Patriarchal Authority

[Matthew_Holford]

I am vaguely aware that the governance of Eastern Churches differs somewhat from the Latin Church. So, please be patient with me if my questions are phrased in a way that does not fit well with the way Eastern Churches are governed.

If reference to Eastern Churches I mean the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches sui juris in communion with the Holy See.

I want to ask what authority, if any, the senior Hierarch (Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan) has over his Eastern Catholic Church sui juris.

Is it a supreme authority over his Church and its Hierarchs in a similar manner to the supreme authority the Bishop of Rome has over the Latin Catholic Church sui juris?

Is it more of a limited supervisory jurisdiction that a Latin Catholic Church sui juris Metropolitan would have over his ecclesiastical province?

Does he have no authority over other Hierarchs but holds a position primus inter pares?

Maybe none of the above describes his authority.

Pax

Matthew

 

[mardukm]

Dear brother Matthew,

This is a great topic which I hope will garner much discussion. I have to go, so permit the following quick answers:

I want to ask what authority, if any, the senior Hierarch (Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan) has over his Eastern Catholic Church sui juris.

Is it a supreme authority over his Church and its Hierarchs in a similar manner to the supreme authority the Bishop of Rome has over the Latin Catholic Church sui juris?

The supreme authority in a Patriarchal Church sui juris is the Patriarchal Synod, with the Patriarch as the head bishop (or president).

The supreme authority of a Major archepiscopal Church sui juris is the Supreme Pontiff, the bishop of Rome.

I’m too sleepy right now to think whether there are Metropolitan sui juris Churches. I don’t think there are and all metropolitan churches fall under the omophor of a Patriarch. So the supreme authority of a metropolitan church would be the Patriarchal Synod.

Is it more of a limited supervisory jurisdiction that a Latin Catholic Church sui juris Metropolitan would have over his ecclesiastical province?

AFAIK,.the equivalent of an Eastern/Oriental Metropolitan jurisdiction in the Latin Church is the Archbishopric. An archbishop has a merely administrative position in the Latin Church with no real jurisdiction over the bishops under him. In distinction, a Metropolitan in an Eastern/Oriental Church has true powers of jurisdiction over the bishops under them.

Does he have no authority over other Hierarchs but holds a position primus inter pares?

Yes, that’s a good description of an Archbishop in the Latin Church. Head bishops in the Eastern and Oriental Catholic Churches (metropolitans, major archbishops, patriarchs) are not merely primus inter pares. They have true powers of jurisdiction over the bishops under them, in accord with the most ancient canons of the Ecumenical Councils.

NOTE: A head bishop’s power of jurisdiction is always exercised synodally in the Eastern/Oriental Churches. In distinction, the Latin Patriarch exercises his power of jurisdiction collegially (i.e., with the participation of his brother bishops, but not usually in a formal synodal setting).

Comparatively, the Eastern/Oriental Catholic hierarchies function in the same way as the Oriental Orthodox hierarchies. In distinction, the position of head bishops in the Eastern Orthodox Churches are only honorific and administrative.

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[Aramis]

Metropolitan Churches Sui Iuris do not fall under a patriarch, per se. But, like the Major Archiepiscopal churches, the supreme pontiff is in fact the last say, and their metropolitan is head bishop of their synod, which said synod is the canonical authority.

Eparchial and exarchial churches sui iuris fall under Rome directly, but their presbyteral or clerical councils may suggest episcopal candidates to the pope directly. Their bishop is the head of their church.

The Russian has no hierarchy at all; it functions as a set of rules for Russian Byzantine parishes under other churches’ hierarchs, and nominally, the head of their Church Sui Iuris is the Pope, since the exarchates are vacant.

At least, that’s the way it looks by canon law (CCEO). Whether it should work that way, or does work that way in practice, is an entirely different issue.

 

[Vico]

…I’m too sleepy right now to think whether there are Metropolitan sui juris Churches. …

Yes. There are four classes of Church sui iuris: patriarchal, major archiepiscopal, metropolitan, and other.

CCEO Canon 27
A group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy according to the norm of law which the supreme authority of the Church expressly or tacitly recognizes as sui iuris is called in this Code a Church sui iuris.
CCEO Canon 56
A patriarch is a bishop who enjoys power over all bishops including metropolitans and other Christian faithful of the Church over which he presides according to the norm of law approved by the supreme authority of the Church.
CCEO Canon 151
A major archbishop is the metropolitan of a see determined or recognized by the Supreme Authority of the Church, who presides over an entire Eastern Church sui iuris not endowed with the patriarchal title.
CCEO Canon 155

1. A metropolitan Church sui iuris is presided over by a metropolitan of a determined see who is appointed by the Roman Pontiff and assisted by a council of hierarchs according to the norm of law.
2. It is solely the right of the supreme authority of the Church to erect, modify, suppress and define the territorial boundaries of metropolitan Churches sui iuris
   CCEO Canon 174
   A Church sui iuris, which is neither patriarchal, major archiepiscopal nor metropolitan is entrusted to a hierarch who presides over it according to the norm of common law and particular law established by the Roman Pontiff.

 

[Hesychios]

The Russian has no hierarchy at all; it functions as a set of rules for Russian Byzantine parishes under other churches’ hierarchs, and nominally, the head of their Church Sui Iuris is the Pope, since the exarchates are vacant.

At least, that’s the way it looks by canon law (CCEO). Whether it should work that way, or does work that way in practice, is an entirely different issue.

I understand that the Italo-Albanian church is also now without a hierachy.

 

[Aramis]

I understand that the Italo-Albanian church is also now without a hierachy.

Only one of the sees… of 3 total. There is an expectation of a reorganization coming, but nothing’s been said.

But the Italo-albanian hierarchical structure still exists and functions; Lungro, while vacant, is administered by the Archbishop Salvatore (of Cosenza–Bisignano); Piana degli Abanese under Bishop Sotìr; Territorial Abbacy of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata under Abbot-Ordinary Emiliano.

 

[Hesychios]

Only one of the sees… of 3 total. There is an expectation of a reorganization coming, but nothing’s been said.

But the Italo-albanian hierarchical structure still exists and functions; Lungro, while vacant, is administered by the Archbishop Salvatore (of Cosenza–Bisignano); Piana degli Abanese under Bishop Sotìr; Territorial Abbacy of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata under Abbot-Ordinary Emiliano.

According to this post the other two bodies have been placed under the effective control of Latin bishops, perhaps due to the advanced age of the authorities in place.

Actually the Italian-Albanian Church is (up to) now structured in three independent bodies:

• the Abbazia of Grottaferrata (Gottaferrata Abbey), which Abbot is Mons Emiliano Fabbricatore (72), but since 1994 it is under the papal delegate Mons Pio Tamburrino (Latin Archbishop of Foggia)

• the Eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi (Sicily island), which Eparch is Mons Sotìr Ferrara (72,5), but since June 6, 2010 it is under the Apostolic Legate Mons Pio Tamburrino (Latin Archbishop of Foggia)

• the Eparchy of Lungro, which Eparch Mons Ercole Lupinacci (76,5) now retired and it is under the Apostolic Administrator Mons Salvatore Nunnari (Latin Archbishop of Cosenza, the main town near Lungro)

It is possible that no new Eparch has been appointed in Lungro waiting for the retirement of Mons Sotir Ferrara in order to organize a global restructuring of the whole Italian-Albanian Church

So it appears you are right, the church is not without a sitting bishop, I was mistaken. The three separate bodies were subordinated to Latin bishops and I thought for some reason the abbot and the other bishop (His Grace Ferrara) had already retired.

I was surprised to see the abbey of Grottaferrata has been under a Latin authority since 1994, at a time when the present abbot was then only 56 years old.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

Yes. There are four classes of Church sui iuris: patriarchal, major archiepiscopal, metropolitan, and other.

Would an example of “other” be the Apostolic Exarchate for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Great Britain? The Hierarch is the Apostolic Exarch: Rt. Rev. Michael Kuchmiak, CSSR, DD, Titular Bishop if Agathopolis.

 

[mardukm]

Would an example of “other” be the Apostolic Exarchate for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Great Britain? The Hierarch is the Apostolic Exarch: Rt. Rev. Michael Kuchmiak, CSSR, DD, Titular Bishop if Agathopolis.

No. Since it already has a sui juris patrimony in the UGCC, then it is not itself a sui juris Church, but merely an hierarchy of UGCC set up in another country.

You can identify an apostolic exarchate as sui juris by its official designation - if it is sui juris, the designation is “Apostolic Exarchate of (name of territory).” If it is not sui juris, the designation is “Apostolic Exarchate in (name of territory).”

Blessings,
Marduk

 

[Vico]

Would an example of “other” be the Apostolic Exarchate for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Great Britain? The Hierarch is the Apostolic Exarch: Rt. Rev. Michael Kuchmiak, CSSR, DD, Titular Bishop if Agathopolis.

The Macedonian Catholic Church is a good example of other. The Bishop Kiro Stojanov is the Apostolic Exarch of Macedonia of the Macedonians of the Diocese of Skopje.

Some others are: The Bishop Dimitrios Salachas is the Apostolic Exarch of Greece of the Greeks, and the Bishop Christo Proykov is the Apostolic Exarch of Sofia of the Bulgarians.

