Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in America
Encyclopedia
The Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA) has been an Eastern Orthodox organization designed to help cooperation among the canonical
Orthodox Christian jurisdictions to be found in the Americas
. It has acted as a clearinghouse for educational, charitable, and missionary work in the Americas.
The members of SCOBA have been the archbishop
s, metropolitan bishop
s, and bishop
s of the Orthodox Churches in North
and South
America that are in communion with the four ancient Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
s of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey), Antioch
(now in Damascus, Syria), Alexandria (Egypt), Jerusalem
and the Patriarchate of Moscow and those that are in communion with them
.
As of June, 2010, the existence of SCOBA is in transition. At the first meeting of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America, May 26-28, 2010, the SCOBA members present voted to dissolve the organization and permit the Assembly to supersede it and assume all its functions, agencies and ministries.
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
Orthodox Christian jurisdictions to be found in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. It has acted as a clearinghouse for educational, charitable, and missionary work in the Americas.
The members of SCOBA have been the archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
s, metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
s, and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s of the Orthodox Churches in North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
America that are in communion with the four ancient Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
Patriarchate
A patriarchate is the office or jurisdiction of a patriarch. A patriarch, as the term is used here, is either* one of the highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, earlier, the five that were included in the Pentarchy: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, but now nine,...
s of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey), Antioch
Antiochian Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East and the Antiochian Orthodox Church , is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
(now in Damascus, Syria), Alexandria (Egypt), Jerusalem
Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem , also known as the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, is an autocephalous Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity. Headed by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, it is regarded by Orthodox Christians as the mother church of all of...
and the Patriarchate of Moscow and those that are in communion with them
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
As of June, 2010, the existence of SCOBA is in transition. At the first meeting of the Episcopal Assembly of North and Central America, May 26-28, 2010, the SCOBA members present voted to dissolve the organization and permit the Assembly to supersede it and assume all its functions, agencies and ministries.
Jurisdictions
- Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America (a diocese under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, not to be confused with the Albanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America, which is an Archdiocese within the OCA)
- American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox DioceseAmerican Carpatho-Russian Orthodox DioceseThe American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese or American Carpatho-Ruthenian Orthodox Diocese is a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with 78 parishes in the United States and Canada. It was led by the late Metropolitan Nicholas Smisko of Amissos...
(a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate) - Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North AmericaAntiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North AmericaThe Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is the sole jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada with exclusive jurisdiction over the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in those countries, though these faithful were originally cared for by the...
(an autonomous archdiocese of the Antiochian Patriarchate) - Bulgarian Eastern Orthodox Church Diocese of America, Canada and Australia (a diocese of the Bulgarian PatriarchateBulgarian Orthodox ChurchThe Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
) - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of AmericaGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of AmericaThe Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Church of Constantinople. Its current primate is Archbishop Demetrios of America.-About the Archdiocese:...
(an archdiocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate) - Russian Orthodox Church in the USARussian Orthodox Church in the USAThe Russian Orthodox Church in the USA is the name of the group of parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in America that are under the canonical authority of the Patriarch of Moscow...
(parishes directly under the Pattiarch of Moscow) - Orthodox Church in AmericaOrthodox Church in AmericaThe Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
(the only autocephalous Orthodox church in North America, its autocephaly granted by the Patriarch of Moscow, is however not recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) - Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in America and Canada (an archdiocese of the Romanian PatriarchateRomanian Orthodox ChurchThe Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
) - Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA and Canada (an archdiocese of the Serbian PatriarchateSerbian Orthodox ChurchThe Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
) - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USAUkrainian Orthodox Church of the USAThe Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA is a jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States. It consists of three eparchies , ruled by two diocesan bishops, including about 85 active parishes and missions. The Church's current primate is Metropolitan Constantine...
(a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Agencies
The main agencies of SCOBA along with their dates of establishment are- The Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC), 1960 http://www.orthodoxed.org
- The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting (EOCS), 1960 http://www.eocs.org
- The Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF) 1965, 2001 http://www.ocf.net
- International Orthodox Christian CharitiesInternational Orthodox Christian CharitiesInternational Orthodox Christian Charities, Inc. , based in Baltimore, Maryland, was established in March 1992 as the official international humanitarian organization of the Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas . Since its inception, IOCC has distributed more than...
(IOCC), 1992 - The Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC), 1994 http://www.ocmc.org
- The Orthodox Christian Network (OCN), 2003 http://www.receive.org
See also
- List of Orthodox jurisdictions in North America
- Archbishop of AmericaArchbishop of AmericaThe Archdiocese of America, better known as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, is a jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It was formally constituted in 1922 and has had seven incumbents...
- Eastern Orthodox ChurchEastern Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
External links
- Official website
- SCOBA members
- SCOBA on the website of the Orthodox Church in AmericaOrthodox Church in AmericaThe Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
- Albanian Diocese affiliated with the Ecumenical Patriarchate
- criticism of SCOBA