To it belong the orthodox. Christians living in the European part of the Turkish Empire and in Asia Minor. At the head of its administration is the Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and the Ecumenical Patriarch (bears the title of Holiness). "Being in the ecclesiastical sense the spiritual leader of the people, he is at the same time, in the political sense, an organ of supreme power in the implementation of its decrees and measures concerning worldly interests in the Christian milieu under his jurisdiction" (Statute on Patriarchal Elections, Chapter 1, Article 8). Under the Patriarch are the Holy Synod and the Permanent People's (Mixed) Council. Svyashch. The Synod consists of 12 members, including 4 permanent members (Metropolitans of Heraclius, Cyzicus, Nicomedia and Chalcedon), while the rest are eparchs. bishops who are members of the Synod in turn, for a certain period. He is in charge of all spiritual affairs, as well as charitable institutions and public schools. The Patriarch himself presides over it. The People's Council is an ecclesiastical-civil institution in charge of the financial and ecclesiastical economic part of the Patriarchate, as well as civil jurisdiction to the extent granted to the Patriarch by the Turkish government. The Council consists of 12 members; among them were 4 bishops elected by the Synod from among the Synodal members; other members are lay persons elected from among the inhabitants of the capital by representatives of its parishes, with the participation of the Synod and the People's Council. Half of the members are renewed annually. The Patriarch, or the eldest of the bishops, presides. The seal of the Synod is divided into 6 parts, each of which is in the possession of one of its permanent members (the key to them is in the possession of the Patriarch); in the same way, the seal of the People's Council is divided into 3 parts, one of which is kept by the bishops, and the rest by the secular members. Under the Patriarch there are several other officials (divided into fives). The highest of them (1st five): the great steward, the great sacellarius, the great skeuophylax, the great chartophylax, the sakellius. Not having the rank of bishop, they are considered, however, in their official rank higher than bishops. Of particular importance is the Great Logothete, elected by the Patriarch and the Synod from among the noble Greeks and approved by the Porte. Through him, the Patriarch conducts official relations with the government; in addition, the Logothete affixed his signature to the decisions of the Synod on the appointment to the episcopal cathedras, prepared letters for this purpose, levying certain fees for them. The Patriarch is elected by a special assembly; it is convened for elections and is composed of members of the Synod and the Permanent People's Council, of the highest Orthodox dignitaries of the state, of representatives of civil officials, of the military department, of the liberal professions (also Orthodox), of delegates from all the parishes of the capital, of one banker, of deputies from those dioceses of the Patriarchate who enjoy the right to vote in this Assembly, and of a representative of the Prince of the Island of Samos. In the list of candidates, the Patriarchate enters the names of those persons who are communicated to it from all the eparchs. bishops (in sealed envelopes); secular members of the Assembly submit their candidates for inclusion in the list by secret ballot. The Porte, having received this list, may strike out from it those persons who will be recognized by it as unreliable in the political sphere. and returns it within a day. After that, the Assembly (by secret ballot) elects three persons, from whom the members of the Synod, in the church, elect the Patriarch by secret ballot. The Synod, together with the People's Council, can depose the Patriarch. The patriarchs of the other parts of the Turkish Empire can communicate with the government only through the Patriarch of Constantinople, and without his permission they cannot come to the capital.

Bulgarian Church

During the existence of the independent Bulgarian kingdom, it had a special patriarchate (first (in the 10th century), Dorostol or Predslav, then Turnovo (13th century); with the fall of the kingdom, the latter was destroyed, and Bulgaria was ecclesiastically subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. accepting it and founding tribal gatherings, i.e. church gatherings, on it. The proposal of the Patriarch to convene an ecumenical Council on this occasion was rejected by the Russian Holy Synod. Synod). However, the Bulgarians received from the Sultan confirmation of their ecclesiastical independence, so that the Patriarch would be recognized as their supreme spiritual head in religious affairs. The Bulgarian Church is governed by Fr. Synod and Exarch.

Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem

The number of members of these Churches is insignificant (about 30,000 in all of them combined). They are also governed by the Patriarchs with the assistance of the Synods attached to them (consisting of local bishops and officials under the Patriarch). The district of the Patriarch of Alexandria is Egypt, and the seat is the city of Cairo. The patriarch of "the great city of God Antioch and all the East" belongs to Syria, Mesopotamia and Arabia; he resides in the city of Damascus. The smallest district is that of the Patriarch of "the holy city of Jerusalem and all the Promised Land." All of them are titled "Most Beatitudes" (the title of the Patriarch of Alexandria is also joined by the honorary title of "Judge of the Universe"). Rem. Almost all the eparchs. Bishops of patriarchates bear the title of metropolitans.

Church in the Hellenic Kingdom

The royal government and the unanimous decision of the bishops in Greece declared the Hellenic Church independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1833, soon after the liberation of the country from the Turks; but the Patriarch protested against this and even broke off communion with her, and only in 1850 was he forced to recognize her autocephaly. The supreme ecclesiastical authority in the Hellenic Church is the Holy Synod (in Athens) presided over by the Metropolitan of Athens, consisting of five members - bishops, who are alternately introduced into it for a certain period. At the Synod there is a royal official - Epitropus; he is subordinate to the Minister of Confessions, is the representative of state authority in the Synod and affixes his signature to the Synodal acts, without which they are not valid. The Synodal Chancellery consists of persons belonging to the clergy, with the exception of the bailiff. The affairs subject to the jurisdiction of the Synod are divided into internal (purely spiritual) and external (relating to civil society). The former are fulfilled by the Synod regardless of their approval by the secular government; the latter require the permission and approval of royal authority. Cases are decided by a majority of votes. Under the eparch. bishops, spiritual Dicastery was established, the members of which are officials under the bishop (steward, chartophylax, protekdik, etc.). Note. There are 40 dioceses in the kingdom.

The Church in the Kingdom of Serbia

The beginning of its independence dates back to the end of the twelfth century; its first archbishop was St. Sava (son of Tsar Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the Serbian kingdom). Her autocephaly was recognized by Constantinople. Patriarch. In the XIV century (under Tsar Stefan Dušan) it became a patriarchate, under the name of the Ipek Patriarchate (after the name of the monastery where the Patriarch lived). In the 18th century (1766), the Serbian Church lost its independence and was annexed to the Patriarchate of Constantinople (and all the bishops from the Serbs were removed from their sees). Its independence was restored only in 1862, together with the formation of the Serbian Principality. The supreme administration of it belongs to the Metropolitan of Serbia (Archbishop of Belgrade) and the Council of Bishops. Under the eparch. Bishops, Consistories were established from among the clergy. There is a Great Spirit. The court consists of a presiding bishop, an archimandrite and one archpriest (archpriest) from each diocese, elected for 3 years.

Churches in Austria-Hungary

In these Churches, the government is the same. The supreme authority in spiritual matters (teaching, divine services, spiritual judgment) belongs to the Council, convened once a year from bishops or authorized by them, and to the metropolitan. Mitre. Karlovichsky sometimes complains from the Emperor with the title of Patriarch, without appropriating patriarchal power. To resolve questions and all matters of church administration, with the exception of purely spiritual ones (subject to the jurisdiction of the Council of Bishops), a national Congress is convened once every three years (for 6 weeks) consisting of all bishops, deputies from the clergy of all dioceses and from the people (the number of deputies from the laity is twice as large as the number of deputies from the clergy), under the chairmanship of the metropolitan. The Commissioner of the Austrian Government shall be present at the meetings of the Congress. The congress elects the metropolitan, decides on the boundaries of administrative districts and parishes, on the establishment or closure of monasteries, on the organization of church-government institutions and schools, issues decrees concerning church property and economy, and controls them. Local church administration is organized according to a general model. In dioceses, it is carried out through the Consistory (composed of clergy under the chairmanship of the bishop) and through the diocesan Assemblies, consisting of spiritual and secular elected representatives from each archpriest (dean) district. Likewise, in each parish, church and economic affairs are managed by a community parish Committee from among those elected from the parish.

The Church in the Kingdom of Romania

Having gained political independence, Romania also declared itself ecclesiastically independent of the Patriarch of Constantinople (1882). After unsuccessful protests, the Patriarch and his Synod recognized (in 1885) its autocephaly. It is governed by the Holy Scriptures. The Synod, under the chairmanship of the Metropolitan.

Churches in Montenegro, Sinai and Cyprus