View source for British Orthodox Church (Coptic)

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The '''British Orthodox Church''' (BOC) was a small autonomous  [[Oriental Orthodox]]  [[jurisdiction]] of the [[Church of Alexandria (Coptic)|Coptic Church of Alexandria]] in Great Britain until 5 October 2015, when BOC decided to separate from the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria ([http://britishorthodox.org/5330/joint-announcement-from-the-coptic-orthodox-church-in-the-united-kingdom-and-the-british-orthodox-church-of-the-british-isles/ Official Announcement], [http://britishorthodox.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Final-COC-BOCBI-Shared-Statement-October-2015-1.pdf PDF]).

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== History ==
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== Leadership ==

The first hierarch of the Church is the '''Metropolitan of Glastonbury'''. The current Metropolitan is Seraphim (William Henry Hugo Newman-Norton).

Its mission is to the people of the British Isles, and though it is completely Orthodox in its faith and practice it remains British in its [[ethos]]. It is a [[missionary]] community seeking  to promote the Orthodox Faith in every region of the British Isles.
 
Originally established in 1866 when a Frenchman, [[w:Jules Ferrette|Jules Ferrette]], was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] as a [[bishop]] by the [[Church of Antioch (Syriac)|Syriac Orthodox Church]] with the purpose of re-establishing [[Oriental Orthodoxy]] to the West.

==Relationship with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria== 
Over the years this mission lost touch with its Eastern origins, but in 1994, under the leadership of the present bishop, discussions with the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria bore fruit and the British Orthodox Church was reunited with the Oriental Orthodox Churches from which it had come. 

At the feast of Pentecost in 1994, at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Cairo, [[Archbishop|Abba]] Seraphim was ordained a Metropolitan by His Holiness Pope [[Shenouda III (Gayyid) of Alexandria|Shenouda III]], and the British Orthodox Church became a constituent of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. The current head of the British Orthodox Church is Metropolitan Seraphim of Glastonbury who is a full member of The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. 
 
The British Orthodox today comprises [[parish]]es and missions throughout the British Isles. All its services are in English and it [[Veneration|venerates]] the Orthodox [[saint]]s of the British Isles as well as those of the wider Orthodox Church. It uses the ancient [[Liturgy of St. James]] as its normal liturgy, together with all the traditional services of the Coptic Orthodox Church, such as the morning and evening "Raising of Incense."
 
Although the British Orthodox Church is a small community at present, it is committed to evangelism and wider ministry.

==Publications== 

Through the church press it publishes the 'Glastonbury Review', the only English language journal committed to regular reporting about the activities of the Oriental Orthodox churches and it has also begun to republish some important theological works. Through the internet, it maintains a number of international and ecumenical email discussion groups, as well as promoting the work of the Joint Commission for the Dialogue between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches through an important [http://www.orthodoxunity.org/ website].

Dialogue between the Oriental Orthodox churches and the Anglican Church takes place in the [http://www.anglicancommunion.org/ecumenical/dialogues/oriental/index.cfm Anglican Oriental Orthodox International Commission].

==See also==
*[[Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Coptic Orthodox Church in Europe]]

==External links==
* [http://www.britishorthodox.org/ British Orthodox Church - Orthodoxy in Britain]
* [http://www.orthodoxunity.org/ Orthodox Unity - Supporting the Joint Commission]
* [http://www.orthodoxmedway.org/ British Orthodox in Medway, Kent]
* [http://www.britishorthodox.org/ Official Site]
* [[Wikipedia:British Orthodox Church]]

[[Category:Orthodox Churches in the United Kingdom]] 
[[Category:Oriental Orthodox|Alexandria]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Alexandria (Coptic)]] 

[[Category:Oriental Orthodox|Britain]]
[[Category:Jurisdictions|Britain]]

[[ar:الكنيسة البريطانية الأرثوذوكسية]]
[[ro:Biserica ortodoxă (coptă) britanică]]