British Orthodox Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids British Orthodox Church |
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Logo of the British Orthodox Church
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| Type | Oriental Orthodox |
| Classification | Independent Oriental Orthodox (independent sacramental movement) |
| Primate | Patriarch Seraphim |
| Founder | Jules Ferrette (claimed) |
| Branched from | Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (2015) |
The British Orthodox Church (BOC) is a Christian church that used to be called the Orthodox Church of the British Isles. It is an independent Oriental Orthodox church.
Since 2015, the British Orthodox Church has not been in full communion with other Oriental Orthodox churches. This means it is not officially connected or working together with them.
Contents
History
How it Started
The British Orthodox Church says it continues the traditions of the Ancient British Church. This older church was linked to a person named Jules Ferrette.
Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury has been a main leader of this church. He is the Metropolitan of Glastonbury and the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of the British Isles. He took over from Hugh George de Willmott Newman.
Joining the Coptic Orthodox Church
In 1994, the Orthodox Church of the British Isles and another group called the Celtic Orthodox Church separated. This happened under the leadership of Mar Seraphim (William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton).
The Orthodox Church of the British Isles then joined the Coptic Orthodox Church. When they joined, they changed their name to the British Orthodox Church.
On April 6, 1994, a special agreement was signed. This agreement officially joined the Orthodox Church of the British Isles with the Coptic Orthodox Church. The British Orthodox Church, led by Seraphim, became a diocese (a church area) of the Coptic Orthodox Church. This meant it had authority over the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
Seraphim was not ordained again. Instead, he received a special blessing called a chrismation. On June 19, 1994, Seraphim was made a Metropolitan in the Coptic Church. This was done by Pope Shenouda and many other church leaders. After this, Seraphim became a member of the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church, which is like their main council.
Becoming Independent Again
On October 4, 2015, the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate agreed to a request from the British Orthodox Church. They allowed the British Orthodox Church to return to being independent, just like it was before 1994.
The British Orthodox Church's website said they were "amicably returning to its original status." This means they separated in a friendly way to better carry out their work. Because of this, the British Orthodox Church is now considered non-canonical. This means it is not officially connected to other major churches.
On October 29, 2017, Metropolitan Seraphim, acting alone, made Father David Seeds a bishop. He became Bishop David of Priddy.
In January 2019, the British Orthodox Church announced that Seraphim was once again called its Patriarch. He had stopped using this title when the church joined the Coptic Church.
On February 23, 2019, Patriarch Seraphim and Bishop David of Priddy made Father James Maskery a new leader. He became Abba James, Archbishop of Caerleon-upon-Usk and Mafrian of the British Orthodox Church. Mafrian is an old title used in some other Orthodox churches for a main leader.
Leaders
Here are some of the people who have been leaders of this church:
- Richard Williams Morgan (claimed)
- Charles Isaac Stevens (claimed)
- James Martin (claimed)
- Andries Caarel Albertus McLaglen (claimed)
- Herbert James Monzani-Heard (claimed)
- Hugh George de Willmott Newman
- Abba Seraphim
See also
- Catholicate of the West
