Orthodox Church in Germany
The Eastern Orthodox Churches form a Christian denomination in Germany. With up to 2 million adherents, the Church is Germany's third-largest Christian denomination after Roman Catholicism and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD).
Denominations
Eastern Orthodox Church
- Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
- Metropolitan of Germany
- Patriarchate of Antioch
- Archdiocese of Western and Central Europe
- Patriarchate of Moscow
- Serbian Orthodox Church
- Romanian Orthodox Church
- Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Germany and Central Europe
- Bulgarian Orthodox Church
- Bulgarian Orthodox Eparchy of Central and Western Europe
- Georgian Orthodox Church
- Georgian Orthodox Eparchy of Western Europe
Oriental Orthodoxy
- Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
- Ethiopian Orthodox Diocese of Cologne
- Armenian Apostolic Church
- Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Cologne
- Coptic Orthodox Church
- Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Höxter
- Syriac Orthodox Church
- Syriac Orthodox Metropolis of Germany
Non-canonical Orthodox churches
Educational facilities
Institute of Orthodox Theology was founded in 1995 at the University of Munich.
Ecumenism
Some Orthodox churches have been working since 1974 in the Council of Christian Churches in Germany (ACK). The five Orthodox churches have represented for several years in a joint delegation. Likewise, The Orthodox churches are involved in most regional and local working group of the ACK.
There are also bilateral relation with the German Bishops' Conference and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) with discussions on theological issues. For example, several documents were adopted in 2006 to dogmatic questions in a joint working group of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Germany and the German Bishops' Conference. As of 2007, this working group has been redesigned and extended.
A German Orthodox Church?
For ecclesiological and historical reasons, there is no "German Orthodox Church". In 1990s, the German Orthodox Holy Trinity Monastery in Bodenwerder founded first German Orthodox monastery. Despite the Bulgarian Orthodox Eparchy of Central and Western Europe, canonical churches is in accordance with the statues of the "German Orthodox".
Interdenominational Organization
- Orthodoxe Bischofskonferenz in Deutschland, Episcopal Conference
- Orthodoxe Fraternität in Deutschland
- Orthodoxer Jugendbund Deutschland, youth federation
Sources
- (German) Athanasios Basdekis: Die Orthodoxe Kirche. 2003, ISBN 3-87476-402-8