245,000 people. The Greek Church has 81 dioceses, 200 monasteries and about 9,300 clergy. Services are conducted in Greek. The Church adheres to the New Julian calendar. The Church is headed by the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.

Albanian Church

The first information about the existence of Christianity in Albania dates back to the 3rd century. However, the first episcopal see of the Albanian Church was established in the 10th century thanks to the missionary work of the disciples of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius - Clement and Naum

There are only 4 dioceses in the Albanian Church and they are headed by 4 bishops, the eldest of whom is the Primate of the Church and bears the title of Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania. The Church has about 100 parishes, about 100 priests and deacons, and about 700,000 Orthodox Christians.

The canonical territory of the Church includes only Albania, where the Orthodox population lives primarily in the south of the country. Services are held in Albanian, Greek and Vlach languages. The Church received autocephaly relatively recently - in 1937 from the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

In 1991, after brutal persecution by the communist government, there were only 15 priests in Albania. Metropolitan Anastassy, ​​who arrived from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, had to make enormous efforts to restore church life in the country.

A theological seminary was opened, three more bishops and several priests were ordained, a new charter of the Albanian Church was drawn up, and several churches were restored and consecrated. Today, church life in Albania is still being restored.

Polish Church

The Polish Orthodox Church is headed by the Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland. The jurisdiction of the Church includes the territory of Poland, as well as dioceses in Portugal and Brazil.

After Poland left the Russian Empire In 1918, the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church in Poland could not function normally due to dual opposition from the Bolshevik authorities in Russia and the nationalist government in Poland. As a result, during the period of house arrest in Russia of the holy Patriarch Tikhon, the Patriarch of Constantinople arbitrarily granted autocephaly to the Polish Church. The non-canonical tomos was not recognized by the Russian Church, and only in 1948 the Russian Church for the second time, already canonically, granted autocephaly to the Polish Church.

Today the Polish Church numbers about 600,000 lay people in 8 dioceses, 11 monasteries and more than 230 parishes. The Church has 11 active bishops and more than 410 priests and deacons. The bulk of believers live in South-East Poland.

In 1990, several Orthodox dioceses and parishes in Portugal and Brazil joined the Polish Church with the rights of broad autonomy. Divine services are performed not only in Polish and Church Slavonic, but also in Ukrainian and Portuguese.

Since 1996, the Church has devoted a lot of work to social service, opening centers to help the poor, organizing humanitarian actions and creating sisterhoods at hospitals. The ancient institution of brotherhoods with a certain narrow specialization has also been revived ( publishing activity, missionary work, work with youth, etc.), operating both at the level of parishes and at the level of dioceses or even the Church as a whole.

Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia

The founders of the Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are considered to be the enlighteners of the Slavs, the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, who preached in the 9th century. Later, Catholics almost completely ousted or subjugated the locals Orthodox clergy, and Orthodoxy experienced its rebirth in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the 19th century, when several dioceses of the Serbian Church appeared in this territory.

During the Second World War, the Czechoslovak Church helped the people resist German occupier, for which many clergy were shot or imprisoned. After the war, the Czechoslovak Church came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Church, from which it received autocephaly in 1951. Autocephaly was not recognized by the Patriarch of Constantinople until 1998.

The canonical territory of the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia includes the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The residence of the Metropolitan is located in Prague. The languages ​​of worship are Church Slavonic, Slovak and Czech.

About 100,000 Orthodox Christians consider themselves to belong to the Czechoslovak Church. The church is divided into 4 dioceses and has about 250 parishes and more than 200 clergy. In the last two decades, the Church in the Czech Republic and Slovakia has been growing very quickly due to the conversion of representatives of other Christian denominations to Orthodoxy. The peculiarity of the Church is also almost complete absence monastics. Orthodox monasteries began to appear only in the last few years.

Since 2013, a schism began in the Church with the active intervention of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, as a result of which the new Primate, Metropolitan Rostislav, elected by the Local Council of the Czechoslovak Church, began to be opposed by Archbishop Simeon of Olomouc, seeking to create an alternative synod and lead the Church. The split has not yet been resolved.

American Church

The American Orthodox Church received autocephaly from the mother Russian Church in 1970. The main language of worship is English. The Church is headed by the Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada.

