In
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
churches with
episcopal polity
An episcopal polity is a hierarchical form of church governance ("ecclesiastical polity") in which the chief local authorities are called bishops. (The word "bishop" derives, via the British Latin and Vulgar Latin term ''*ebiscopus''/''*bisc ...
, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the
diocesan bishop or
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
of a
metropolis.
Originally, the term referred to the bishop of the chief city of a historical
Roman province, whose authority in relation to the other bishops of the province was recognized by the
First Council of Nicaea (AD 325). The bishop of the provincial capital, the metropolitan, enjoyed certain rights over other bishops in the province, later called "
suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...
s".
The term ''metropolitan'' may refer in a similar sense to the bishop of the chief
episcopal see
An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, maki ...
(the "metropolitan see") of an
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...
. The head of such a metropolitan see has the rank of archbishop and is therefore called the metropolitan archbishop of the ecclesiastical province. Metropolitan (arch)bishops preside over
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...
s of the bishops of their ecclesiastical province, and
canon law and tradition grant them special
privilege
Privilege may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Privilege'' (film), a 1967 film directed by Peter Watkins
* ''Privilege'' (Ivor Cutler album), 1983
* ''Privilege'' (Television Personalities album), 1990
* ''Privilege (Abridged)'', an alb ...
s.
In some churches, such as the
Church of Greece
The Church of Greece ( el, Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος, Ekklēsía tē̂s Helládos, ), part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Its ...
, a metropolis is a rank granted to all episcopal sees. Their bishops are all called metropolitans, the title of archbishop being reserved for the
primate.
Catholic Church
Latin Church
In the
Latin Church, an
ecclesiastical province
An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sev ...
, composed of several neighbouring dioceses, is headed by a metropolitan, the
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...
of the diocese designated by the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
. The other bishops are known as
suffragan bishop
A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations.
In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...
s.
The metropolitan's powers over dioceses other than his own are normally limited to:
# supervising observance of faith and ecclesiastical discipline and notifying the Pope of any abuses;
# carrying out, for reasons approved beforehand by the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
, a canonical inspection that the suffragan bishop has neglected to perform;
# appointing a
diocesan administrator if the college of consultors fails to elect an at least 35-year-old priest within eight days after the vacancy of the see becomes known; and
# serving as the default
ecclesiastical court
An ecclesiastical court, also called court Christian or court spiritual, is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. In the Middle Ages, these courts had much wider powers in many areas of Europe than be ...
for
appeal
In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
s from decisions of the tribunals of the suffragan bishops.
The metropolitan also has the liturgical privilege of celebrating sacred functions throughout the province, as if he were a bishop in his own diocese, provided only that, if he celebrates in a cathedral church, the diocesan bishop has been informed beforehand.
The metropolitan is obliged to request the
pallium, a symbol of the power that, in communion with the Church of Rome, he possesses over his ecclesiastical province. This holds even if he had the pallium in another metropolitan see.
It is the responsibility of the metropolitan, with the consent of the majority of the suffragan bishops, to call a provincial council, decide where to convene it, and determine the agenda. It is his prerogative to preside over the provincial council. No provincial council can be called if the metropolitan see is vacant.
The Metropolitans of a given territory are also involved in the selection of bishops. Every three years, they compile a list of ''provimvedis'' - a list of priests who may be suitable for the office of bishop. This is forwarded to the local
Apostolic Nuncio, who evaluates the candidates in a consultative and confidential process. The Nuncio in turn forwards the best candidates to the
Congregation for Bishops
The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usually followed. The Dic ...
in Rome, who conduct a final evaluation of candidates and offer their findings to the Pope for his final decision of appointment.
Eastern Catholic
Within patriarchal or major archiepiscopal churches
In those
Eastern Catholic Churches that are headed by a
patriarch, metropolitans in charge of ecclesiastical provinces hold a position similar to that of metropolitans in the Latin Church. Among the differences is that Eastern Catholic metropolitans within the territory of the patriarchate are to be ordained and enthroned by the patriarch, who may also ordain and enthrone metropolitans of sees outside that territory that are part of his Church. Similarly, a metropolitan has the right to ordain and enthrone the bishops of his province. The metropolitan is to be commemorated in the
liturgies celebrated within his province.
A
major archbishop is defined as the metropolitan of a certain see who heads an autonomous Eastern Church not of patriarchal rank. The canon law of such a Church differs only slightly from that regarding a patriarchal Church. Within major archiepiscopal churches, there may be ecclesiastical provinces headed by metropolitan bishops.
As heads of their own particular churches
There are also autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches consisting of a single province and headed by a metropolitan. Metropolitans of this kind are to obtain the pallium from the Pope as a sign of his metropolitan authority and of his Church's
full communion
Full communion is a communion or relationship of full agreement among different Christian denominations that share certain essential principles of Christian theology. Views vary among denominations on exactly what constitutes full communion, but ...
with the Pope, and only after his investment with it can he convoke the Council of Hierarchs and ordain the bishops of his autonomous Church. In his autonomous Church it is for him to ordain and enthrone bishops and his name is to be mentioned immediately after that of the Pope in the liturgy.
Eastern Orthodox Church
In the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
, the title of metropolitan is used variously, in terms of rank and jurisdiction.
In terms of rank, in some Eastern Orthodox churches metropolitans are ranked above archbishops in
precedence
Precedence may refer to:
* Message precedence of military communications traffic
* Order of precedence, the ceremonial hierarchy within a nation or state
* Order of operations, in mathematics and computer programming
* Precedence Entertainment, a ...
, while in others that order is reversed. Primates of
autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches below patriarchal rank are generally designated as archbishops. In the
Greek Orthodox churches, archbishops are ranked above metropolitans in precedence. The reverse is true for some Slavic Orthodox churches (Russian Orthodox,
Bulgarian Orthodox) and also for
Romanian Orthodox Church, where metropolitans rank above archbishops and the title can be used for important regional or historical
sees.
