L'Église orthodoxe en Europe occidentale. Quelle autorité pour quelle communauté?

Abstract

The authority structures of the Orthodox Church are based on the administrative structures of the Roman Empire from the fourth century. They relate to the apostolic succession, on the one hand, and to the territorial principle on the other, which proclaims that every bishop has the sole responsibility for all inhabitants of a specific territory. In the modern world, where territorial delimitations are becoming less important because of technological advances and increased mobility, this structural principle becomes less enforceable. Since the 19^th century, moreover, its disintegration has been helped along by the nationalisation of the ecclesiastical units and the steady stream of westward Orthodox migrants, toward the Latin Christian environment of Western Europe. This contribution looks at the development of authority structures of the Orthodox Church in Western Europe. It treats questions of diaspora and migration of modern means of communication and the various authority relations in and around the church as such.