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The '''[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]''', officially the ''Orthodox Catholic Church'' and commonly known simply as the ''Orthodox Church'', is a [[full communion|communion]] composed of up to seventeen separate [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] (self-governing) hierarchical churches that profess [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] and recognise each other as [[Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church|canonical]] (regular) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explainer: The 'Holy And Great Council' Of Orthodox Churches |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/explainer-orthodox-churches-holy-great-council/27810011.html |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |language=en |quote=It is -- or should be -- a synod of bishops of all the 14 recognized autocephalous churches of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Unlike the Catholic Church, which has a single, undisputed leader in the pope, the Orthodox Christians are divided into self-governing provinces, each with its own leadership. The council was meant to be the first meeting of all Orthodox leaders since 787, when the last of the seven ecumenical councils recognized by the heads of both the Eastern and Western Christian Church was held in Nicaea (present-day Iznik in northwestern Turkey).}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-09 |title=Why church conflict in Ukraine reflects historic Russian-Ukrainian tensions |url=https://religionnews.com/2022/02/09/why-church-conflict-in-ukraine-reflects-historic-russian-ukrainian-tensions/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Religion News Service |language=en-US |quote=Unlike the Catholic Church, which has a single supreme spiritual leader in the pope, the worldwide Orthodox Church is divided into 14 universally recognized, independent, autocephalous or self-headed churches. Each autocephalous church has its own head, or kephale in Greek. Every autocephalous church holds to the same faith as its sister churches. Most autocephalies are national churches, such as the Russian, Romanian and Greek Orthodox churches. Now, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is claiming its place among the other autocephalous churches.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC - Religions - Christianity: Eastern Orthodox Church |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/easternorthodox_1.shtml |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=BBC |language=en-GB |quote=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.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Patriarchates and Autocephalous Churches |url=https://www.goarch.org/patriarchates |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |language=en-US}}</ref>

Each constituent church is self-governing;<ref name=":1" /> its highest-ranking [[bishop]] called the [[Primate (bishop)|primate]] (a [[patriarch]], a [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] or an [[archbishop]]) reports to no higher authority. Each regional church is composed of constituent [[eparchies]] (or [[dioceses]]) ruled by bishops. Some autocephalous churches have given an eparchy or group of eparchies with varying degrees of [[Autonomy (Eastern Orthodoxy)|autonomy]] (meaning they have limited self-government). Such autonomous churches maintain varying levels of dependence on their mother church, usually defined in a [[Tomos (Eastern Orthodox Church)|''tomos'']] or another document of autonomy. In many cases, autonomous churches are almost completely self-governing, with the [[mother church]] retaining only the right to appoint the highest-ranking bishop (often an archbishop or metropolitan) of the autonomous church.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Autocephalous / Autonomous - Questions & Answers |url=https://www.oca.org/questions/autocephaly/autocephalous-autonomous |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Orthodox Church in America |quote=An “autocephalous” Church is completely self-governing. It elects its own primate and has the right to consecrate its own Holy Chrism, among other prerogatives unique to autocephalous Churches. [The term “autocephalous” literally means “self-heading.”] An “autonomous” Church is self-governing to a certain degree in its internal matters, but its head is appointed or confirmed by the autocephalous Church, which nurtures it. An autonomous Church also receives its Holy Chrism from its “Mother Church.”}}</ref>

