The Current Orthodox Schism: Russia and Constantinople: Causes and Consequences

Genesis of the Schism

• 💡 In October 2018, the Russian Orthodox Church broke communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
• 🎯 This break was triggered by Constantinople's recognition of the autocephaly (independence) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
• 📌 The Russian Orthodox Church viewed this as a violation of its canonical territory, leading to further breaks with other Orthodox churches like Greece, Alexandria, and Cyprus that also recognized the Ukrainian church.

Historical Context of Russian Orthodoxy

• 📜 The history of Orthodoxy in the lands of Rus' began in 988 with Prince Vladimir of Kiev, who adopted Orthodox Christianity for his people.
• 🌍 For centuries, Russian Orthodoxy was under the jurisdiction of Constantinople, with bishops eventually being chosen after confirmation by Constantinople.
• 🚀 By 1560, Moscow was accepted as an independent patriarchate, and in 1990, the Moscow Patriarchate granted the Orthodox Church in Ukraine autonomous status under its jurisdiction.

Constantinople's Controversial Claims

• ⚖️ The Patriarchate of Constantinople claims the right to establish a court of final appeal for any case in the Orthodox world.
• 👑 It also asserts the exclusive right to summon other patriarchs and heads of autocephalous churches to joint meetings.
• 🌐 Constantinople claims ecclesiastical authority over Orthodox Christians in the diaspora, meaning those living outside their local Orthodox churches' territories.
• ⚠️ A key claim is that no new autocephalous church can be formed without its consent, which should express the consensus of local Orthodox churches.

Unilateral Action and Its Impact

• 🚫 In 2018, the Ecumenical Patriarch overrode the Russian Orthodox Church's judgment and unilaterally granted autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
• ⚡ This action was seen as Constantinople acting like a "pope" with absolute control, which is contrary to the consensus-based operation of the Orthodox Church.
• ⛪ The result was two Orthodox Churches in Ukraine: one under Moscow's jurisdiction and the newly recognized independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Personal and Historical Repercussions

• 💔 The schism has practical effects on individual Orthodox believers, such as restricting attendance or communion at churches of differing jurisdictions.
• ⏳ Historically, a previous schism between Constantinople and Russia occurred from 1467 to 1560, lasting almost a century, over Constantinople's union with the Roman Catholic Church.
• 🤔 The resolution of the current schism is uncertain and complex, with potential complications if the Ecumenical Patriarchate's stance on Ukrainian autocephaly changes in the future.