True Orthodox church

The

In 1971, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia tried to unite the factions of Greek Old Calendarists, but failed. In 1999, the most important groups of Greek Old Calendarists were the Chrysostomites, the Matthewites, and the Cyprianites.^[3]

After the ROCOR opened its first parishes in 1990 in Russia, many Christians from the Catacomb Church joined them.^[3] Since 2000, the prospect of reconciliation of ROCOR with the Moscow Patriarchate aroused opposition from traditionalists opposed to union with a church tied to the Soviet and post-Soviet regimes ruling Russia. Several churches descending from factions which rejected the 2007 reunion were formed.

Doctrine

The True Orthodox churches are "fully [Eastern] Orthodox in dogma and ritual".^[4]

Denominations

There is no single denomination nor organization called the "True Orthodox Church" nor is there official recognition among the "True Orthodox" as to who is properly included among them.

Denominations that are usually included in the True Orthodoxy are:

• Old Calendarists
  • Greek Old Calendarists
    • Holy Synod of Milan
    • Autonomous Orthodox Metropolia of North and South America and the British Isles
    • Autonomous Orthodox Metropolis of Ecuador and Latin America
    • True Orthodox Metropolis of Germany and Europe
  • Old Calendar Bulgarian Orthodox Church
  • Old Calendarist Romanian Orthodox Church
• Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church
  • Latvian Orthodox Autonomous Church
• Russian True Orthodox Church (Lazar Zhurbenko)
• Some churches descending from the
  Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
• Serbian True Orthodox Church
• Macedonian True Orthodox Church [sr]

Inter-church relations and intercommunion

Many True Orthodox synods do not publish information concerning other synods, citing limited interest outside of their locality. Some are open to dialogue, whereas some hierarchies are more insular and prefer to keep to themselves. For example, the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC) through the late Metropolitan Valentine, stated informally that they no longer actively seek to join other True Orthodox churches, but would not refuse incoming dialogue.^[5]

Demography

In 1999, it was estimated that "[t]here are probably over one million Old Calendarists in Romania, somewhat fewer in Greece, and considerably fewer in Bulgaria, Cyprus, and the [Eastern Orthodox] diaspora."^[6]

Those who consider themselves a part of this movement are a minority of those who consider themselves to be

See also

• Ancient Church of the East — an East Syriac Church, founded in 1968 after a split from the Assyrian Church of the East for similar reasons
• Christian fundamentalism
• Old Believers — A collective group of independent Russian Orthodox Christians who maintain the liturgical and ritual practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church as they existed prior to the reforms of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow between 1652 and 1666
• Traditionalist Catholicism — Catholics who object to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, sometimes embracing sedevacantism
• Independent sacramental movement

References