Natalie Depraz

This article examines the ecclesiological thought of Eugraph Kovalevsky, a prominent figure of Western Orthodoxy in the twentieth century. Through an analytical study, Natalie Depraz reconstructs and interrogates the conception of the Church developed by Kovalevsky, founder of the Orthodox Catholic Church of France. The main idea lies in the way Kovalevsky articulates an ecclesiology rooted in the Orthodox tradition while situating it within a Western context, seeking to reconcile the universality of faith with a liturgical expression proper to the Christian West. The contribution of this article is twofold: it sheds light on a singular theological trajectory that is often overlooked and contributes to contemporary reflection on the conditions for an Orthodox inculturation in the West, thereby laying useful groundwork for understanding the ecclesiological issues specific to Orthodox communities outside their traditional canonical territories.

This article examines the creation and role of the Assembly of Orthodox Bishops of France (AEOF) in the process of structuring Orthodoxy in France. Natalie Depraz adopts a historical and analytical approach, tracing the circumstances that led to the establishment of this episcopal body. The central idea is that the AEOF constitutes an institutional framework designed to promote the canonical unity of Orthodox communities on French territory, in a context marked by breaks in communion affecting parishes and families. On the theological and historical level, the article highlights the tensions between the jurisdictional logics inherited from the diaspora and the ecclesiological requirements of a coherent local Church, thereby contributing to the reflection on the canonical normalization of Orthodoxy in Western Europe.