TRANSFORMATION OF THE INSTITUTE OF AUTOCEPHALY: TODAY'S CHALLENGES

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to highlight the transformational processes of the institution of autocephaly and its significance in the modern church. The ecclesiological conditionality of the autocephalous principle comes from the very nature of the church. Communication between churches should take place exclusively on the basis of peace, mutual recognition and equality. The usurpation of ecclesiastical power is a layer that has overgrown the ecclesiastical institution over the centuries of its existence. Therefore, the study focuses on the very phenomenon of the Church in its historical retrospect. Historical and comparative methods, traditionalism, comparative approach, religious anthropology, hermeneutics, philosophical symbolism became the methodological foundations of the research. The scientific novelty is to highlight the causes of the current crisis of Orthodoxy. It is noted that this is primarily due to geopolitical and financial factors. It is highlighted that from the point of view of Orthodox ecclesiology, it is obvious that by its very structure, each church must certainly be an autocephalous one. However, in practice, a number of national Churches have been waiting for Pan-Orthodox recognition for many centuries. Conclusions. The study found that already in the ante-Nicene period, the church forms its own administrative system of management and division according to the state model. In the second and third centuries, the church institution had a clear hierarchical structure. It is determined that the apostles founded the first communities as autocephalous. However, during the Ecumenical Councils, autocephaly was transformed from a natural state to a churchpolitical phenomenon. It is proved that in the XIX–XX centuries, when the “parade of autocephaly” took place in the Balkans, the issue of autocephaly again came to the forefront of general theological discussions. The key role was played by the national factor, which is the basis for the independence of each of the Local Churches. The collapse of the state does not determine the division of the church, although this is required by church canons. It has been proven that the state is always interested, since each independent country seeks to have its own church, therefore it acts as a defender of the rights and powers of the church, which is located on its territory. This significantly affects the geopolitical relations between the Local Churches. Autocephaly was an adaptation of the church to the political geography of the state. The article states that the institutional disputes of the Local Churches, related to the borders and the “canonical territory”, can be resolved only by a council and with the participation of all Orthodox hierarchs. Therefore, further scientific explorations of autocephalous topics and the canonical work of the holy fathers will complement the study.