The Orthodox Church, is one of the three major branches of Christianity. It stands in historical continuity with the communities created by the apostles of Jesus Christ in the region of the eastern Mediterranean, and which spread by missionary activity throughout Eastern Europe.

The word orthodox (from Greek, meaning 'true-believing') asserts its teachings are truly consistent with the truth of Jesus as taught by the apostles.

The Orthodox Church has established communities in many other parts of the world due to immigration of Orthodox believers and due to missionary work.

In the year 2004, the Orthodox Church had about 415 million adherents throughout the world.