Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches. Any Eastern Orthodox church that is ethnically Greek or uses a Greek liturgy may be considered "Greek Orthodox".
Among these are:
- Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the "first among equals" of the Eastern Orthodox Communion
- Church of Greece, which has been autocephalous since 1833
- Orthodox Church of Cyprus
- the Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai
- Eastern Orthodox churches with an ethnic Greek clergy include:
- Eastern Orthodox church which uses the Greek liturgy
- the Antiochian Orthodox Church, native in the Middle East, which also had an ethnic Greek clergy until 1898
Greek Orthodox churches in the Americas and Australia are subject to the Constantinopolitan hierarchy. These should not be confused with the Slavic-rite Orthodox Church in America, which is partly recognised as an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church, having been granted autocephaly in 1970 by the Patriarch of Moscow. This status is not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarch nor by any other autocephalous Church.
Although the Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople resides since many centuries in Istanbul (Constantinople), the number of Greek Orthodox believers in Turkey has dramatically decreased over the last decennia as a result of implicit and explicit discrimination by the Turkish state (see Istanbul Pogrom).