Ecclesiastical heraldry has been used by both the Western and Eastern Orthodox church prelates alike—for more than 1,000 years—to show ecclesiastical rank, to differentiate one diocese from another and to identify monastic jurisdictions of religious orders and congregations.  The Inclusive Orthodox Church, its clergy and institutions of religion take their armorial from the church's first elected bishop and apostolic president.  This crest has been used, since the church's establishment in 1994, to symbolize the solemn commitment which the Inclusive Orthodox Church has toward the One Almighty God in Three Persons and our deep devotion and honor toward the Mother of God—the Holy Theotokos—our patroness.

The heraldic colors and symbols which appear on the coat-of-arms are placed charged upon the shield (escutcheon), which is formally described as having proper charges with honorable ordinaries, as follows:

1. The crosier, miter (Latin: mitra pretiosa) of gold and red (French: or et gules) with attached orphreys (Italian: auriphrygiata) or gold-fringed side-flaps (Latin: infulae), and the primatial or patriarchal cross behind in pale the shield are the episcopal ensigns of a bishop primate.

2. Chevron-in-chief is blue (French: azure) surmounting a field of gules, and at the center of the chevron (chief point middle) is garnished a fleur-de-lys.

3. Upon the shield's field of gules is a common charge of nature placed exactly in mid-shield (fesse point), a half-sun which rises out of splendor with rays (French: dimidiate demi-soleil flamant assurgent ) colored golden and orange (French: or et tenne).

4. Below is another common charge of nature at the shield's naval point (French: nombril) of ocean waves (French: onde), with three compartments of wavy lines, each being azure, alternating with another two compartments, composed of wavy lines, both lined in green with emerald tint color (French: vert-emeralde).

Coat-of-Arms Meaning

Colors and symbols are designated below with symbolic meanings, as follows:

1. The Bishop's ceremonials.  The ecclesiastical helmet (miter), staff-of-office (crosier), and a cross, constitute the formal episcopal regalia of the bishop primate of the Inclusive Orthodox Church.  Such ensigns on the coat-of-arms are represented behind the shield or in pale.  These symbols of office represent that the bishops hold both ecclesiastical and geographic authority—Ordinary Jurisdiction—over this Particular Church.  These specific episcopal ensigns also designate that the Inclusive Orthodox Church is wholly and validly constituted from within the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church and holds historic continuous lines of succession from the Apostles.

2. The fleur-de-lys centered on the chevron's azure field is a symbol of devotion to our patroness, the Mother of God—the Most Holy Theotokos.  The fleur-de-lys is also an ancient symbol of France, the birthplace of many holy saints in the Western Church.

3. Sunrise in full splendor (French: flamant assurgent) symbolizes the light of the risen Christ, as that joy found in the message of orthodox Christianity, while the or et gules sun colors are meant to honor the peoples of the Americas and both Hawaii and all of Polynesia.

4. Onde are charged on the shield and symbolize the unlimited pool of divine grace available to the People of God through Christ.  The vert-emeralde wave represents Polynesia's mid-Pacific location.

The Church's crest is only for official church documents, church-authorized web pages and sanctioned publicity with written permission of the apostolic president.

Unauthorized reproduction and use by members of the general public is strictly prohibited.   The Church's bishops and clergy have limited use of the crest as specified in Canon XII.

The crest is copyright © 1995-2006, Inclusive Orthodox Church, A Corporation Sole.  All rights reserved.

The Cross of Lorraine or Cross of Anjou (also known as the Crux Vera, or True Cross) is a heraldic cross.  It consists of a vertical line, crossed by two smaller horizontal bars.  The lower bar is as close to the bottom of the vertical as the upper bar is to the top.  In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length.  Later the upper arm has been reduced to a shorter length.  This may be taken as the wooded sign placed by Pilatus over the head of Jesus on the cross, showing the letters "INRI."  In 20th century use, the lower bar is longer than the upper, thus resembling a patriarchal cross.

The True Cross was one of the emblems used by the dukes of Anjou who became dukes of Lorraine from 1473 onwards [René II (1451-1508), son of Yolande of Anjou].  It represents a reliquary (containing a fragment of the true cross) venerated by the appanaged dukes of Anjou from the days of King Louis I (1339-1384), who had the emblem embroidered on his banner.  The reliquary, which had originally been kept at Sainte Chapelle in Paris and is now in the sacristy museum of Notre Dame cathedral, had a double cross-bar.  King René, grandson of Louis I and duke of Lorraine by marriage, also used the Cross of Lorraine, which appeared around the neck of the eagles supporting his arms, hence the presence of the Cross of Lorraine in the armorial bearings (but not in the coat of arms) of the dukes of Lorraine and its appearance in France at the time of the League (as the symbol of the de Guise family).

Godfrey de Bouillon, a duke of Lorraine, flew this cross in his standard when he took part in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099 during the first crusade.  It was granted to the Knights Templar for their use by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

A very old form of this cross, a depiction of a shepherd's staff, was used in ancient Sumeria as an ideogram for rulership. It retains meaning that in the Roman Catholic Church where it is known as the patriarchal or archiepiscopal cross.

A double-barred cross of this kind was also used around 800 CE by Christian sects in the Orient.

The Lorraine Cross is used in Freemasonry as a degree symbol.

Hermetic alchemists of the Renaissance used the emblem as a symbol of earth and spirit by combining the square earth cross with the cross of Christ. When drawn symmetrically, it symbolized the hermitic maxim, "As above, so below."

In 1940, the cross of Lorraine was adopted by Admiral d'Argenlieu as a symbol of the Forces Francaises Libres (Free French Forces), chosen as a symbol to stand against the Nazi Swastika.  The symbol was subsequently adopted by all the Free French and appears on many insignia (for example, an enameled badge worn by de Gaulle), monuments and stamps created under the de Gaulle governments (1940-1946, then 1958-1969), most notably the Ordre de la Libération, instituted in Brazzaville on 16 November 1940, and the medal commemorating volunteer service with the Free French, created by decree of 4 April 1946.  In 1972, the Cross of Lorraine was chosen as the motif for the Charles de Gaulle memorial at Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises (Haute Marne).

The flag of Slovakia and the Slovak coat of arms both include the cross of Lorraine.  In Slovakia, the cross of Lorraine as a symbol of Lorraine is considered to have arisen when King Svatopluk I of Great Moravia "passed" it to Zwentibold of Lorraine, the godchild of Svatopluk and son of the Emperor Arnulf of Carinthia.

The Hungarian coat of arms also depicts a double cross, which is often attributed to Byzantine influence on Pannonia and Great Moravia, early precursors to present-day Hungary and Slovakia.

Today the Lorraine cross is the symbol of the global fight against tuberculosis and lung diseases.