The problem of the autocephaly of the American Church

This article takes the form of a letter by theologian John Meyendorff, published in response to a commentary in the journal *Contacts* on the autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in America, granted by the Patriarchate of Moscow in 1970. Meyendorff corrects several factual inaccuracies, notably demographic estimates of American Orthodox faithful, and defends the canonical and historical legitimacy of this autocephaly. He demonstrates that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople systematically refused to address the question of American Orthodox unity, thereby favoring Greek nationalism at the expense of a supranational Church. The contribution of this document lies in the precise insight it provides into the tensions between Orthodox jurisdictions in North America and into the ecclesiological stakes surrounding the canonical recognition of a local Church independent of ethnic affiliations.