An eastern catholic exarch is in Latin terms an apostolic vicar, who acts for the Pope’s jurisdiction, which is different than an eparch (diocesan bishop). The exarch is subject directly to the Holy See, Major Archbishop, or Patriarch. A ritual Church (sui iuris) is recognized by the Church, published in the Annuario Pontifico. The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church sui iuris jurisdictions are listed including the eparchies and the exarchates of two kinds, archiepiscopal and apostolic. The apostolic exarchates are directly subject to the Holy See but they are still part of the ritual Church sui iuris. **Giga-Catholic Information is a good reference: **gcatholic.com/dioceses/data/rite-U.htm

Major Archeparchy of Kyiv
Archeparchy of Lviv
Eparchy of Buchach
Eparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk
Eparchy of Kolomyia-Chernivtsi
Eparchy of Sambir-Drohobych
Eparchy of Sokal-Zhovkva
Eparchy of Stryj
Eparchy of Ternopil-Zboriv
Eparchy of Ternopil
Eparchy of Zboriv
Archepiscopal Exarchate of Donetsk-Kharkiv
Archepiscopal Exarchate of Odesa-Krym
Archepiscopal Exarchate of Lutsk
Metropolitan Archeparchy of Przemysl-Warsaw
Eparchy of Wroclaw-Gdansk
Metropolitan Archeparchy of Philadelphia
Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma
Eparchy of Saint Nicholas of Chicago
Eparchy of Stamford
Metropolitan Archeparchy of Winnipeg
Eparchy of Edmonton
Eparchy of New Westminster
Eparchy of Saskatoon
Eparchy of Toronto
Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne
Eparchy of São João Batista em Curitiba
Eparchy of Santa Maria del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires
Apostolic Exarchate of Great Britain
Apostolic Exarchate of Germany & Scandinavia (Munich)
Apostolic Exarchate of France

 

[Matthew_Holford]

No. Since it already has a sui juris patrimony in the UGCC, then it is not itself a sui juris Church, but merely an hierarchy of UGCC set up in another country.

You can identify an apostolic exarchate as sui juris by its official designation - if it is sui juris, the designation is “Apostolic Exarchate of (name of territory).” If it is not sui juris, the designation is “Apostolic Exarchate in (name of territory).”

Blessings,
Marduk

I believe this to be a list of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches sui juris. I found them on “Wikipedia” (I’m not its biggest fan) (URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches (site accessed 14/07/2010)).

Patriarchal Churches sui juris

1. Armenian Catholic Church (Armenian Rite)
2. Chaldean Catholic Church (Chaldean or East Syrian Rite)
3. Coptic Catholic Church (Alexandrian Rite)
4. Maronite Church (Antiochian or West Syrian Rite)
5. Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
6. Syriac Catholic Church (Antiochian or West Syrian Rite)

Major Archiepiscopal Churches sui juris
7. Romanian Church United with Rome (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
8. Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Chaldean or East Syrian Rite)
9. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (Antiochian or West Syrian Rite)
10. Ukranian Catholic Church (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)

Metropolitan Churches sui juris
11. Ethiopian Catholic Church (Alexandrian Rite)
12. Slovak Catholic Church (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)

Others
13. Albanian Catholic Church: 1 x Apostolic Administration (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
14. Belarussian Catholic Church: no established hierarchy (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
15. Bulgarian Catholic Church: 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
16. Eparchy of Križevci: 1 x Eparchy and 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
17. Greek Byzantine Catholic Church: 2 x Apostolic Exarchates (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
18. Hungarian Catholic Church: 1 x Eparchy and 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
19. Italo-Albanian Catholic Church: 2 x Eparchies and 1 x Territorial Abbacy (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
20. Macedonian Catholic Church: 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
21. Russian Catholic Church: 2 x Apostolic Exarchates – at present with no published hierarchs (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
22. Ruthenian Catholic Church: 1 x Metropalia sui juris, 1 x Eparchy and 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)

Regards

Matthew

 

[mardukm]

Dear brother Matthew,

The levels of jurisdiction are as follows:

eparchy - exarchate - metropolia - major archbishopric - patriarchate.

If an exarchate has an existing patrimony that is above the level of exarchate, then that exarchate is not sui juris. Otherwise it is.

Admittedly, that criteria is a little harder to determine than by just looking at the official designation. You can find the official designations in the annuario pontificio.

Of course, the easiest way is to just look for a list of sui juris Churches, as you’ve done.

Blessings

I believe this to be a list of the 22 Eastern Catholic Churches sui juris. I found them on “Wikipedia” (I’m not its biggest fan) (URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches (site accessed 14/07/2010)).