Normal governance is enacted through a [[synod]] of bishops within each church.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=The Synodal Structure of the Orthodox Church |url=https://www.goarch.org/-/the-synodal-structure-of-the-orthodox-church |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Church governance==
The Eastern Orthodox Church is decentralised, having no central authority, earthly head or a single [[bishop]] in a leadership role. Thus, the Eastern Orthodox use a [[synod]]ical system [[canon law|canonically]], which is significantly different from the hierarchical organisation of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] that follows the doctrine of [[papal supremacy]].<ref name=":2" /> References to the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]] as a sole authoritative leader are an erroneous interpretation of his title “[[first among equals]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Katherine |title=Orthodox Church - Simple Guides |date=2009 |publisher=Bravo Ltd |location=London |isbn=978-1-85733-640-5 |edition=v3.1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zbc-AQAAQBAJ&q=authority&pg=PT23 |access-date=1 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Autocephaly (6 of 20) - Questions & Answers |url=https://www.oca.org/questions/autocephaly/autocephaly-06 |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Orthodox Church in America}}</ref> His title is of honor rather than authority and in fact the Ecumenical Patriarch has no direct authority over churches other than the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Constantinopolitan Church]].<ref name="brit">{{cite web|title=Eastern Orthodoxy|url=http://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-Orthodoxy#toc59581|website=www.britannica.com|publisher=Britannica|access-date=26 July 2015}}</ref> The Ecumenical Patriarch's unique role is sometimes referred to as being the "spiritual leader" of the Eastern Orthodox Church, although even this is disputed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew |url=https://president.nd.edu/ecumenical-patriarch/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Office of the President |language=en |quote=Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, was elected the 270th archbishop of Constantinople and ecumenical patriarch in October 1991. His tenure has been highlighted by ecumenical and interreligious dialogue — including formal visits with Roman Catholic, Orthodox, other Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders — as well as efforts to promote religious freedom, human rights and protection of the environment.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lourgos |first=Angie Leventis |title='This made my life complete.' Hundreds greet Orthodox Christian patriarch at South Bend church, part of the spiritual leader's historic visit to the US |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-eastern-orthodox-patriarch-south-bend-20211028-z2smg3gmjbgxtl2ehpesnw6rl4-story.html |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Chicago Tribune |quote=Bartholomew — the spiritual leader of some 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians internationally — presided over a service at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in South Bend, Indiana, on Thursday, one of the quieter and more intimate moments during the patriarch’s historic 12-day visit to the United States.}}</ref>

The autocephalous churches are normally in [[full communion]] with each other, so any priest of any of those churches may lawfully minister to any member of any of them, and no member of any is excluded from any form of worship in any of the others, including the reception of the [[Eucharist]]. However, there have been varying instances in the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church where communion has been broken between member churches for short periods, particularly over autocephaly issues or disagreements over [[ecumenism]] with other Christian denominations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Orthodox Schism in the Shadow of Empire |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/orthodox-schism-shadow-empire |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Center for Strategic and International Studies |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ecumenical Council of Florence (1438-1445) |url=https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/ecumenical-council-of-florence-1438-1445-1461 |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=EWTN Global Catholic Television Network |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Moscow patriarchate against the union of Rome and Constantinople |url=https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Moscow-patriarchate-against-the-union-of-Rome-and-Constantinople-53531.html |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=AsiaNews.it |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Burton |first=Tara Isabella |date=2018-10-17 |title=The Eastern Orthodox Churches may split. It's the biggest crisis for these churches in centuries. |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/10/17/17983566/russia-constantinople-ukraine-eastern-orthodox-schism-autocephaly |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref>

Following Justinian, the church existed only as a single denomination of five communing churches ruled by five [[patriarch]]s: the bishops of [[Rome]], [[Constantinople]], [[Alexandria]], [[Antioch]], and [[Jerusalem]], collectively referred to as the [[Pentarchy]]. Each of the five patriarchs had jurisdiction over bishops in a specified geographic region which did not overlap with the jurisdiction of another patriarch. This continued until 927, when the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Bulgarian Patriarchate]] became the first newly promoted patriarchate to join the original five.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Orthodox Church of Bulgaria |url=https://cnewa.org/eastern-christian-churches/orthodox-church/the-autocephalous-churches/the-orthodox-church-of-bulgaria/ |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=CNEWA |language=en-US |quote=In 927 Constantinople recognized the king as Emperor of the Bulgarians and the Archbishop of Preslav as their Patriarch.}}</ref>

Historically, the Patriarch of Rome was considered to be the "[[Primus inter pares|first in place of honor]]" among the five patriarchs. Disagreement about the limits of his authority was one of the causes of the [[East-West Schism|Great Schism]], conventionally dated to the year 1054, which split the previously unified Church into the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] in the West, headed by the [[Pope]], and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Catholic Church]] (more commonly known today as the Eastern Orthodox Church), led by the four eastern patriarchs. After the schism, the honorary [[Primacy of the Roman Pontiff|primacy]] of the Bishop of Rome shifted to the Patriarch of Constantinople, who had previously been accorded second-place rank at the [[First Council of Constantinople]].

