ortodokse

Ortodokse refers to the Eastern Orthodox Church, a communion of autocephalous churches that share a common doctrine, sacraments, and liturgical tradition. They trace their roots to the early Christian Church and to the Byzantine tradition; after the Great Schism of 1054 they remained separate from the Roman Catholic Church.

The Orthodox hold to the Nicene Creed and emphasize apostolic succession and the seven sacraments, including baptism, chrismation, Eucharist, confession, marriage, ordination, and the anointing of the sick. The Divine Liturgy is central to worship, with the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by far the most widely used, alongside other liturgies in different regions. Icons are venerated as windows to the holy.

Organizationally, the Orthodox Church is a communion of autocephalous and autonomous churches, each led by bishops or a synod. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is traditionally regarded as first among equals, but has no universal jurisdiction. Major centers are in Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Georgia, with services conducted in local languages such as Greek, Church Slavonic, Romanian, and Georgian.

The Orthodox Church engages in ecumenical dialogue with other Christian groups but differs from the Roman Catholic Church in part over ecclesiology and the Filioque clause in the Creed, and it is distinct from the Oriental Orthodox Churches, which differ on Christological definitions dating from the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

Estimates place the worldwide Orthodox population at roughly 260 to 310 million, with large communities in Russia and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the diaspora in many countries.