The autocephaly of the American Church is recognized by the Russian Church, the Bulgarian Church, the Georgian Church, the Polish Church, the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia.

Orthodoxy in America began to spread thanks to the efforts of missionaries of the Russian Orthodox Church back in the 18th century, among the inhabitants of Alaska, the Aleutian Islands, California and Hawaii. In the 20th century, people immigrated to the United States significant amount Orthodox Christians from the countries of the former Russian Empire, who were cared for by hierarchs previously sent to the cathedra from the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as hierarchs of the ROCOR. Soon, thanks to active missionary work, the Church's flock significantly increased at the expense of the local English-speaking population.

The American Church has 14 dioceses, 25 monasteries, about 650 parishes and four large educational institutions. The Orthodox community of the American Church numbers more than 1,000,000 people and is growing quite quickly. The canonical territory includes the USA, Canada, as well as some parishes in Mexico, South America and Australia.

Andrey Szegeda

In contact with

Fifteen Patriarchates.
Orthodoxy (from Greek, correct judgment) is a direction in Christianity that was formed during the first millennium after the birth of Jesus Christ. The first Orthodox Church is Constantinople. It was founded by the Apostle Andrew around 38 and received the status of an autocephalous Archdiocese in 381. Since 451 it has been a Patriarchate. The first mention of Orthodoxy on the territory of Rus' is mentioned in the “Sermon on Law and Grace” of 1037-1050. The official year of division into Orthodox and Catholic is considered to be 1054.
On this moment The patriarchates of the Orthodox Church include 15 autocephalous churches. One of the most significant, despite the fact that officially they are all equal, is the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). It is the largest of its kind in the world. Its emergence is associated with the Baptism of Rus' in 988. After the decline of Kyiv due to the defeat in 1240. Tatar-Mongols, Metropolitan Maxim of Kiev moved his residence to Vladimir-on-Klyazma, and from 1325. and to this day this honor belongs to Moscow. In terms of the number of believers, the Moscow Patriarchate exceeds all others combined - about 80 million people. In the remaining 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches, the number of believers varies around 50-60 million.
Orthodox Church of Constantinople (Ecumenical Patriarchate). It arose after the emperor moved the capital from Rome to a small city by local standards - Constantinople. One of the first to receive the status of patriarchate of the Orthodox Church. After the occupation by the Turks in 1453, the residence of the patriarch was moved to the city of Phanar. At the moment, parishioners of the Church of Constantinople practice in many countries around the world. Their total number is more than 2 million people.
Alexandria Orthodox Church. It is generally accepted that it was founded by the Apostle Mark around 42 AD. Since 451, the bishop received the title of patriarch. As a result of the schism that occurred at the end of the 5th century, the Coptic Church. The patriarchy of Alexandria spread its influence throughout almost all of Africa. The residence is located in Alexandria. The number of believers is about 7 million people.
Antiochian Orthodox Church. Founded in the 30s AD. the apostles Peter and Paul in Antioch. 18 dioceses located in Syria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and other countries fall under its jurisdiction. The residence of the Patriarch of Antioch is located in Damascus.
Jerusalem Orthodox Church. According to legend, it was first headed by relatives of Jesus Christ, founded in the 60s. The Apostle James is considered the first bishop. During the Crusade, in the 11th century, the Orthodox Church was under great pressure. The Patriarchs of Jerusalem were forced to leave their residence and ruled from Constantinople. The territories of Israel, Jordan and Palestine fall under jurisdiction. The number of followers is relatively small, at the moment there are no more than 130 thousand people.
Georgian Orthodox Church. One of the oldest Orthodox churches. In 1811 entered the Moscow Patriarchate with the rights of an exarchate. Autocephaly was recognized only in 1943. The territory of Georgia and northern Turkey falls under jurisdiction. The number of believers reaches 4 million people.
Serbian Orthodox Church. The head of the church bears the title Patriarch of Serbia. Received autocephaly in 1219. The number of believers is about 10 million people. Extends its influence to Serbia, Macedonia and Croatia.
Romanian Orthodox Church. In the 3rd century, Christianity was born in Romania. The residence was located in Bucharest, headed by the Romanian Patriarch. In 1885 it officially received autocephaly. It is second only to the Moscow Patriarchate in terms of the number of believers - 16 million people. In addition to Romania, it partially influences Moldova and Ukraine.
Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Christianity appeared on the territory of Bulgaria almost immediately after its birth. In 870, after a four-year dispute with the Roman Church, it achieved autonomy. Only in 1953 was it recognized by the patriarchy. Despite the fact that only the territory of Bulgaria falls under the jurisdiction, the number of believers is about 8 million people.
Cypriot Orthodox Church. Founded by the apostles Paul and Barnabas in 47. At first it was a diocese of the Church of Antioch. Received autocephaly in 431. Due to the Arab yoke and frequent occupations, Orthodoxy in Cyprus has not become widespread; at the moment the number of followers is about 400 thousand people.
Greek Orthodox Church. One of the latest patriarchies. Autocephaly was obtained in 1850. Greece, with its seat in Athens, falls under its jurisdiction. The number of believers does not exceed 8 million people.
The Albanian and Polish Orthodox churches gained autonomy in 1926 and 1921, respectively. The total number of believers is about 1 million people.
Czechoslovakian Orthodox Church. Mass baptism began at the beginning of the 10th century. In 1951 received autocephaly from the Moscow Patriarchate, but only in 1998. was recognized by the Church of Constantinople. The residence is located in Prague, the number of believers does not exceed 200 thousand people.
The last Orthodox Church to receive patriarchy is the Orthodox Church in America. Distributed throughout the USA and Canada. In 1906, its head, Tikhon Belavin, opened the question of assigning autocephaly, but due to his resignation in 1907, the issue was never resolved. This issue was raised again only in 1970. The number of parishioners is about 1 million people.