In the 5th century, [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] separated from [[Chalcedonian Christianity]] (and is therefore separate from both the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church), well before the 11th century Great Schism. It should not be confused with Eastern Orthodoxy or Roman Catholicism.

==Jurisdictions==
[[File:Canonical territories of autocephalous and autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions (2022).svg|alt=|thumb|[[Canonical territories]] of the main autocephalous and [[Autonomy (Eastern Orthodoxy)|autonomous]] Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions as of 2022]]

==={{Anchor|Autocephalous Orthodox churches}}Autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches===
[[File:Timeline of the History of the main autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, E. Orthodox point of view (2022).svg|thumb|Timeline showing the history of the main autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, from an Eastern Orthodox point of view, up to 2022]]
Ranked in order of seniority, with the year of independence ([[autocephaly]]) given in parentheses, where applicable.<ref>Serbian Orthodox Church official site: [http://www.spc.rs/eng/node/150 ''Помесне Православне Цркве'' (''Autocephalous Orthodox churches'')] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723004340/http://spc.rs/eng/node/150 |date=2014-07-23 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Orthodox World Churches |url=https://www.oca.org/directories/world-churches |access-date=2022-02-28 |website=Orthodox Church in America}}</ref> There are a total of 17 autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches which are recognized to various degrees among the communion of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

''Canonicity'' refers to the state of being in communion with the larger Eastern Orthodox Church (making the church in question undisputedly a constituent of the Eastern Orthodox Church), whereas ''autocephaly'' refers to the state of being more or less self-governing. Canonicity is binary (two churches are either in communion or not) while autocephaly exists on a spectrum. Disputes over autocephaly often lead to short-term breaks in communion for political reasons. These short-term breaks are typically not due to differences in doctrine or theology.

====Four ancient patriarchates====
# [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople]] (independence in AD 330; elevated to the rank of autocephalous [[Patriarchate]] in 381; elevated 451 to second see; became first see due to division from the [[Holy See|See of Rome]] in the [[Schism of 1054|Great Schism of 1054]])
# [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria]]
# [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch]]
# [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem]] (independence in AD 451, elevated to the rank of autocephalous [[Patriarchate]] in 451)

The four ancient Eastern Orthodox Patriarchates, along with the See of Rome, formed the historical [[Pentarchy]], and remained in communion with each other after the [[East–West Schism|East-West Schism]] in 1054. The concept of the Pentarchy and the title of "[[Patriarch]]" itself, as opposed to Archbishop or Exarch, is attributed to [[Justinian| St Justinian]] in AD 531.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.homolaicus.com/storia/medioevo/pentarchia/pentarchia.htm|title=L'idea di pentarchia nella cristianità|work=homolaicus.com}}</ref>

====National patriarchates====
# [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] (870, Patriarchate since 918/919, recognised by the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarchate of Constantinople]] in 927)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kiminas|first=Demetrius|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLWqXrW2X-8C&dq=927&pg=PA15|title=The Ecumenical Patriarchate|date=2009-03-01|publisher=Wildside Press LLC|isbn=978-1-4344-5876-6|pages=15|language=en}}</ref>
# [[Georgian Orthodox Church]] (Patriarchate since 1010)
# [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] (1219, Patriarchate since 1346, recognised in 1375)
# [[Russian Orthodox Church]] (1448, recognised in 1589)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kiminas|first=Demetrius|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLWqXrW2X-8C&pg=PA2|title=The Ecumenical Patriarchate|date=2009-03-01|publisher=Wildside Press LLC|isbn=978-1-4344-5876-6|pages=19|language=en}}</ref>{{efn|Due to the [[2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism]], the Russian Orthodox Church has cut ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate along with several primates of other Churches on this list. The nature of their current relationship is uncertain}}
# [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] (1872, recognised in 1885, Patriarchate since 1925)

