In the Roman Catholic Church and other churches, a senior bishop who is in charge of an archdiocese, and presides over a group of dioceses called a province
The word archbishop is Greek for chief overseer Therefore, archbishop is not a separate order of clergy, it is just a bishop who has administrative duties over fellow bishops in a geographical region In some areas, bishops elect one of their number to be the archbishop; in other areas, the bishops rotate the office The head of the Episcopal Church of the USA is called a presiding bishop rather than an archbishop, but the meaning is the same
The term used by most of the Anglican Communion (America being the largest exception) to define a bishop in charge of a group of dioceses in a geographical area, or a national church His superiority over other bishops is only a matter of organizational rank As the saying goes, "He (or conceivably she) is first among equals " In writing or speaking to an archbishop, the form of address is "The Most Reverend " The Archbishop of Canterbury has an additional title: The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Dr George L Carey In speaking to him directly, you call an archbishop "Your Grace "
In the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican Churches, an archbishop is a bishop of the highest rank, who is in charge of all the bishops and priests in a particular country or region. the Archbishop of Canterbury. Archbishop Desmond Tutu. a priest of the highest rank, who is in charge of all the churches in a particular area. In Christianity, a bishop who has jurisdiction, but not superiority, over the other bishops in a province as well as episcopal authority in his own diocese. Introduced as an honorary title in the Eastern churches in the 4th century, the office did not become common in Western churches until the 9th century. It is now most widely used in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. It is more rarely used in Protestant denominations, though the Church of England has archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Lutheran churches of both Sweden and Finland have an archbishop
A bishop with a diocese of his own who also presided over an ecclesiastical province His responsibilities included the supervision of the election of other bishops within the province, holding councils of the province, and in general the monitoring of church life throughout the province
Title used in the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, and other branches of the Anglican Communion for bishops who have responsibilities beyond the limits of their dioceses
The term used by most of the Anglican Communion (In the Episcopal church, the titular bishop is referred to as the "Presiding Bishop") to define a bishop in charge of a group of dioceses in a geographical area, or a national church
a bishop over a group of dioceses or national church; for instance, the Archbishop of South Africa or New Zealand The Episcopal Church in the U S has a Presiding Bishop instead of an archbishop
the chief bishop in an episcopal church who has authority over a province An archbishop has precedence over other bishops and dioceses He is a metropolitan bishop and his cathedral is a metropolitan church, i e Canterbury and York in the Church of England
A chief bishop; a church dignitary of the first class (often called a metropolitan or primate) who superintends the conduct of the suffragan bishops in his province, and also exercises episcopal authority in his own diocese