Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Canada

Last updated

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Canada (formerly the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America and later the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America) is an organization of church hierarchs of Eastern Orthodox Churches in Canada.

Overview

The assembly began when delegates from the 14 autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches met at the Center of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Chambésy, Switzerland, on June 6–12, 2009. At that time, the conference decided to sanction the establishment of episcopal assemblies in 12 regions of the so-called Eastern Orthodox diaspora which are beyond the boundaries of the autocephalous churches. Such assemblies have the authority to propose future administrative structures for the Church in their respective regions.[ citation needed ]

The first conference of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America was held at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel in New York on May 27–28, 2010 under the chairmanship of Archbishop Demetrios of America.[ citation needed ]

One of the major decisions reached at the Episcopal Assembly's first meeting was the dissolution of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, and to assume all of SCOBA's functions, agencies and ministries.[ citation needed ]

Other issues discussed included requests to partition the present region of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America into two distinct regions of the United States and Canada, as well as to merge Mexico and Central America with the Episcopal Assembly of South America. As a result, some of the bishops of Mexico and Central America do not attend the North American Assembly, anticipating their joining with the South American Assembly.[ citation needed ]

Although autonomy is an issue for North and Central American churches, there was no direct statement from the assembly regarding autonomy for the Church in North or Central America.

Shortly after the May 2010 meeting the name of the assembly was changed to Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America to avoid possible confusion with the Episcopal Church of the United States.

In April 2014, the Canadian and US bishops decided to form separate assemblies in order to best respond to the cultural diversity and pastoral needs in the region. As such, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Canada and the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America were created. Moreover, the Mexican and Central American jurisdictions joined the newly renamed Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America. [1]

Members of the Assembly

These jurisdictions' bishops are members of the Assembly, [2] according to diptych order:

Ecumenical Patriarchate

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch

Moscow Patriarchate

Serbian Patriarchate

Romanian Patriarchate

Bulgarian Patriarchate

Orthodox Church in America

See also

Related Research Articles

The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly known simply as the Orthodox Church is a communion composed of up to seventeen separate autocephalous (self-governing) hierarchical churches that profess Eastern Orthodoxy and recognise each other as canonical (regular) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthodox Church in America</span> An Eastern Orthodox church in North America

The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian church based in North America. The OCA consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, communities, monasteries and institutions in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2011, it had an estimated 84,900 members in the United States.

The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) was an organization of bishops from Eastern Orthodox Christian jurisdictions in the Americas. It acted as a clearinghouse for educational, charitable, and missionary work in the Americas. In 2010, it was replaced by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada is an Eastern Orthodox church in Canada, primarily consisting of Orthodox Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name was the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (UGOCC). The Church, currently a metropolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, is part of the wider Eastern Orthodox communion, however was created independently in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Orthodox Church</span> Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction in Poland

The Polish Autocephalous Orthodox Church, commonly known as the Polish Orthodox Church, or Orthodox Church of Poland, is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches in full communion. The church was established in 1924, to accommodate Orthodox Christians of Polish descent in the eastern part of the country, when Poland regained its independence after the First World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA</span> Ukrainian Orthodox diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the USA

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States. It consists of two eparchies (dioceses), ruled by two bishops, including about 85 active parishes and missions. The Church's current leader is Metropolitan Antony. The Church's head offices and Consistory are based in South Bound Brook, New Jersey.

Eastern Orthodoxy in North America represents adherents, religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in North America, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Estimates of the number of Eastern Orthodox adherents in North America vary considerably depending on methodology and generally fall in range from 3 million to 6 million.

The timeline of Eastern Orthodoxy in North America represents a timeline of the historical development of religious communities, institutions and organizations of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in North America.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America is an organization of church hierarchs of Eastern Orthodox Churches in United States.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America, formerly known as the Episcopal Assembly of South America, consists of all the active Orthodox bishops in Latin America, representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. It is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania consists of all the active Orthodox bishops in Oceanía representing multiple jurisdictions. It may be considered a successor to SCCOCA [Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Churches in Australia]. However, it is not, properly speaking, a synod. It is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Great Britain and Ireland consists of all the active Orthodox bishops of the British Isles, representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. The Episcopal Assembly of the British Isles is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Italy and Malta consists of all the active Orthodox bishops serving Italy, Malta, and San Marino, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. It is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Spain and Portugal consists of all the active Orthodox bishops serving Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. It is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of France consists of all the active Orthodox bishops serving France and Monaco, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. It is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg consists of all the active Eastern Orthodox bishops in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod.

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Austria consists of all the active Eastern Orthodox bishops in Austria and Hungary, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. The Episcopal Assembly of Austria is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Germany consists of all the active Eastern Orthodox bishops in Germany, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. The Episcopal Assembly of Germany is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Switzerland and Lichtenstein consists of all the active Eastern Orthodox bishops in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. The Episcopal Assembly of Switzerland and Lichtenstein is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Scandinavia consists of all the active Eastern Orthodox bishops serving Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, and representing multiple jurisdictions. It is not, properly speaking, a synod. The Episcopal Assembly of Scandinavia is one of several such bodies around the world which operate in the so-called "diaspora."

References

  1. ↑ "About the Assembly of Bishops". www.assemblyofbishops.org. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  2. ↑ "Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops". goarchdiocese.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.