Church of Constantinople

The Church of Constantinople is one of the fourteen or 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, thirteen metropolises, 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.

The entrance to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Phanar in Constantinople

Peculiar prerogatives of the patriarchate

Main article: Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

In history and in canonical literature (i.e. the Church's canons and traditional commentaries on them), the Ecumenical Patriarchate has been granted certain prerogatives (presbeia) which other autocephalous Orthodox churches do not have. Not all of these prerogatives are today universally acknowledged, though all do have precedents in history and canonical references. The nature of these prerogatives or even their very existence is hotly contested on canonical grounds by certain other Orthodox churches, particularly the Church of Russia.

The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of these prerogatives and their reference points:

• Equal prerogatives to Old Rome (Canon 3 of the Second Ecumenical Council, Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, Canon 36 of the Quinisext Council)
• The right to hear appeals, if invited, regarding disputes between clergy (Canons 9 and 17 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
• The right to ordain bishops for areas outside defined canonical boundaries (Canon 28 of the Fourth Ecumenical Council)
• The right to establish stavropegial monasteries even in the territories of other patriarchates (the Epanagoge, commentaries of Matthew Blastares and Theodore Balsamon)

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

See article on the Church of Constantinople Structure

See also

• List of Patriarchs of Constantinople
• Ecumenical Patriarchate in America

External links

• Official website of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
• Official website of the Permanent Representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the World Council of Churches
• 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
• Caesaropapism?: Theodore Balsamon on the Powers of the Patriarch of Constantinople, by Paul Halsall
• Chalcedon Canon 28: Yesterday and Today, by Rev. John H. Erickson
• Constantinople and Rome: A Survey of the Relations between the Byzantine and the Roman Churches, by Milton V. Anastos
• Brief Historical Note Regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate, from the official website
• Timeline
• Virtual tour
• History
• History - video
• Articles Critical of Actions of Positions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate