In hierarchical Christian churches, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop (then more precisely called metropolitan archbishop) of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of an old Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital. His jurisdiction is called a metropolia or a Metropolis. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... A bishop in charge of a diocese. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Auckland Berlin Chicago Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg London Los Angeles Madrid Melbourne Metropolis Katowice Moscow Mumbai New York City Osaka Paris Santiago de Chile São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto Warsaw A metropolis (in Greek μήτηρ, mētēr = mother and πόλις, pólis = city/town) is a major city... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120. ... An ecclesiastical province is a unit of religious government existing in certain Christian churches. ...

Catholic

In the Roman Catholic Church, a metropolitan has supervisory authority over the bishops in the dioceses that make up his ecclesiastical province, who are therefore called his suffragan bishops. Each bishop has direct and full jurisdiction over his own diocese, and retains a direct link to the Pope in his role as universal bishop, but a metropolitan is empowered within his province and over his suffragans to exercise a limited degree of intermediate supervision. Examples include extremely rare instances of serious breaches of Church law. The metropolitan may preside over liturgies in any of the suffragan dioceses as if he were the local diocesan bishop without prior permission, though again this is rare, and presides over the provincial synod when it is convened. The metropolitan's serves as the first court of appeal under canon law from local diocesan courts. Metropolitans also intervene in the selection of a diocesan administrator when there is a vacancy caused by the death or resignation of the suffragan bishop and the local church fails to properly elect an administrator. They also generally preside at the installation and consecrations of new bishops in the province. The metropolitan's insignia is the pallium, which he can wear in his diocese and the other suffragan dioceses in the province. Catholic Church redirects here. ... A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... An ecclesiastical province is a unit of religious government existing in certain Christian churches. ... A bishop is an ordained person who holds a specific position of authority in any of a number of Christian churches. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... A vicar capitular is a provisional ordinary of a Roman Catholic diocese. ... The Pallium or Pall (derived, so far as the name is concerned, from the Roman pallium or palla, a woollen cloak) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries past bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol...

All Latin rite metropolitans are archbishops; however, some archbishops are not metropolitans as there are a few instances where an archdiocese has no suffragans. Titular archbishops (i.e. ordained bishops who are given an honorary title to a now-defunct archdiocese; e.g. many Vatican officials and papal nuncios and apostolic delegates are titular archbishops) are never metropolitans. As of April 2006, 508 archdioceses were headed by metropolitan-archbishops, 27 archbishops were not metropolitans, and there were 89 titular archbishops. See also Catholic Church hierarchy for the distinctions. Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article (the Latin Rite), designates the particular Church, within the Catholic Church, which developed in western Europe and northern Africa, when Latin was the language of education and culture, and so also of the liturgy. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ... Bishop Richard Pates, current auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and the Titular Bishop of Suacia. ... A Papal Nuncio (also known as an Apostolic Nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic representative (head of mission) of the Holy See to a state, having ambassadorial rank. ... In its application to the Catholic Church, the term hierarchy originally referred to the holy ordering of the entire People of God. ...

In the Eastern Rite Catholic churches, the term metropolitan is used in a similar way to the Eastern Orthodox churches. In some of the sui iuris Eastern churches, the head of the church is a metropolitan. These sui iuris metropolitan churches are generally less populous than patriarchal or major archepiscopal churches, and are subject to greater oversight by the pope and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The domes of an Ukrainian Catholic parish in Simpson, Pennsylvania This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the See of Rome. ... 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). ... Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. ... 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. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... The Congregation for the Oriental Churches (Congregatio pro Ecclesiis Orientalibus) is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for contact with the Oriental Catholic Churches for the sake of assisting their development, protecting their rights and also maintaining whole and entire in the one Catholic Church, alongside the liturgical, disciplinary...

Anglican

In the Anglican Communion, the metropolitan is generally the head of an ecclesiastical province (or cluster of dioceses) and ranks immediately under the primate of the national church (who is often also a metropolitan). Most metropolitans, but not all, are styled archbishop. The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ... An ecclesiastical province is a unit of religious government existing in certain Christian churches. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... Catholic Patriarchal (non cardinal) coat of arms Primate (from the Latin Primus, first) is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. ... In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. ...

Orthodox

In the Eastern Orthodox churches, the title is used variously. In the Hellenic Churches metropolitans are ranked below archbishops in precedence, and primates of local Churches below Patriarchal rank are generally designated archbishops. The reverse is true for the Slavic Churches, where metropolitans rank above archbishops and the title can be used for Primatial sees as well as important cities. In neither case do metropolitans have any special authority over other ruling bishops within their provinces. However, metropolitans (archbishops in the Greek Orthodox Church) are the chairmen of their respective synods of bishops. ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that encompasses national jurisdictions such as the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and other Churches (see Eastern Orthodox Church organization). ...

Sources and references

• List of Catholic Metropolitan Archdioceses in the world by Giga-Catholic Information

See also

• Primate (religion)
• Exarch
• Patriarch