Eastern Orthodoxy Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! Switch editorYou have switched to source editingCloseYou can switch back to visual editing at any time by clicking on this icon.Visual editingSource editingMorePreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text=== Holy orders === [[Image:Kheirotonia.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Eastern Orthodox [[subdeacon]] being ordained to the [[diaconate]]. The [[bishop]] has placed his [[omophorion]] and right hand on the head of the candidate and is reading the ''Prayer of [[Christian laying on of hands|Cheirotonia]]''.]] Widowed priests and [[deacons]] may not remarry and it is common for such members of the clergy to retire to a monastery (see [[clerical celibacy]]). This is also true of widowed wives of clergy, who do not remarry and become nuns when their children are grown. Only men are allowed to receive [[holy orders]], although [[deaconesses]] historically had both liturgical and pastoral functions within the church.<ref name="Karras">{{cite journal |last= Karras |first= Valerie A. |title= Female Deacons in the Byzantine Church |pages= 272–316 |date=June 2004 |journal= Church History |volume= 73 |issue= 2 |doi= 10.1017/S000964070010928X |s2cid= 161817885 |issn= 0009-6407 }}</ref> In 2016, the Patriarchate of Alexandria decided to reintroduce the order of deaconess.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-03-09|title=Orthodox Church debate over women deacons moves one step closer to reality|url=https://religionnews.com/2017/03/09/orthodox-church-debate-over-women-deacons-moves-one-step-closer-to-reality/|access-date=2021-11-12|website=Religion News Service|archive-date=2021-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112025044/https://religionnews.com/2017/03/09/orthodox-church-debate-over-women-deacons-moves-one-step-closer-to-reality/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=Second Day of Deliberations of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Alexandria|url=http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?module=news&action=details&id=1207|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222133346/http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?module=news&action=details&id=1207|archive-date=2016-12-22|access-date=2021-11-12|website=patriarchateofalexandria.com|quote=Regarding the issue of the institution of Deaconesses, it was decided to revive this and a tripartite committee of Hierarchs was appointed for a detailed consideration of the subject.}}</ref> In February 2017, [[Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria|Patriarch Theodore II]] consecrated five women to be deacons within the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Patriarchate of Alexandria]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-11-30|title=Orthodox move for women deacons is 'revitalization' not 'innovation'|url=https://www.ncronline.org/news/theology/orthodox-move-women-deacons-called-revitalization-not-innovation|access-date=2021-11-12|website=National Catholic Reporter|archive-date=2023-03-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326030550/https://www.ncronline.org/news/theology/orthodox-move-women-deacons-called-revitalization-not-innovation|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page