The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, styled "The Most Reverend the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church", is the presiding

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

. The current Primus is the Most Revd. Mark Strange who became primus on 27 June 2017. The word literally means "first" in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and is cognate to the related episcopal title

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

Roles

The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church has the following tasks: *to preside at all provincial liturgical functions *to preside at all meetings of the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church *to preside at all meetings of the Episcopal Synod *to declare and carry out the resolutions of the General Synod, the Episcopal Synod and the College of Bishops *to represent the Scottish Episcopal Church in its relation to all other churches of the Anglican Communion and other communions *to perform the functions and duties of primus as specified in the canons of the Scottish Episcopal Church *to correspond on behalf of the Scottish Episcopal Church with primates, metropolitans and the secretary general of the Anglican Consultative Council.

History

The primus does not have any metropolitan jurisdiction. Metropolitan responsibilities are held by the diocesan bishops. The last head of the Scottish Episcopal Church to hold both primate and metropolitan titles was

Arthur Rose Arthur Rose (also found as Ross; 1634–1704) was a Scottish minister, Archbishop of St Andrews, and, informally, the first Episcopal Primate of Scotland, after the fall of the Restoration Episcopate in 1689. Life The younger son of Elizabe ...

Archbishop of St Andrews The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...

, up to his death in 1704. The last bishop to exercise metropolitan authority was Alexander Rose,

Bishop of Edinburgh The Bishop of Edinburgh, or sometimes the Lord Bishop of Edinburgh is the ordinary of the Scottish Episcopal Diocese of Edinburgh. Prior to the Reformation, Edinburgh was part of the Diocese of St Andrews, under the Archbishop of St Andrews ...

, up to his death in 1720.

Bishops elected as primus

Holders of the role since the creation of the post in the early 18th century., ''Scottish Episcopal Clergy'', p.513.

References

Bibliography

* {{Anglican Bishops & Archbishops - Great Britain Scottish Episcopal Church Scottish Bishops by type

Roles

History

Bishops elected as primus

See also

References

Bibliography