Archpriest
An archpriest is a non-monastic priest elevated with an honorific rank, equivalent to the monastic igumen, though ranking one position lower. Archpriests are styled The Very Reverend. In Slavic tradition, there is a further rank of mitered archpriest.
The honor is usually given as a recoginition of exemplary service or faithfulness to one's duties while in their current office.
The term protopresbyter (or protopriest) is equivalent to archpriest in Greek practice, while in Slavic usage, a protopresbyter is a rank separate from and higher than archpriest and mitered archpriest. Sometimes the protopresbyter is styled as The Right Reverend. Also, there are usually only a handful of protopresbyters in a given Slavic national church at any one time.
In Greek practice, archpriests wear a pectoral cross to designate their rank, while in Slavic practice, all priests wear pectoral crosses regardless of rank. In Slavic practice, the different ranks of priests are also distinguished by different types of crosses, and the archpriest usually wears a gold cross.
| This article forms part of the series Clergy |
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