One of the largest schisms in the history of Christianity is forcing all local Orthodox churches to decide which side they are on.

Minsk church process

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the evening of October 15, at a meeting in Minsk, decided to sever relations with Constantinople. After a seven-hour meeting behind closed doors, further Eucharistic communion with the Patriarchate of Constantinople was declared impossible. The verdict was announced to journalists not by Patriarch Kirill, but by the head of the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk.

The meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was held for the first time in the Belarusian capital.

According to him, the decision to completely break communication was made against the backdrop of the desire of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian church.

The Synod in Constantinople lifted the anathema from the heads of two non-canonical churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Also, the Patriarchate of Constantinople decided to terminate the decree of 1686, which gave the Moscow Patriarchate the right to appoint the Metropolitan of Kyiv.

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church called these decisions of Constantinople uncanonical and criminal. “The Patriarchate of Constantinople announced its intention to grant autocephaly to part of the Russian Orthodox Church, and not to that which was once in the possession of Constantinople,” Metropolitan Hilarion explained the decision of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. - That Kiev Metropolis, which in 1686 became part of the Moscow Patriarchate, did not coincide territorially with the current Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It was much smaller; it did not include territories such as Donbass, southern Ukraine, Odessa and many other regions. That is, cancel the act of 1686 and present the matter as if for 300 s extra years the entire territory of Ukraine was part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople - completely contradicts the historical truth.”

Alexander Dvorkin

The Orthodox Church does not have a single legal and spiritual head. The Orthodox Church believes in the spiritual equality (in rank) of all bishops who head their dioceses and decide everything general issues conciliarly. Depending on the importance of the issues, they are resolved either by the local or Ecumenical Council. Local councils are usually presided over by the first hierarch - the bishop (he may bear the title of Archbishop, Metropolitan or Patriarch) of the capital or historically most important city in the country, who is the Primate of the local Church, the first among equal bishops.
Currently, the Orthodox Church consists of 15 local autocephalous churches and three autonomous churches. (Autocephalous is a Local Church that elects its own leader; a Church that enjoys broad self-government is called autonomous).

1. Patriarchate of Constantinople. Primate: His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch. Residence - Istanbul. Compared to the 10th century, when the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch included 624 dioceses, now it has significantly decreased in size. It includes 4 metropolises in Turkey, Crete and a number of islands of the Aegean archipelago, as well as, purely nominally, dioceses Northern Greece and all the canonical dioceses of the Greeks living in diaspora in Western Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand; a number of Russian, Ukrainian and Carpathian emigrant dioceses; Athos Peninsula, Autonomous Church of Finland. The largest Russian Orthodox grouping in Western Europe, the so-called Paris Archdiocese, or “Eulogian Church” (named after its first primate, Metropolitan Eulogius), also belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Divine services of the fixed circle (i.e., holidays falling on a certain date) in most dioceses included in the Ecumenical Patriarchate are performed according to the Gregorian (new) calendar. The exception is Holy Mount Athos and a number of parishes of the Paris Russian Archdiocese. Liturgical languages: Byzantine Greek and the national languages ​​of the emigrant dioceses.

Autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church. Primate: His Eminence John, Archbishop of Karelian and All Finland. It consists of three dioceses. Liturgical languages: Finnish and Karelian.

2. Patriarchate of Alexandria. Primate: His Beatitude Parthenius III, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa, Judge of the Universe. Residence - Alexandria Egyptian. The Patriarchate includes 9 metropolitan districts throughout Africa. Active missionary work is carried out in such African countries, like Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, etc. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to Gregorian calendar. Liturgical languages: Byzantine Greek and the national languages ​​of African peoples converted to Orthodoxy. In South Africa, along with Greek, they use English language and Afrikaans.

3. Patriarchate of Antioch. Primate: His Beatitude Ignatius IV, Patriarch of Great Antioch and all the East. Residence - Damascus. Its jurisdiction includes 10 metropolises in Syria and Lebanon, as well as dioceses in Iraq, the emigrant metropolitanate of the Americas and emigrant dioceses in Western Europe. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian calendar. Liturgical language: Arabic. In the USA and Western Europe, national languages ​​are used along with Arabic.

4. Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Primate: His Beatitude Diodorus, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All Palestine. Residence - Jerusalem. The Patriarchate includes 6 archdioceses. The Patriarch and almost the entire higher hierarchy of the Church of Jerusalem are Greek, while the vast majority of the priesthood and faithful are Arab. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Julian (old) calendar. Liturgical languages: Byzantine Greek and Arabic.

5. Russian Orthodox Church. Primate: His Holiness Alexy P, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Residence - Moscow. At the end of 1993, there were 107 archbishops and 19 metropolitans in the Russian Orthodox Church. The canonical territory of the Russian Church also extends to the CIS states. In addition, the Moscow Patriarchate includes several emigrant dioceses in Western and Central Europe and North and South America. The Russian Orthodox Church also includes an autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church, headed by His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, and autonomous Japanese Orthodox Church, headed by His Eminence Theodosius, Metropolitan of Tokyo and All Japan. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Julian calendar. Liturgical languages: Church Slavonic and the languages ​​of the peoples converted by Russian missionaries. The Orthodox population of Moldova and the Baltic countries also uses local languages.

6. Georgian Orthodox Church. Primate: His Holiness and Beatitude Ilya P, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi. Residence - Tbilisi. Until recently, the Georgian Church consisted of 15 dioceses. Its territory practically coincides with the territory of the Republic of Georgia. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Julian calendar. Liturgical language: Old Georgian. A number of parishes use Church Slavonic, Greek and other languages.

7. Serbian Orthodox Church. Primate: Holy Paul, Archbishop of Pecs, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovack, Patriarch of Serbia. Residence - Belgrade. The Church has 28 dioceses, of which 21 are within the former Yugoslavia, and 7 outside its borders: in the USA, Canada, Central and Western Europe and Australia. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Julian calendar. Liturgical languages: Church Slavonic and Serbian. In some parishes in the countries of the diaspora, local languages ​​are also used. Until recently, in the USA there was a “Dionysian” Serbian diocese, which considered itself independent, accused the Serbian Patriarchate of collaborating with the communist authorities and did not have Eucharistic communion with it. Several years ago, reconciliation took place and the “Dionysians” returned to the bosom of the mother Church.

Also, the canonical part of the Serbian Church is the self-proclaimed “ Autocephalous Macedonian Orthodox Church“. Her decision on autocephaly was not recognized by any of the local Orthodox Churches, which makes concelebration with her hierarchs and priests impossible. However, Orthodox laity are not prohibited from participating in the sacraments of the Macedonian Church. The Primate of the Macedonian Church is the Archbishop of Skopje and All Macedonia. It includes 6 dioceses, one of which consists of Macedonian parishes in the countries of diaspora (the so-called American-Canadian-Australian diocese). Divine services of the fixed circle are performed in Church Slavonic and Macedonian languages.