==== Autocephalous archbishoprics ====
Note:{{Efn|In the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Orthodox Churches of Greek tradition]], the ranks are, from the lowest to the highest, as follows: bishop, metropolitan, archbishop, patriarch. In contrast, in the other Eastern Orthodox Churches, the ranks are, from the lowest to the highest, as follows: bishop, archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch. Thus, an archbishop from an Eastern Orthodox Church of the Greek tradition is equivalent to a metropolitan in the other Eastern Orthodox Churches.|name=ranks}}
# [[Church of Cyprus]] (recognised in 431)
# [[Church of Greece]] (1833, recognised in 1850)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Church of Greece |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Church-of-Greece |access-date=2021-03-27 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref>
# [[Albanian Orthodox Church]] (1922, recognised in 1937)

==== Autocephalous metropoles ====
Note:{{Efn|name=ranks}}
# [[Polish Orthodox Church]] (1924){{efn|The primate of the Polish Orthodox Church is referred to as ''Archbishop of [[Warsaw]] and Metropolitan of All [[Poland]]'', but the Polish Orthodox Church is officially a Metropolis<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orthodox.pl/administracja/metropolia/|title=ORTHODOX {{!}} METROPOLIA|website=www.orthodox.pl|access-date=2019-01-05}}</ref>}}
# [[Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia]] (1951){{efn|The primate of the Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church is referred to as ''Archbishop of [[Prešov]] and [[Slovakia]], Metropolitan of the [[Czech Republic|Czech Lands]] and Slovakia'', but the Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church is officially a Metropolis}}

=== Universally recognized as canonical, autocephaly disputed ===
# [[Orthodox Church in America]] (granted by the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] in 1970 and recognized by five other churches, but not recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate or remaining Churches. Canonicity universally recognized.){{efn|See [[Orthodox Church in America#Recognition of autocephaly]]}}
# [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]] (1967, granted by the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] in 2022 and recognized by seven other churches, but not recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate or remaining Churches. Canonicity universally recognized.)

=== Canonical and spiritual independence status disputed ===
# [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)]] (1992 as Ukrainian Orthodox Church, split from Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 1992 allying with Russian Orthodox Church, declared independence from the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] on 27 May 2022, recognised as independent by the Georgian Orthodox Church on 24 March 2023. Its status as an independent church rejected by the majority of churches){{Efn|As of 27 May 2022, the UOC has formally declared its full autonomy and independence from the Russian Orthodox Church, but did not declare itself autocephalous, while remaining in full communion with the Russian church, as well as with the Orthodox Churches of Antioch, Jerusalem, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Poland, Czech Lands and Slovakia, and the OCA.{{cn|date=August 2022}} However, in 24 March 2023, Georgia has recognised the UOC as an independent church.<ref>{{cite web |title=Georgian Patriarch Ilia II addressed the Patriarch of Constantinople in relation to the situation around the UOC |url=https://news.church.ua/2023/03/27/georgian-patriarch-ilia-ii-addressed-the-patriarch-of-constantinople-in-relation-to-the-situation-around-the-uoc/?lang=en |website=Ukrainian Orthodox Church | date=27 March 2023 |access-date=22 May 2023}}</ref>}}
# [[Estonian Christian Orthodox Church]]{{efn-lg|name="universally"}} (removed mentions of the Moscow Patriarchate on 20 August 2024, but no other church recognizes its independence)

=== Canonical and autocephalous status disputed ===
# [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]] (1992 as Ukrainian Orthodox Church, autocephaly from [[Unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine|15 December 2018]], recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on [[Granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine#Tomos of autocephaly|5 January 2019]] and three other churches. Its autocephaly and canonicity rejected by remaining churches, including its rival Ukrainian churches.){{efn|See [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine#Reactions from Eastern Orthodox churches]]}}

=== Canonical and autocephalous status unrecognised ===
# A minority of the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate]] led by [[Filaret (Denysenko)]] split again in 2019, following internal disputes and concerns as to whether the autocephaly granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate amounted to true autocephaly due to the conditions imposed. They are not recognized by any church, including rival Ukrainian churches.
# The [[Old Calendarists]] and [[True Orthodox]] split from their local church and are not recognized as canonical, nor do they recognize any of the above churches as canonical. Some maintain communion with the Kyiv Patriarchate under Filaret.