Patriarchal Churches sui juris

1. Armenian Catholic Church (Armenian Rite)
2. Chaldean Catholic Church (Chaldean or East Syrian Rite)
3. Coptic Catholic Church (Alexandrian Rite)
4. Maronite Church (Antiochian or West Syrian Rite)
5. Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
6. Syriac Catholic Church (Antiochian or West Syrian Rite)

Major Archiepiscopal Churches sui juris
7. Romanian Church United with Rome (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
8. Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Chaldean or East Syrian Rite)
9. Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (Antiochian or West Syrian Rite)
10. Ukranian Catholic Church (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)

Metropolitan Churches sui juris
11. Ethiopian Catholic Church (Alexandrian Rite)
12. Slovak Catholic Church (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)

Others
13. Albanian Catholic Church: 1 x Apostolic Administration (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
14. Belarussian Catholic Church: no established hierarchy (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
15. Bulgarian Catholic Church: 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
16. Eparchy of Križevci: 1 x Eparchy and 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
17. Greek Byzantine Catholic Church: 2 x Apostolic Exarchates (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
18. Hungarian Catholic Church: 1 x Eparchy and 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
19. Italo-Albanian Catholic Church: 2 x Eparchies and 1 x Territorial Abbacy (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
20. Macedonian Catholic Church: 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
21. Russian Catholic Church: 2 x Apostolic Exarchates – at present with no published hierarchs (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)
22. Ruthenian Catholic Church: 1 x Metropalia sui juris, 1 x Eparchy and 1 x Apostolic Exarchate (Byzantine or Constantinopolitan Rite)

Regards

Matthew

 

[Matthew_Holford]

The levels of jurisdiction are as follows:

eparchy - exarchate - metropolia - major archbishopric - patriarchate.

Thanks for that list. I’d always assumed an eparchy was higher than an exarchate because an eparchy was a permanently established see like a Latin diocese, whereas I thought an exarchate was a temporary structure until a see was stable enough to be raised to the rank of eparchy.

You can find the official designations in the annuario pontificio

I believe that publication is only published in Italian, which unfortunately I cannot speak.

Regards

Matthew

 

[Vico]

2010 Annuario Pontifico Statistics:

cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat10.pdf

 

[Aramis]

Would an example of “other” be the Apostolic Exarchate for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Great Britain? The Hierarch is the Apostolic Exarch: Rt. Rev. Michael Kuchmiak, CSSR, DD, Titular Bishop if Agathopolis.

No.

A Patriarchal or a Major Archiepiscopal church is comprised of Metropolitan Churches, Eparchies, Exarchates, and potentially Abbacies. It’s inherently Sui Iuris. The patriarch or Major Archbishop is also a metropolitan in all cases I’ve seen.

A Metropolitan church is comprised of Eparchies and an Archeparchy, and rarely exarchates. The Archeparchy is the eparchy where the Metropolitan is Eparch. Only if the Metropolitan answers directly to the pope is it sui iuris. Catholic metropolia are not normally permitted exarchies; Orthodox ones are not uncommon.

An Eparchial church has an eparch (Eparch being synonymous with bishop). It is sui iuris only if its bishop answers only to the pope, and is not part of a metropolitan church.

An Exarchate is a portion of a larger church assigned to (usually) an auxiliary or titular bishop, who functions as the Vicar for the Bishop who appointed them. An Exarch can be appointed by the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops, with notice given to Rome. In a few rare cases, non-bishops have been assigned as exarchs. In all other ways, it generally functions like an eparchy. (CCEO Can. 311 to 320). The papal exarchates are not all sui iuris, but non-papal ones are part of their patriarchal or major archiepiscopal churches.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

2010 Annuario Pontifico Statistics:

cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat10.pdf

Thank you very much for that information.

 

[Diak]

eparchy - exarchate - metropolia - major archbishopric - patriarchate.

Brother Marduk, excellent answer, but exarchate goes before eparchy in terms of organization. It is the administrative precursor to an Eparchy.

 

[Volodymyr]

EXARCH

This use discussed above Exarch is different than in Orthodox church. The Exarch is a bishop over a large defined church area called an exarchat. Exarchat as a rule lies outside the boundaries of the country of a given Local Church or to a territory belonging to a Civil Structure different from that of the given country. Into the composition of the Excharat can be several eparchies, the bishops of which are obedient to the Exarch. The Exarch is obedient to the central church authority - to Patriarch and synod. Thus we see that Metropolitan of Minsk is the Exarch of Belarus. Minsk is an eparchy and there are many in Belarus. This is not some kind precursor to Eparchy, but an eparchy or collection of eparchies distant from home country of Local Church. How such term came to be used is confusing. In ancient church was some kind of level perhaps between mitropolit and patriarkh. Occasionally term is used to mean a messenger sent from one Patriarch to another. Currently in Patriarchat of Moskow is only 1 exarchat - that of Belarus. In days of Soviet Union, were several including Georgia, Prebaltic.