Call for ecclesial recognition of Bishop George Arthur Gatungu Gathuna (1905-1987), the founding father of the African Orthodox Church of Kenya
Date
2021-01
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Abstract
[The African Orthodox Church of Kenya (AOCK), owes its formation and
development to one Gikuyu man who later became an Orthodox priest and
bishop. This man is Bishop George Arthur Gatungu Gathuna, considered and
highly regarded by many locals as the father of Orthodoxy in Kenya, and an elder who impacted many Kenyans who joined Orthodoxy in the 20th century or who became priests and church leaders from his mentorship. On the other hand, Bishop George is considered a controversial leader by some of his fellow hierarchs and clergy. Such acclaimed controversies in his life led to his defrocking in 1979, causing a devastating schism in the AOCK, which was mainly resolved in 2004, leaving a few clergy and faithful still outside the canonical church of the ancient See of Saint Mark to this very day. This schism has determined how Bishop George has been regarded in Kenya, elsewhere and in past studies, and up to the present there has not been much consensus.]
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