== Internal ranking ==
The typical order that the four ancient churches appear in the [[diptych]]s is the same order given above. While every major church places the four ancient churches in their diptychs before the other autocephalous churches, this order may still differ slightly. For example, in the diptychs of the Russian Orthodox Church and some of its daughter churches (e.g., the Orthodox Church in America), the ranking of the five junior patriarchates is: Russia, Georgia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria. The ranking of the archbishoprics is the same, with the Church of Cyprus being the only ancient one ([[Anno Domini|AD]] 431).

==={{Anchor|Autonomous Orthodox churches}}Autonomous Eastern Orthodox churches===
{{Further|Autonomy (Eastern Orthodoxy)}}
;Under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
* [[Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church of Estonia]]{{efn-lg|name="universally"}} (autonomy recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate but not by the Russian Orthodox Church)
* [[Orthodox Church of Finland]]

;Under the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
* [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]]
* [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of São Paulo and All Brazil]]

;Under the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
* [[Church of Sinai]]

;Under the Russian Orthodox Church
* [[Belarusian Orthodox Church]]
* [[Metropolis of Chișinău and All Moldova]]
* [[Orthodox Church in Japan]]{{efn-lg|name="universally"}} (autonomy recognised by the Russian Orthodox Church but not by the Ecumenical Patriarchate)
* [[Chinese Orthodox Church]]{{efn-lg|name="universally"}} (autonomy recognised by the Russian Orthodox Church but not by the Ecumenical Patriarchate)

;Under the Romanian Orthodox Church
* [[Metropolis of Bessarabia]]
* [[Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas]]
* [[Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe]]

===Semi-autonomous churches===

;Under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
* [[Church of Crete]]
;Under the Russian Orthodox Church
* [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]]

==={{Anchor|Orthodox churches with limited self-government but without autonomy}}Limited self-government (not autonomy)===
;Under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
* [[Monastic community of Mount Athos]]
* [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta]]
* [[Korean Orthodox Church]]
* [[Exarchate of the Philippines]]
* [[American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese]]
* [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada]]
* [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA]]

;Under the Russian Orthodox Church
*[[Archdiocese of Russian Orthodox churches in Western Europe]]
*[[Diocese of Korea (Russian Orthodox Church)]]
**{{interlanguage link|Korean Orthodox Committee|nl|Koreaans Orthodox Comité}}{{efn-lg|name="North Korea"}}

;Under the Romanian Orthodox Church
*[[Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate Sighetu Marmației]]

== {{Anchor|Unrecognized churches}}Unrecognised churches ==
{{See also|Independent sacramental movement}}[[File:Timeline of the main schisms from the Serbian Orthodox Church (second quarter of the 19th century to 2022).svg|thumb|Timeline of the main unrecognised and True Orthodox churches which have come out of the Serbian Orthodox Church, until 2022]]

=== Churches that are not recognised despite wanting to ===
The following churches recognize all other mainstream Eastern Orthodox churches, but are not recognised by any of them due to various disputes:
* [[Abkhazian Orthodox Church]]
* {{ill|Holy Metropolis of Abkhazia|ru|Анакопийская епархия}}
* [[American Orthodox Catholic Church]]
* [[Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church]]
* [[Latvian Orthodox Church]]{{efn|The LOC used to belong to the Russian Orthodox Church but [[Saeima]] declared it to be autocephalous in 2022.}}
* [[Montenegrin Orthodox Church]]
* [[Turkish Orthodox Church]]
* [[Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Canonical]]
* [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate]]{{efn|The UOC-KP [[Unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine|merged]] into the [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]]. However, the UOC-KP was re-established after [[Conflict between Filaret and Epiphanius|a conflict between Patriarch Filaret and the primate of the OCU Metropolitan Epiphanius]]}}

