Of the structure of the Church

This article sets out the canonical principles governing the structure of the Orthodox Church, drawing on the work of canonist Sergey Troitsky. Belonging to the field of ecclesiological and canonical study, it examines three fundamental dimensions: the internal organization of local Churches, the nature of relations between sister autocephalous Churches, and the articulation of the principles of territoriality and nationality. The central idea is that ecclesiastical authority resides in the collegial episcopate as a whole, and not in an individual primate, which excludes any hierarchy of power among patriarchates. The theological contribution of the article is to demonstrate, with canonical sources in support, that the primacy of honor of the Patriarch of Constantinople confers no superior jurisdiction, and that the dissensions within the Orthodox diaspora call for a common conciliar solution rather than subordination to a single local Church.