Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church Diocese of America, Canada and Australia

Introduction

The Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia is one of fifteen dioceses of the Church of Bulgaria.
Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the USA, Canada, and Australia had its origins before World War II as the Bulgarian Diocese of North and South America and Australia. However, a result of the establishment of a Communist government in Bulgaria after the war, relations of the diocese with the Church of Bulgaria were disrupted.

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The Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia

Introduction

The Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia
The Metropolis of Bessarabia is one of the metropoles of the Romanian Orthodox Church, aside from the six metropoles inside Romania proper.
The Metropolis of Bessarabia was created in 1923 and organized in 1925, when the Archbishopric of Kishinev was raised to the rank of metropolis.
Inactive during the periods 1940-1941 and 1944-1991.

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The Autonomous Orthodox Churches

Introduction

Autonomous Orthodox churches are those churches which have self-government. Autonomy (literally, “self-ruled”) is the status of a church within the Orthodox Church whose primatial bishop is confirmed by one of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches. In all other respects, an autonomous church is entirely self-governing.
There are five Orthodox churches which, although functioning independently on a day-to-day basis, are canonically dependent on an autocephalous Orthodox church.
In practice this means that the head of an autonomous church must be confirmed in office by the Holy Synod of its mother autocephalous church.

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