The Autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of America and Australia (the Autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of America and Australia , also the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia , the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia Inc. ) is a religious association of Greek Orthodox tradition that arose in the 1960s. as a result of a break in relations between the Australian Archdiocese of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities in Australia. Currently, each community is also associated with the Greek Orthodox community of South Australia. This group is not recognized by any canonical Orthodox Church.
History
The Federation traces its history back to 1897, when the first Orthodox parishes in Australia were founded in Sydney and Melbourne. Subsequently, they became part of the Greek Australian Metropolis.
In 1958, the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia was formed. Communities of Federation Foundation Members - Greek Orthodox Community of Sydney and New South Wales; Greek Orthodox community of Melbourne and Victoria; Greek Orthodox Community South Australia Inc. and the Greek Orthodox community of Newcastle. Later, the Greek Orthodox community of Clayton Ltd Vic., The Greek Orthodox community of Illawarra Wollongong NSW., The Greek Orthodox community of St Albans Vic., The Greek Orthodox community of Keilor Vic. and the Greek Orthodox community Sunshine Vic. affiliated with the Federation.
On February 24, 1959, Bishop Ezekiel (Tsukalas) was elected Metropolitan of Australia and New Zealand. On April 2, 1959, he arrived in Australia. He embarked on a restructuring of the metropolis (completed the archdiocese on September 1, 1959), and also questioned and challenged established practices and rights granted to existing communities. Controversial practices included priests who reported to the Governing Body or Executive Council of the Community, and Community Presidents speaking in the church on Greek Independence Day . It was assumed that all property and the right to appoint priests passed from the community to the diocese.
The Federation represented the interests of the communities all the time, while serious disagreements arose in the Greek Orthodox communities of Australia. The developing social cohesion at the state or region level in which the communities are located has been actively described as “coinotics,” that is, those who supported the institution of a democratic community, in contrast to the Archbishopric and its clergy organizing and administering parishes.
On June 9, 1960, the community in Adelaide separated from the diocese; on July 9, 1960, the community in Newcastle repeated its path. On September 12, 1960, Bishop Ezekiel excommunicated those who had separated, and the sacraments performed in these parishes were declared null and void. Moreover, since in Greece the church is connected with the state, this had certain consequences in the form of state non-recognition of acts of these communities.
Two separated communities tried to get in touch with representatives of other Orthodox jurisdictions (Antioch, Serbian), but they did not want to support the separated Greeks. As a result, they came into contact with the hierarch of the Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Bishop Sergiy (Okhotenko) , who supported the communities and served them until his death in 1971.
On October 14, 1962, the parish in Sydney was separated from the diocese; in November 1962, the parish in Melbourne was finally separated. Soon, there were already 8 secession communities co-sponsoring the Federation.