8. Romanian Orthodox Church. Primate: His Beatitude Theoctistus, Patriarch of All Romania, Vicar of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, Archbishop of Bucharest. Residence - Bucharest. Geographically, the borders of the Romanian Patriarchate practically coincide with the borders of Romania. It is divided into 5 metropolises, which include 12 dioceses. There are also Western European and North American dioceses. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian calendar. Liturgical language: Romanian.

9. Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Primate: His Holiness Maxim, Patriarch of Bulgaria and Metropolitan of Sofia. Residence - Sofia. Within the Republic of Bulgaria, the Patriarchate is divided into 11 metropolises (dioceses). There are two dioceses outside Bulgaria: in America and Australia, and separate parishes in Hungary, Romania, and Austria. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian calendar. Liturgical languages: Church Slavonic and Bulgarian.

10. Cypriot Orthodox Church. Primate: His Beatitude Chrysostomos, Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus. Residence - Nicosia. The boundaries of the Cypriot Church are limited to Fr. Cyprus. Instead of the previous 15 dioceses, the Church of Cyprus today consists of 5 metropolitanates and 1 archdiocese. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian calendar. Liturgical language: Byzantine Greek.

11. Greek Orthodox Church. Primate: His Beatitude Seraphim, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. Residence - Athens. Administratively, the Church is divided into 77 dioceses. The hierarchs are divided into the hierarchs of the Greek Church (metropolises in “Old Greece”) and the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Throne (in the so-called “new territories” that became part of Greece at the beginning of the century). Most of the islands of the Aegean and Cretan seas are under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian calendar. Liturgical language: Byzantine Greek.

12. Albanian Orthodox Church. Its borders coincide with the borders of the Albanian state. In the 60s of our century, the Albanian Church consisted of 5 dioceses (4 in Albania and one in the USA). At the end of the 70s, the final eradication of all religious prejudices was announced in Albania. The 1976 Constitution prohibited all religious organizations, religious activities, and propaganda. Only after the fall of the communist regime did the restoration of the Church begin. Its current primate: His Beatitude Anastasios, Metropolitan of Tirana and Durres, Archbishop of All Albania. Residence - Tirana. The services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian calendar. Liturgical languages: Albanian and Byzantine Greek.

13. Orthodox Church in Poland. Primate: His Beatitude Basil, Metropolitan of Warsaw and All Poland, his residence is Warsaw. The borders of the metropolis coincide with the borders of the Polish Republic. The church consists of 4 dioceses. Divine services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian (in some parishes according to the Julian) calendar. Liturgical languages: Church Slavonic and Polish.

14. Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Primate: His Beatitude Dorotheos, Metropolitan of Prague and all the Czech Republic and Slovakia, his residence is Prague. The canonical territory of the Church occupies the states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and is divided into 4 dioceses. Divine services of the fixed circle are performed according to the Gregorian (in a number of parishes according to the Julian) calendar. Liturgical languages: Church Slavonic, Czech and Slovak.

15. Orthodox Church in America. Primate: His Beatitude Theodosius, Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada. Residences - the town of Syosset near New York and Washington. This is the youngest of the local Orthodox Churches. Orthodoxy was brought to American soil by Russian missionaries - Valaam monks who arrived in Alaska in 1794. Since then it has spread to the entire American continent. From the very beginning of its existence, American Orthodoxy has been multiethnic in nature. With the exception of the indigenous peoples of Alaska, converted by Russian missionaries (Aleuts, Eskimos, Tlingit Indians), the Church consisted of emigrants who came to America from all over Orthodox world: from the Balkan Peninsula, from Syria, Palestine, the eastern provinces of Austria-Hungary, Russia, etc. All of them were united under the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church in North America, which was recognized as legal by all local Orthodox Churches.

The church grew. IN late XIX V. a large group of Carpathian Uniate parishes, formed by immigrants from Austria-Hungary, returned to the fold of Orthodoxy. Due to the growing number of Orthodox Christians, the administrative center of the diocese was moved from Novoarkhangelsk (now Sitkha) in Alaska to San Francisco and then to New York.
From the very beginning, the unifying language for all American Orthodox Christians was English. This was noted by Archbishop Tikhon (Belavin, later Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', canonized in 1989), who headed the North American diocese from 1898 to 1907. Under his leadership, liturgical books were translated into English. He also convened the First church council diocese, transforming it into the “Russian Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church in North America under the jurisdiction of the hierarchy of the Russian Church.” By the beginning of the First World War, the Church had four vicariates: Alaskan, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and Canada, had 3 missions (Albanian, Syrian, Serbian), a monastery, a theological seminary, charitable institutions, and schools. This fullness of church life in America prompted Archbishop Tikhon to recommend granting the American Church broad autonomy, and then autocephaly.

