Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put a spotlight on the views of the Russian Orthodox Church. A scholar of Russian religion explains the structure and history of Orthodox Christianity.
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill lights candles during the Orthodox Easter service in Moscow. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesPatriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, a leading authority of the Eastern Orthodox Church, quickly condemned the “unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.”
The word “orthodox” means both “right belief” and “right worship,” and Orthodox Christians insist on the universal truth of their doctrine and practice. The number of autocephalous churches has varied over time. The four oldest patriarchates – Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem – were important religious and political centers in the Byzantine Empire. When Orthodox missionaries brought their faith to other countries, patriarchates were established in Bulgaria in the year 927, in Serbia in 1346 and in Moscow in 1589.
In Ukraine, Orthodox believers are divided between two competing church structures. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was created only in 2018, is autocephalous. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Moscow Patriarchate is under the spiritual authority of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. Both Ukrainian churches have sharply condemned Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine.
Like the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church holds to the doctrine of apostolic succession. According to this doctrine, Orthodox bishops, who rule over the territory of a diocese, are the direct, historical successors of the apostles. Bishops are exclusively male. They must also be monks and must observe a vow of celibacy.
Like Catholics and most Protestants, Orthodox Christians regularly celebrate the Eucharist. This central sacrament of the Orthodox Church is known as the Divine Liturgy.
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