Main:The Orthodox Church is a communion comprising the fourteen or sixteen separate autocephalous hierarchical churches that recognize each other as "canonical" Orthodox Christian churches. ... The Orthodox Church is decentralised, having no central authority, earthly head or a single Bishop in a leadership role.
Side:Who is the head of the Orthodox Church?
the Patriarch of Constantinople
The Eastern Orthodox Churches. The nominal head of the Eastern Orthodox Churches is the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, he is only first among equals and has no real authority over Churches other than his own.
Is the Orthodox church the true church?
The claim to the title of the "one true church" relates to the first of the Four Marks of the Church mentioned in the Nicene Creed: "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church". ... For example, the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches each regard the other as schismatic and at very least heterodox, if not heretical.
How is the Orthodox Church different from the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church believes the pope to be infallible in matters of doctrine. Orthodox believers reject the infallibility of the pope and consider their own patriarchs, too, as human and thus subject to error. In this way, they are similar to Protestants, who also reject any notion of papal primacy.
