In the Roman Catholic Church, a major archbishop is an Eastern Rite hierarch who has the same jurisdiction in his sui juris particular church that an Eastern rite patriarch does, but whose episcopal see is less prestigious than a patriarchal see. Consequently, there are a couple ceremonial differences between the two: The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian body in the world. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... A hierarch is a very high-ranking bishop; see also primate (religion) and metropolitan bishop. ... Sui iuris is a Latin phrase that literally means “of one’s own right”. It is usually spelled sui juris in civil law, which uses the phrase to indicate legal competence, the capacity to manage one’s own affairs (Blacks Law Dictionary, Oxford English Dictionary). ... In Roman Catholic theology and canon law, a particular Church is any of the individual constituent ecclesial communities in full communion with the Church of Rome. ... Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... A see (from the Latin word sedem, meaning seat) is the throne (cathedra) of a bishop. ...

• Major archbishops rank below all patriarchs but immediately precede primates, and
• If made members of the College of Cardinals, major archbishops join the Cardinal Priests, not the Cardinal Bishops.

Like patriarchs, major archbishops are elected by the synod of the sui juris church. Unlike patriarchs, though, their election requires the confirmation of the Pope. A primate in the Western Church is an archbishop or bishop who has authority not just over the bishops of his own province, as a Metropolitan does, but over a number of provinces, such as a national church. ... The Sacred College of Cardinals is the body of all Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Cardinal Priests are the most numerous of the three orders of Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church. ... Cardinal Bishops, or Cardinals of the Episcopal Order, are among the most important persons in the Roman Catholic Church. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

There are currently three major archbishops, leading three major archiepiscopal sui juris churches: 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...