After the October Revolution in Russia, the connection between American Orthodoxy and the Mother Church was broken. The emigrant Church did not yet have enough funds for independent existence. Many parishes turned to their countries of origin for support. That is why the completely non-canonical “spread” of the Church across ethnic jurisdictions began. In 1921, without the knowledge or canonical consent of the Russian Church, the Greek Archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was established in America. Others followed.

Only after the end of World War II did the reverse process begin, albeit slowly. The Albanian diocese was reunited with the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church, a large number of Bulgarian parishes, organized into a separate diocese, and Romanian parishes, also forming a separate diocese. In 1970, the actual independence of the RPGCC was recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church, which granted it autocephaly. Then the Church acquired its current name: the Orthodox Church in America.

Today the OCA has 14 dioceses (including one in South America), a Mexican exarchate and a deanery in Australia. The Church has more than 550 parishes and about a million flocks. The main liturgical language is English. In addition, other languages ​​are used in parishes, depending on the wishes of the parishioners. With the exception of the Diocese of Alaska, where services are celebrated according to the Julian calendar, the Gregorian calendar is used.

Currently, in America there are the following canonical jurisdictions: Greek Archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (up to 600 parishes): OCA; Antioch Archdiocese (about 200 parishes) and smaller ones: Serbian Archdiocese, Romanian Diocese, Bulgarian Diocese, Carpathian Diocese (Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Ukrainian Diocese (Ecumenical Patriarchate). They all have full Eucharistic communion with each other. Everyone recognizes the situation that has historically developed in the countries of the Orthodox diaspora as abnormal and is making joint energetic efforts to restore canonical unity.

In addition, there are a number of non-canonical (i.e., not recognized by any local Orthodox Church) church groups that, for a number of reasons, have fallen away from the fullness of Ecumenical Orthodoxy. Of these, the largest are the following: the so-called. The Autocephalous Ukrainian Church (better known as “Samosvyatsky”), centered in New Jersey, and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (more than 300 parishes around the world, of which no more than 100 are in the USA) centered in New York. In addition, in the USA there are several so-called “Old Calendarist” Greek groups that have all the signs of sectarianism. Both the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the Greek “Old Calendarists” believe that only they have preserved Orthodoxy in all its purity, forbid their supporters to take part in the sacraments of other Orthodox Churches and do not allow members of other Orthodox Churches to participate in the sacraments.

16. A special position in the family of Orthodox churches occupies Sinai Church, consisting of one monastery of St. Catherine on the Sinai Peninsula and headed by the Archbishop of Sinai and Raifa. He is elected by the inhabitants of the monastery and consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. In all of my internal affairs the monastery enjoys absolute independence.

Statements by the heads and hierarchs of the eleven canonical local churches

Statements by the heads and hierarchs of eleven canonical local churches (there are 15 in total) in support of the Russian Church on the issue of autocephaly of Ukrainian schismatics. The statements are absolutely transparent and clearly interpretable:

1. Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem:

“The unity of the Church of Christ is the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are called to protect and preserve it. Destroying this unity is a serious crime.”

“We most categorically condemn actions directed against parishes of the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine. It is not for nothing that the Holy Fathers of the Church remind us that the destruction of the unity of the Church is a mortal sin.”

2.Archbishop of Sebaste (Jerusalem Patriarchate) Theodosius:

“The Orthodox churches of the world, including Jerusalem, recognize as canonical only the Russian Orthodox Church of Ukraine, led by Metropolitan Onuphry; he is a member of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church. We support all efforts to end the schism in the Ukrainian church. The Orthodox Church is a place of love, peace and unity, not schism and hatred.”

“The schism in Ukraine is a great misfortune, I hope that the Patriarch of Constantinople, together with the heads of other Orthodox Churches, will coordinate efforts with the Russian Church in order to stop this unhealthy, unacceptable and unjustified situation.”

