autocephaly

Autocephaly is a status in certain Christian churches, particularly within Eastern Orthodoxy and some Eastern Catholic traditions, by which a church governs itself independently and has its own head bishop or archbishop without being subject to a higher-ranking ecclesiastical authority. An autocephalous church administers its internal affairs through its own Holy Synod or equivalent governing body and can entrust its primate with full spiritual and administrative authority within its territory.

In practice, autocephaly means autonomy in governance while maintaining doctrinal continuity and communion with other churches in the same communion. Autocephalous churches typically participate in shared sacraments and in pan-Orthodox, ecumenical, or inter-church councils, and they recognize the same fundamental creeds and rites. The status is distinct from merely autonomous churches, which govern themselves but remain under the authority of a higher church, often a patriarchate or mother church.

The granting of autocephaly is a canonical and ecclesiastical matter, usually involving a decision by one or more existing autocephalous churches and sometimes broader synodal agreement or recognition by a pan-Orthodox body. Throughout history, different churches have achieved autocephaly through various procedures, and recognition of autocephaly can be contested or evolve over time.

Well-known autocephalous churches include several national bodies within Eastern Orthodoxy, such as the Russian, Romanian, Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, and Georgian Orthodox Churches. Contemporary issues of autocephaly can be contentious, as seen in cases where recognition or jurisdictional changes affect relations among ecclesiastical authorities and national communities.