noun
- The independence and self-governance of a Christian church, especially an Eastern Orthodox church, from external ecclesiastical authority.
Usage: religious; formal
Examples
- The Ukrainian Orthodox Church sought autocephaly from the Russian Orthodox Church.
- Autocephaly allows a national church to elect its own leadership without interference from a foreign patriarch.
- The granting of autocephaly to the Georgian Orthodox Church marked a significant moment in its history.
- Many Eastern Orthodox churches have achieved autocephaly over the centuries.
- The question of autocephaly remains contentious in Orthodox Christianity today.