Communion of the Western Orthodox Churches

The Communion of Western Orthodox Churches (French: Communion des Églises Orthodoxes Occidentales ; CÉOO) is a communion of Christian churches of Orthodox tradition, distinguished by its adherence to the liturgical and spiritual customs of western Christianity.

The Communion currently comprises three member churches:

The Communion was established on 25th December 2007 with the signing of its charter by Bishop Maël de Brescia and Bishop Mark of the Celtic Orthodox Church, Bishop Vigile and Bishop Martin Laplaud of the French Orthodox Church, and Bishop Gregory Mendez of the Orthodox Church of the Gauls.

    [1][2][3][4]

    Parishes, monasteries, and missions of the communion are currently located in France, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Cameroon, Australia, the United States of America, Brazil, and Martinique.

    Beliefs

    The Communion of Western Orthodox Churches maintains traditional Orthodox beliefs and practice, and affirms the doctrinal teachings of the first seven Ecumenical Councils. While affirming the theological statements of the latter four councils, the Communion rejects the application to the Oriental Orthodox Churches of those councils' condemnations of monophysitism. Therefore, the Communion recognises both Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Orthodox Churches as sister churches.

    Relations with other Churches

    The recognition of the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox communions as sister churches is not currently reciprocated.

    Through the Orthodox Church of the Gauls, the Communion of Western Orthodox Churches is in communion with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America and, by extension, its sister churches.

    Written into the directives of the Communion are provisions for accepting new member churches which also subscribe to the charter and principles of the Western Orthodox Communion.

    External links

    1. ↑ Thöle, Reinhard (2014). "Orthodox churches in Germany: from migrant groups to permanent homeland". In Hämmerli, Maria. Orthodox identities in western Europe: migration, settlement, and innovation. Farnham [u.a.]: Ashgate. p. 94. ISBN 9781472439307.
    2. ↑ "Relations inter-juridictionnelles" [Inter-jurisdictional relations]. eglise-orthodoxe.eu (in French). Luzé, FR: Église orthodoxe des Gaules. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
    3. ↑ "Communion des Églises Orthodoxes Occidentales" [Communion of the Western Orthodox Churches]. eoc-coc.org (in French). Saint-Dolay, FR: Église Orthodoxe Celtique. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
    4. ↑ "Nos églises soeurs" [Our sister churches]. eof.fr (in French). Église Orthodoxe Française. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-04-25.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.