This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pkwheeler (talk | contribs) at 00:15, 20 June 2006 (→External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:15, 20 June 2006 by Pkwheeler (talk | contribs) (→External links)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Celtic Orthodox Church is an indigenous Orthodox Church in Europe with representation in the United Kingdom for over 100 years. The head of the Church carries the title of Metropolitan of Dol and titular Bishop of Iona, with residence in Saint-Dolay (Monastery of the Holy Presence ) in Brittany (current titular : H B Mael since 1995).
History
Established as the Orthodox Church of the British Isles in 1866, their historic Apostolic Succession was derived from the Syrian Orthodox Church. With the sanction of the Patriarch Ignatius Jacobus II having first been obtained, on 2nd June 1866, Mar Julius, Metropolitan Bishop of Emesa consecrated Jules Ferrette as Bishop Julius and gave him the title of Bishop of Iona and its Dependencies. This consecration, in Syria, was witnessed and the instrument of consecration was verified before the British Consul at Damascus. Bishop Julius was not consecrated to form a British Diocese of the Syrian Church, but was dispatched with authority to erect an indigenous Orthodox Church in Western Europe which would not in any way be subject to Antioch. In this way an Orthodox Church for Britain was restored, its spiritual ancestor having given way to Rome following the Synod of Whitby (664) and the Council of Hereford (673). Like many churches, the British Eparchy has had a mixed history. Bishop Julius was not well received in 1866 and many of his successors had great difficulty in maintaining the Church and its Orthodox Faith. Objections were made by both Protestant churches and other Orthodox Churches, but gradually the Church not only survived, but also grew. By 1994 the Church had gained such stature that the Egyptian (Coptic) Orthodox Church received the British Diocese within its jurisdiction, accepting its Orders. The senior British bishop having joined the Coptic Church, the remaining members of the Holy Synod of Bishops elected Bishop Mael (the Abbot of the Monastère de la Saint-Présence) to be Primate and Metropolitan. The Coptic Diocese in Britain having taken the title, British Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Church of the British Isles now assumed the title of its French Eparchy: L'Eglise Orthodoxe Celtique (the Celtic Orthodox Church) to indicate that its jurisdiction covered the area of the old Celtic missions. By 1998 the Church in Britain had grown again to regain the status of an Eparchy or Province and in 1999 a new Bishop Eparch was elected and Consecrated for Britain.
Organisation
- Eparchy of France
- Eparchy of Great Britain
- Eparchy of Switzerland
- Eparchy of America
- Eparchy of Australia
See also
See also
External links
 | This Eastern Orthodox Christianity–related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |