Autonomous Orthodox Metropolis of Ecuador and Latin America is an Old Calendarist jurisdiction which originally comprised the archdiocese in South America and Caribbean of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in America, subsequently becoming a Metropolis, affiliated to the "Holy Metropolitan Synod of Avolona and Boeotia" (in Greece) in 2010. It is managed by Metropolitan Chrysostom (Celi). It has missions for the area in more than 22 Latin American countries. This is a religious organization recognized by the Ecuadorian government in June 2006. Due to its Old Calendarist status, this jurisdiction is not listed within the diptychs recognized by historical patriarchal sees of the Orthodox Church (as Constantinople, Moscow and Antioch), or any church groups in communion with these.
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Origins
In 2003, as the result of the conversion of a Latin American citizen, Gonzalo Xavier Celi Almeida, who was very famous in many Roman Catholic circles as a preacher and charismatic, he was accepted as orthodox through the Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation under the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate, through the Metropolitan Iosip Pop, resulted in the blessing by the bishop and the task of establishing a mission in Ecuador and neighboring territories,. Later, this Christian mission was transferred to the Romanian Synod of Canada under Metropolitan Nicolae Condrea.
Now being promoted to hierodeacon, he met in person with a clergyman of the Metropolis of Mexico (Patriarchate of Antioch), where he was received and ordained as a celibate priest by Metropolitan Antonio Chedrawui Tannous, who proceeded without the responsibility for the canonical territory of Ecuador in his mandate. As a result of this anomaly, the Metropolitan would not deliver official documents, which led to the return to the Patriarchate of Romania. Celi was received by the Patriarch Teoctiste on October 13, 2004.
However, this relationship was short-lived, taking place without the knowledge of Archbishop Nicolae Condrea and Archbishop Antonio Chedraoui. In this situation, the present Metropolitan Chrysostomos, intending to ensure the a "defense of native parishes, present in Latin America", and respond to this need by accepting abandoned churches recognized by the Ecumenical powers (in communion with Constantinople), was consecrated Bishop in the independent jurisdiction of the autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church in America, with principal consecrating bishop, Archbishop Spyridon (Oleg Babskiy) along with 6 other bishops who had episcopal succession from Patriarch Filaret (Denysenko). The consecration was officiated in Kyiv (Ukraine) on June 17, 2005.
Founding of the "Metropolis of Latin America"
The Authonomous Orthodox Metropolia of Ecuador and all Latin America was created in 2010 with the idea of being an independent jurisdiction, the "Holy Synod Metropolitan Avolona And Boeotia" granted this jurisdiction a Tomos of Autonomy in November 2010, which allows the presence of the Church under now Metropolitan Chrysostomos. Further the Autonomy was granted, without ceasing to belong to the Greek Synod. According to the testimony of the biography of this Metropolia, it has established several missions and parishes in Latin America, achieving presence in the city of Quito and Guayaquil, (Ecuador); Bogota, Santa Rosa, Puente Nacional, Tichá and Guachetá, in (Colombia); Caracas, (Venezuela); Sao Paulo and Recife, (Brazil); San José (Costa Rica); and Tijuana in (Mexico), among other locations. Significantly, this process was carried out after the jurisdiction of the "Autonomous Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America", discarded the territory of Ecuador in its Metropolis. In February 2014 one mission was formed in the city of Austin (Texas) in the United States.