World Orthodoxy

World Orthodoxy is an ecclesiastical system, a series of church structures opposed to True Orthodoxy and generally in communion with each other most of the time, although there are exceptions. It is what most people refer to when they speak of Eastern Orthodoxy. World Orthodox jurisdictions are almost always those enjoying official backing of their respective civil governments, as well as the missionary and expat communities affiliated with them.

The family comprises roughly fourteen to eighteen autocephalous churches and five autonomous churches, sometimes referred to as jurisdictions. The number of autocephalous churches has varied in history. In theory autocephalous churches are fully self-governing in all they do, while autonomous churches must have their primates confirmed by one of the autocephalous churches, usually its mother church. In practice more influential patriarchates may expand their control over sister churches from time to time such as when the Ecumenical Patriarchate granted "autocephaly" to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in a tomos which effectively subjugated the Ukrainians to them.

Most World Orthodox believe that their churches are in full communion with one another, sharing the same faith and praxis. In reality there is a sharp divide in praxis between morally more conservative structures such as the Patriarchate of Antioch, and morally liberal ones such as the Orthodox Church in America. There is also a large difference in faith and praxis between ecclesiastically conservative structures (especially ROCOR-MP) and liberal ones such as either the Antioch or the OCA.

There have been occasional breaks in communion due to various problems. They may remain brief and do not develop into full schism. On the other hand if some group leaves the communion of the other World Orthodox entirely, the opposing group could simply claim that there is still no schism in World Orthodoxy since schismatics are not part of the Church. This is often held in flagrant contradiction to their position vis-à-vis ecumenism. The largest schism as of 2024 is that between the Patriarchate of Moscow and the Greek patriarchates, resulting from recognition of the aforementioned Ukrainian structure by the Greeks. The Greek churches continue to recognize communion with the Russians whereas the Russians have declared the Greeks schismatic and set up their own parallel jurisdiction in Africa.

Some conservative World Orthodox hope that the Great Schism, with the Church of Rome, will someday be mended too, but only by the return of Rome to the Orthodox faith. Ecclesiastically liberal ecumenists, on the other hand, already openly concelebrate with papists and have therefore de facto reunited with Rome under Rome's own terms.

The Patriarchate of Constantinople is also the Ecumenical Patriarchate and claims the status of "first among equals" among the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Under the conservative—and Orthodox—view the Church is not a centralized organization headed by a pontiff, but an organic community guided by the Holy Spirit in the world. The unity of the Church is visible in, and held together with, common faith and communion in the sacraments. No one but Christ himself is the real head of the Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarch, however, claims the official papist position that membership in the Church is defined by communion with his own see.