3.Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodore II:

“Let's pray to the Lord, who does everything for our good, who will guide us on the path to resolving these problems. If the schismatic Denisenko wants to return to the fold of the Church, he must return to where he left. The Lord is merciful to all who have repented, the Church forgives and accepts all those who repent into its maternal embrace.”

4.Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X:

“The Antioch Patriarchate stands together with the Russian Church and speaks out against the church schism in Ukraine.”

5.Georgian Patriarch Elijah:

“His Holiness Patriarch Kirill disagrees with the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding Ukraine, since he supports only the legitimate church led by Metropolitan Onuphry.”

6. Serbian Patriarch Irinej,

Regarding the Ukrainian issue, he characterizes: “a very dangerous and even catastrophic situation, probably fatal for the unity of Orthodoxy,” “the act of honoring and restoring schismatics to the rank of bishops, especially arch-schismatics, such as the “Kiev Patriarch” Filaret Denisenko. Bringing them to liturgical service and communion without repentance and return to the bosom of the Russian Church, which they renounced. And all this without Moscow’s consent and coordination with them.”

7.Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church:

“Those gathered here express full solidarity and compassionate brotherly love with their sister-martyr the Ukrainian Church, which is being subjected to the most severe persecution by the Kyiv regime.”

8. Holy Synod of the Polish Orthodox Church:

“We, as the Polish Orthodox Church, express a clear position, namely, that the church life of the canonical church must be based on the dogmas and holy canons of Orthodoxy. Violation of these principles leads to chaos in church life.”

“In Ukraine there are certain groups of schismatics who must first repent and return to the fold of the Canonical Church. Only after this will it be possible to discuss autocephaly.”

“We cannot be guided by political conjuncture in matters of dogma and canons.”

9. Metropolitan of the Czech and Slovak lands Rostislav:

“The schism provoked by human selfishness can only be healed by repentance and return to the bosom of the Church. The new autocephaly must be the result of a general consensus.”

10. Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte:

"I have always had very a good relationship with Metropolitan Onuphry. We know that he loves the people of Ukraine and humbly works for the benefit of the people and all Orthodox Christians. We pray that the Lord will grant him strength and health in order to endure all the trials that the Lord sent him and which he overcomes with dignity.”

The Secretary of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Church, Bishop Gerasim of Melnitsky emphasized that the Bulgarian Church is well aware of the problems of the Ukrainian situation and its complexity, but it is necessary to strictly observe the church canons, which the Orthodox Church has adhered to for centuries.

11. Metropolitan of Lovech, Gabriel (Bulgarian Church):

“There is no Divine Grace in schism. And without God's Grace there is no Church. People must return to the canonical church, where there is grace and salvation. Schism is a destructive and malignant phenomenon.”

12. Metropolitan George of Kitros, Catherine and Ptalamon, Greek Church:

“The Greek Orthodox Church, like all other churches in the world, recognizes only the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the head of which is Metropolitan Onuphry.”

13. Metropolitan of Limassol, Athanasius, Church of Cyprus:

“First of all, the issue of granting autocephaly should be decided by the Patriarch of Moscow, under whose jurisdiction the UOC is located, then by the canonical Ukrainian Church, and then by all Orthodox churches, with the guidance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. But the first word belongs to the Mother of the Ukrainian Church, which is the Moscow Patriarchate. The Russian Church has the first word in this process.”

“What does the ecumenical patriarchate have to do with the Filaret schism? How to overcome it? We want our brothers, now schismatics, to return to the church under the leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry. This is the only canonical church in Ukraine, united with the Moscow Patriarchate and with all Orthodox churches. We pray for this."

14. Statement of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in support of the canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine:

“With this statement we express our full support for Metropolitan Onuphry, together with all his archpastors, clergy, monasticism, all the believers of the one Canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and we bow with love to their confessional struggle. No obstacles to church life should be caused by secular authorities. Real attempts to influence the Church from the outside testify to deeply non-church motives and goals of those who are trying to implement them.”

We receive open and comprehensive support from the majority of canonical Orthodox Churches.

Of those who abstained, and these are the American, Romanian and Albanian churches, no one spoke in favor of the position of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The CP has completely played too far and in the event of a real split, it will remain alone along with its neo-papist ambitions.