===True Orthodox===
{{See also|True Orthodox church}}
[[File:Timeline of the main schisms from the Russian Orthodox Church (1589 to 2021).svg|thumb|Timeline of the main unrecognised and True Orthodox churches which have come out of the Russian Orthodox Church, until 2021]]
[[True Orthodox Christians]] are groups of traditionalist [[Eastern Orthodox]] churches which have severed [[Koinonia|communion]] since the 1920s with the mainstream Eastern Orthodox churches for various reasons, such as [[Revised Julian calendar|calendar reform]], the involvement of mainstream Eastern Orthodox in [[ecumenism]], or the refusal to submit to the authority of mainstream Eastern Orthodox Church. The True Orthodox Church in the [[Soviet Union]] was also called the [[Catacomb Church]]; the True Orthodox in Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus are also called [[Old Calendarists]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781405166584|title=The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity|date=2017-09-01|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-4051-6658-4|editor-last=Parry|editor-first=Ken|location=Oxford, UK|pages=170, 498–9|language=en|doi=10.1002/9781405166584|orig-year=1999|editor-last2=Melling|editor-first2=David J.|editor-last3=Brady|editor-first3=Dimitri|editor-last4=Griffith|editor-first4=Sidney H.|editor-last5=Healey|editor-first5=John F.}}</ref>

These groups refrain from [[concelebration]] of the [[Divine Liturgy]] with the mainstream Eastern Orthodox, while maintaining that they remain fully within the canonical boundaries of the Church: i.e., professing Eastern Orthodox belief, retaining legitimate [[apostolic succession]], and existing in communities with historical continuity.

The churches which follow True Orthodoxy are:
* [[Old Calendarists]] (numerous groups)
* [[Serbian True Orthodox Church]]
* [[Russian True Orthodox Church (Lazar Zhurbenko)]]
* [[Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church]]
** [[Latvian Orthodox Autonomous Church]]{{efn|Claims to be part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate}}
* [[True Orthodox Metropolis of Germany and Europe]]{{efn|Was previously an [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodox archdiocese]] by the [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|Indian Orthodox Church]] and later an independent Oriental Orthodox Church; the Church is currently an autonomous True Orthodox Church under the Avlona Synod since 2016}}
* {{ill|Macedonian True Orthodox Church|sr|Македонска истинска православна црква}}

=== Old Believers ===
{{Main|Old Believers#Old Believer churches}}
[[Old Believers]] are divided into various churches which recognize neither each other nor the mainstream Eastern Orthodox Church.

===Churches that are neither recognised nor fully Eastern Orthodox===

The following churches use the term "Orthodox" in their name and carry belief or the traditions of Eastern Orthodox church, but blend beliefs and traditions from other denominations outside of Eastern Orthodoxy:
* [[Evangelical Orthodox Church]] ([[Syncretism|blends]] with [[Protestantism|Protestant Evangelicalism]] and the [[Charismatic movement]])
* [[Orthodox-Catholic Church of America]] (blends with Roman Catholic and [[Oriental Orthodox]] elements)
* [[Lusitanian Catholic Orthodox Church]] (blends with Catholic elements)
* [[Celtic Orthodox Church]]
* [[Orthodox Church of the Gauls]]

== See also ==
* [[Hierarchy of the Catholic Church]]
** [[Catholic Church by country]]
* [[List of Lutheran dioceses and archdioceses]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist-lg|refs=
{{efn-lg|name="universally"|Autonomy not universally recognised.}}
}}
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=en&id=287&tla=en Territorial Jurisdiction According to Orthodox Canon Law. The Phenomenon of Ethnophyletism in Recent Years], a paper read at the International Congress of Canon Law, 2001 (Ecumenical Patriarchate website)
* [https://www.oca.org/directories/world-churches World Churches] at Orthodox Church in America website
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Religious_Organizations.html#Orthodox Religious Organisations - Orthodox Churches] at WorldStatesmen.org
* {{Cite web|date=|title=Independent Orthodox Churches or the Other Orthodox Family of Churches|url=https://theorthodoxchurch.info/main/non-canonical-orthodox-churches/|url-status=usurped|access-date=28 February 2021|website=OCP Pan-Orthodox Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020084106/https://theorthodoxchurch.info/main/non-canonical-orthodox-churches/|archive-date=20 October 2020}}

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[[Category:Ecclesiastical polity of the Eastern Orthodox Church|Organisation]]