Orthodox Christianity is the second largest branch of the Christian tradition, composed of a number of national and local churches. These churches are held together “not by a centralized government, not by a single prelate wielding power over the whole body, but by the double bond of unity in the faith and communion in the sacraments” (Ware 1997a). Currently, Orthodox Christianity comprises the four ancient Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, whose roots go back to the first centuries of the Christian era, and in the order of their historical recognition, the ten autocephalous (self-governing) churches of Russia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, and the Czech lands and Slovakia. As of 2018, the claim to autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of America (OCA) continues to be disputed. While no official data exist, Orthodox Christianity claims between 250 and 300 million followers. More than half of all Orthodox faithful...
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