Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, Philippines
From Conservapedia
The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. They trace their roots to first century Antioch, the city in which the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). The Church of Antioch is one of the five ancient Patriarchates of the Christian Church, along with Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Rome. The Archdiocese is autonomous, the Synod of Antioch still picks its bishop, from a list of three candidates nominated by the archdiocese. The archbishop resides in Sydney, Australia [1]
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History
- The Church of Antioch was established by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas in 42 A.D., with St. Peter serving for the next eight years as its first prelate. The Metropolitan of the Archdiocese is a member of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch. The Patriarchate of Antioch still presides directly over the faithful in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, and the Persian Gulf. The Patriarchate of Antioch's Cathedral is currently in Damascus, Syria
- Orthodox bishops trace the roots back to Christ and the Apostles As part of the Eastern Orthodox churches they believe that theirs is the oldest Christian denomination in the world a title also claimed by the Roman Catholic Church, (Indian) Malankara Orthodox Church ,Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Church.
- The Eastern Orthodox churches broke with the Roman Catholic Church following the Great Schism of 1054 Before 1054 both churches were known as the Catholic Christian Church. The Eastern Orthodox churches are self-governing but they are still united under the Patriarch of Constantinople as the Ecumenical Patriarch the first among equals ; he also heads the Greek Orthodox church. Some the churches have their own Patriarch others are Autocephalous under the leadership of a Metropolitan. The Patriarchate of Antioch supports the Ecumenical Patriarch.
- There are some Orthodox churches that are NOT part of the Eastern Orthodox churches examples include (Indian) Malankara Orthodox Church ,Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Church.
