Because of its historical location as the capital of the former Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire and its role as the mother church of most modern Orthodox churches,
Constantinople
holds a special place of honor within Orthodoxy and serves as the seat for the Ecumenical Patriarch, who enjoys the status of primus inter …
Where is the seat of power in the Eastern Orthodox Church?
The Eastern Orthodox Church is organized into self-governing (autocephalous) churches, many of which carry the title of patriarchate. Traditionally, the leading authority in Orthodox Christianity is the Istanbul-based Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople
, currently presided over by Bartholomew I.
Where is the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church?
The Eastern Orthodox Churches. The nominal head of the Eastern Orthodox Churches is
the Patriarch of Constantinople
. However, he is only first among equals and has no real authority over Churches other than his own. There are 15 ‘autocephalous Churches’, listed in order of precedence.
Where are most Eastern Orthodox located?
The term Eastern Orthodox
Europe
is informally used to describe the predominantly Eastern Orthodox countries of Eastern Europe, as well as Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.
What is the highest position in the Orthodox Church?
Each constituent church is self-governing; its highest-ranking
bishop
called the primate (a patriarch, a metropolitan or an archbishop) reports to no higher earthly authority.
Which is older Catholic or Orthodox?
Therefore
the Catholic Church is the oldest of all
. The Orthodox represents the original Christian Church because they trace their bishops back to the five early patriarchates of Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Constantinople and Antioch.
What are the religious days in the Eastern Orthodox Church?
- The Nativity of the Theotokos, 8 September [O.S. …
- The Exaltation of the Cross, 14 September [O.S. …
- The Presentation of the Theotokos, 21 November [O.S. 4 December]
- The Nativity of Christ (Christmas), 25 December [O.S. …
- The Baptism of Christ (Theophany, also called Epiphany), 6 January [O.S.
Which religion is Orthodox?
Orthodox means adhering to accepted norms and creeds – especially in religion. In Christianity, the term means “
conforming to the Christian faith
as represented in the creeds of the early Church.” The Orthodox Church is one of the three main Christian groups – the others are the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches.
How is Greek Orthodox different from Catholic?
Greek Orthodox vs Roman Catholics
The difference between Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics is that for the Roman Catholics, the Pope is infallible and has complete authority over the churches whereas, in Greek Orthodox churches,
the pope is not infallible
.
What are the major differences between Eastern Orthodox and Western Christianity?
While worshiping, the
Western Church promotes kneeling position in prayer
while Eastern Orthodox places of worship have normally standing followers. Unleavened bread (made without yeast) is utilized as a part of Roman church customs, while the Orthodox Church utilizes leavened bread.
Who is the leader of the Orthodox church?
The church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the bishop of Rome (Pope), but
the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople
is recognised by all bishops as primus inter pares (“first among equals”) and regarded as the representative and spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians.
Why did the Orthodox church split from the Catholic church?
The Great Schism came about due to
a complex mix of religious disagreements and political conflicts
. One of the many religious disagreements between the western (Roman) and eastern (Byzantine) branches of the church had to do with whether or not it was acceptable to use unleavened bread for the sacrament of communion.
Is Eastern Orthodox the same as Greek Orthodox?
Historically, the term “Greek Orthodox” has been used
to describe all Eastern Orthodox churches in general
, since the term “Greek” can refer to the heritage of the Byzantine Empire. … Thus, Eastern Orthodox came to be called “Greek” Orthodox in the same way that the Western Christians came to be called “Roman” Catholic.
Does the Orthodox Church have elders?
A starets (Romanian: stareț, Russian: стáрец, IPA: [ˈstarjɪt͡s]; fem. ста́рица) is an
elder of
an Eastern Orthodox monastery who functions as venerated adviser and teacher. Elders or spiritual fathers are charismatic spiritual leaders whose wisdom stems from God as obtained from ascetic experience.
Can Orthodox priests marry?
Under Orthodox rules,
a celibate priest cannot marry after ordination
, and a non-celibate priest cannot remarry and remain a priest, even if his wife dies, he said. Widowers who remain celibate can become bishops, but that’s happened just once.
How is Orthodox different from Protestant?
The difference between Orthodox Christianity and Protestant Christianity is that
they follow different divine inspirations
. The Orthodox follow the ‘Holy Inspiration of Church’ along with the Bible. Whereas, protestants follow only the Bible.