Questions

Question first appeared on September 21, 2003

Is the Orthodox Church Ain communion@ with the Anglican (Episcopal) Church? If not, why? What must happen for the one church to be in communion with another church?

The Orthodox Church is not in communion with the churches of the Anglican

Communion, including the main group in the United States , the Protestant Episcopal Church.

The original Anglican Church, the Church of England, split with the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 1530's. Henry started his own church because the Pope refused to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Henry rejected papal supremacy and named the Archbishop of Canterbury as head of his own church.

During the twentieth century, starting in the 1920's, there existed a dialogue between the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches . The Anglicans were seeking validation regarding Aapostolic succession@ of their clergy and hoping for eventual communion with the Orthodox Church. The dialogue eventually declined and was finally suspended because of the continuing Aliberal@ evolution of Anglican theology and practice.

For the Orthodox, communion will only be with churches who not only can trace Aapostolic succession@ for their clergy, but who proclaim and teach the fullness of the Aapostolic faith@ exhibited in Orthodoxy. Neither the Roman Catholics, nor the many Protestant denominations who separated from them fall into this category.

Lately, many Protestant denominations in the United States have set aside theological differences, believing that re-establishing communion with each other will somehow bring unity to the church. This Anaivete@ only serves to make these churches less relevant to the world, because they cannot agree on what they truly believe. They cannot point to a unifying Atruth.@ Truly the proverb has been fulfilled: AEvery way of a man is right in his own eyes...@ (Proverbs 21:2)