In terms of jurisdiction, there are two basic types of metropolitans in Eastern Orthodox Church: real metropolitans, with actual jurisdiction over their ecclesiastical provinces, and honorary metropolitans who are in fact just diocesan bishops with honorary title of metropolitan and no jurisdiction outside their own diocese.
Some Eastern Orthodox churches have functioning metropolitans on the middle (regional) level of church administration. In Romanian Orthodox Church there are six regional metropolitans who are the chairmen of their respective synods of bishops, and have special duties and privileges. For example,
metropolitan of Oltenia has regional jurisdiction over four dioceses.
On the other hand, in some Eastern Orthodox churches title of metropolitan is only honorary, with no special or additional jurisdiction. In
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches.
The majori ...
, honorary title of metropolitan is given to diocesan bishops of some important historical sees (Article 14 of the Constitution of Serbian Orthodox Church). For example, diocesan bishop of the
Eparchy of Montenegro and the Littoral is given the honorary title of metropolitan, but without any jurisdiction over other diocesan bishops in
Montenegro. Diocesan bishop of the
Eparchy of Dabar-Bosnia
The Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia ( sr, Митрополија дабробосанска / Mitropolija dabrobosanska) is a metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, seated in Sarajevo. Since 2017, Metropolitan ...
is also given the honorary title of metropolitan, but without any jurisdiction over other diocesan bishops in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
.
Oriental Orthodox Communion
Malankara churches
Metropolitan is a title used by all
Oriental Orthodox Churches
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent o ...
in
Malankara Malankara may refer to:
* Malankara Church, a collection of Indian apostolic churches
** Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, an Oriental Orthodox denomination in India
** Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic denomination in India
* Mal ...
.
Malankara Metropolitan was a legal title given to the head of the
Malankara Syrian Church, aka Puthencoor (New Allegiance) Syrian Christians, by the Government of
Travancore and
Cochin in South India. This title was awarded by a proclamation from the
King of Travancore
The Maharaja of Travancore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala, India. The Maharaja of Travancore was the topmost ruler of Travancore until 1949, when Travancore was annexed into Indi ...
and the
King of Cochin to the legal head of the Malankara Syrian Church. The
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...
had authenticated the usage of this title by the
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in Devalokam, near Kottayam, India. The church serve ...
in its verdict in the Malankara Church case.
Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II was enthroned as
Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan
Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan are the titles used by the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, which is also called the Indian Orthodox Church, for the same bishop holding two offices of Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metr ...
on 1 November 2010 at
Parumala, Kerala. Under his
see, the
dioceses are further headed by diocesan metropolitans.
Other Eastern Christians
In the
Mar Thoma Syrian Church
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian ChurchS. N. Sadasivan. A Social History of India'. APH Publishing; 2000. . p. 442. and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ...
which is based in India, the metropolitan also known as the
Mar Thoma is the primate and supreme head of the church who is entitled to special privileges and remains the ultimate authority over the synod.
Philipose Mar Chrysostom is the senior metropolitan as of 28 August 2007, and
Joseph Mar Thoma was installed on 2 October 2007 as the 21st Malankara Metropolitan.
Anglican
In the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and oth ...
, a metropolitan is generally the head of an ecclesiastical province (or cluster of
dioceses). In the few Anglican churches with multiple provinces headed by metropolitans (namely the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, the
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...
, the
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2017, the Anglican Church counted 359,030 members on parish rolls in 2,2 ...
, the
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the ...
, and the
Church of Nigeria
The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptised membership (not by attendance), after the Church of England. it gives its membership as "over 18 ...
), a metropolitan ranks immediately under the
primate or senior metropolitan of the national church.
Most metropolitans, but not all, are styled archbishop. In England, Ireland, and Australia, each province has a "metropolitical see" whose diocesan bishop is ''ex officio'' metropolitan (such as the Archbishops of Canterbury and Sydney), while in Canada metropolitans are elected by the provincial houses of bishops from among the sitting diocesans. Prior to 1970, however, the metropolitan of the
Province of Rupert's Land
The Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land, founded in 1875, forms one of four ecclesiastical provinces in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Territorial evolution
The territory covered by the province is roughly coterminous with the western port ...
was always the bishop of the
eponymous diocese, centred on Winnipeg. (Since then, only one Bishop of Rupert's Land,
Walter Jones, has been elected metropolitan).
Other Protestant
The title is used by the Indian
Oriental Protestant Syrian Christian Syrian or Syriac Christians may refer to
* Adherents of Christianity in Syria
* Adherents of Syriac Christianity, various Christian bodies of Syriac traditions, especially:
** Syriac/Assyrian/Aramean people, Christian neo-Aramaic speakers through ...
-like
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement denomination the
Believers Eastern Church
Believers Eastern Church (previously Believers Church) is an Oriental Protestant Church of Indian origin with congregations and parishes worldwide. It is also a branch of the ministry Gospel for Asia. The church now follows an episcopal governa ...
as the current main leader of the church.
See also
*
Exarch
An exarch (;
from Ancient Greek ἔξαρχος ''exarchos'', meaning “leader”) was the holder of any of various historical offices, some of them being political or military and others being ecclesiastical.
In the late Roman Empire and ea ...
*
Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral
*
List of Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Moscow
*
List of Metropolitans of the Indian Orthodox Church
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Bishops by type
Christian terminology
Eastern Christian ecclesiastical offices
Ecclesiastical titles
Anglican episcopal offices
Episcopacy in the Catholic Church
Episcopacy in Eastern Orthodoxy
Episcopacy in Oriental Orthodoxy
Catholic ecclesiastical titles