Eastern Orthodox Church organization

This article covers the organization of the Eastern Orthodox Churches rather than the doctrines, traditions, practices, or other aspects of Eastern Orthodoxy. Like the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church claims to be the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

The term Western Orthodoxy is sometimes used to denominate what is technically a Vicariate within the Antiochian Orthodox and the Russian Orthodox Churches and thus a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church as that term is defined here. The term "Western Orthodox Church" is disfavored by members of that Vicariate.

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

The Orthodox Church is a communion comprising the fifteen separate hierarchical churches that recognize each other as "canonical" Orthodox Christian churches. Each constituent church is self-governing; its highest-ranking bishop (a patriarch or archbishop) reports to no higher earthly authority. Autocephalous churches may have one or more "autonomous" churches under their authority, which is exercised only at the time the autocephalous bishop appoints the highest-ranking bishop (an archbishop or metropolitan) of the autonomous church. Otherwise, each autonomous church is also self-governing. Normal governance is enacted through a synod of bishops within each church. In case of issues that go beyond the scope of a single church, multiple self-governing churches send representatives to a wider synod, sometimes wide enough to be called an Orthodox "ecumenical" council. Such councils are deemed to have authority superior to that of an autocephalous church or its ranking bishop.

The Orthodox Church is decentralised, having no central authority, earthly head or a single Bishop in a leadership role, having synodical system canonically, is significantly distinguished from the hierarchically organised Catholic Church whose doctorine is the papal supremacy. References to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as a leader are an erroneous interpretation of his title "the first among equals". His title is of honor rather than authority and in fact the Ecumenical Patriarch has no real authority over Churches other than the Constantinopolitan. His unique role often sees the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to as the "spiritual leader" of the Orthodox Church in some sources, though this is not an official title of the patriarch nor is it usually used in scholarly sources on the patriarchate.

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