CONSTRUALS OF AUTOCEPHALY: THE METROPOLIA, THE MOSCOW PATRIARCHATE, AND THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA

Autocephaly is on the one hand normative in regard to Eastern Orthodox Church polity, yet due to the lack of clarity within the canonical legislation of the Orthodox Church as well as specific historical exigencies the construal or understanding of autocephaly has varied widely in different historic eras. On April 10th, 1970, the Patriarchate of Moscow issued a Tomos of autocephaly (“independence and self-governing status”) to the Russian Orthodox Greek-Catholic Church in America (now called the Orthodox Church in America or OCA). This thesis addresses the questions “What was intended by Moscow in giving autocephaly to the Metropolia? What was intended by the Metropolia in asking and receiving autocephaly? What did the other Orthodox Churches think was intended by this act? On the basis of primary source documents describing the genesis, history, and development of the Orthodox Church in North America as well as an analysis of the particular cultural characteristics of the “American mindset” which had influenced and developed within the Metropolia this thesis situates the autocephaly of the OCA historically, socially, politically, and ecclesiologically. It examines the motives of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Metropolia in reference to the proclamation of autocephaly, and culminates in an exposition of what the term “autocephaly” meant (or appeared to mean) for the Metropolia, for the Moscow Patriarchate, and for the other local Churches.

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