Church of Constantinople
The Church of Constantinople is one of the fifteen autocephalous churches, also referred to as the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of primus inter pares ("first among equals") among the world's Orthodox bishops. The current Ecumenical Patriarch is His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople.
The local Churches of the Ecumenical Patriarchate consist of five archdioceses, three churches, 13 metropolises ("metropolis" is preferred use over "metropolitanate" within this particular Orthodox jurisdiction), and one diocese, each of which reports directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople with no intervening authority. In addition, three of the five archdioceses have internal metropolises (16 in all), which are part of their respective archdioceses rather than distinct administrative entities, unlike the other metropolises.
| Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople | |
| Founder(s) | Apostle Andrew |
| Autocephaly/Autonomy declared | Traditional |
| Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized | Traditional |
| Current primate | Patriarch Bartholomew I |
| Headquarters | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Primary territory | Constantinople, most of Turkey, Mount Athos, Crete, parts of Northern Greece, the Dodecanese |
| Possessions abroad | United States, Canada, Great Britain, Western Europe, South America, Central America, Australia, Southeast Asia |
| Liturgical language(s) | Greek, English |
| Musical tradition | Byzantine Chant |
| Calendar | Revised Julian, Julian |
| Population estimate | 3,500,000 |
| Official website | Church of Constantinople |
Structure of the patriarchate
- Archdiocese of Constantinople
- Metropolis of Chalcedon
- Metropolis of Gokceada and Bozcaada (Imbros and Tenedos)
- Metropolis of the Prince's Islands
- Metropolis of Derkos
- Archdiocese of Crete
- Metropolis of Rhodes
- Metropolis of Kos
- Metropolis of Karpathos and Kasos
- Metropolis of Leros, Kalymnos and Astypalaia
- Archdiocese of America
- Metropolis of Chicago
- Metropolis of New Jersey
- Metropolis of Atlanta
- Metropolis of Denver
- Metropolis of Pittsburgh
- Metropolis of Boston
- Metropolis of Detroit
- Metropolis of San Francisco
- Archdiocese of Australia
- Archdiocese of Great Britain
- American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA
- Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
- Metropolis of Korea
- Metropolis of Canada
- Metropolis of Argentina
- Metropolis of Central America
- Metropolis of New Zealand
- Metropolitanate of Hong Kong
- Metropolis of France
- Metropolis of Germany
- Metropolis of Austria
- Metropolis of Belgium
- Metropolis of Scandinavia
- Metropolis of Switzerland
- Metropolis of Italy
- Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America
- Russian Orthodox Exarchate in Western Europe
There are also two autonomous churches whose primates are confirmed by Constantinople, but which are not hierarchically or administratively part of the patriarchate, the Church of Finland and the Church of Ukraine.
External links
- Official website of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
- Eastern Christian Churches: Patriarchate of Constantinople by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
- The Origins and Authority of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Church, by Demetrios J. Constantelos
