Patriarchs of the East

For the Patriarch of the Church of the East, see List of Patriarchs of the Church of the East.

For other uses, see Catholicos of the East (disambiguation).

The Patriarchs of the East are generally speaking the head bishops of Eastern Christian traditions mainly in the Middle East. They may be Patriarchs of Catholic (Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox churches.

Orthodox Patriarchs of the East

The patriarchs of the East of the Eastern Rite churches sometimes also carry the title of catholicos, pope.

The patriarchs of the Eastern Rite Orthodox churches are:

• The Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church - List
• The Catholicos of the East of Indian Orthodox Church
• The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East - List (1), List (2), List (3)
• Armenian Apostolic Church
  • The Catholicos of All Armenians, Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church - List
  • The Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Catholicos Patriarch List
  • The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople - List
  • The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem - List
• The Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East - List
• The Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East - List

Catholic Patriarchs of the East

The Catholic Patriarchs of the East are generally speaking the head bishops of some of the autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches. Each patriarch of the east has authority over all bishops of a particular eastern rite church. These patriarchs are elected by their synods, and must extend communion to and receive it from the other patriarchs, including the pope, before officially taking their office. In matters of discipline and practice, but not in matters of dogma, they generally follow the customs and laws of their particular church. Perhaps the most striking example is that in most Eastern Catholic Churches, ordination of married men to the priesthood is routine (although no priest may marry after ordination, and only celibate priests may become bishops). Eastern churches that are not headed by patriarchs are instead headed by bishops who are titled major archbishops, metropolitans, or in a few cases merely eparchs.

Around the time of the Second Vatican Council, as a result of new ecumenical bonds between the Eastern Rite Catholic and Latin Rite Catholic churches and their leaders, some Eastern patriarchs that headed Eastern churches recognizing the papacy (and thus making the joint reception of Communion possible) were elevated to Cardinal.

The patriarchs of the Eastern Rite Catholic churches are:

• The Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria - List
• The Syrian Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East - List
• The Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem - List
• The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East - List
• The Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon - List
• The Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia - List

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is also considered one of the patriarchs of the east. However, his church follows the Latin Rite and his patriarchal title derives from the historical importance of the see rather than the autonomy of his church.

The Patriarch of the East Indies is a Latin Rite archbishop whose patriarchal title derives from the importance of his see in the evangelization of south and east Asia; but, despite the title of the patriarchate, is not considered a patriarch of the east.

See also

• Patriarchs

Sources

• Wilmshurst, David (2000). The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913. Louvain: Peeters Publishers. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Wilmshurst, David (2011). The martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East. London: East & West Publishing Limited. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)