ABSTRACT
In line with the theme of the present volume, this chapter intends to illustrate the diversity of Orthodox identities in Western Europe. We will not dwell here on aspects such as ethnicity, language, liturgical style, or migration patterns, as these have already been addressed by other authors; instead, we will focus on diversity of representations of Orthodox identity and the vocation of the Orthodox Church in the context of deterritorialised Orthodoxy, which occasions experimentation and innovation. Though innovation is apparently incompatible with the Orthodox Church, which is bound to tradition and devoted to continuity with early Christianity (the Church Fathers and the seven Ecumenical Councils), in fact innovation of a kind has been an ‘inherent modality of this religious tradition’ (Willert and Molokotos-Liederman 2012: 3).
