Primates in the Anglican Communion

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Primates in the Anglican Communion are the most senior bishop or archbishop of one of the 42 [1] churches of the Anglican Communion. [2] The Church of England, however, has two primates, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York.

Contents

Variations

Some of these churches are stand-alone ecclesiastical provinces (such as the Church of the Province of West Africa), while others are national churches comprising several ecclesiastical provinces (such as the Church of England). Since 1978, the Anglican primates have met annually for an Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is regarded as the symbolic leader (though primus-inter-pares ) of the Anglican primates. While the gathering has no legal jurisdiction, it acts as one of the informal instruments of unity among the autonomous provinces of the communion.

In stand-alone ecclesiastical provinces, the primate is the metropolitan archbishop of the province. In national churches composed of several ecclesiastical provinces, the primate will be senior to the metropolitan archbishops of the various provinces, and may also be a metropolitan archbishop. In those churches which do not have a tradition of archiepiscopacy, the primate is a bishop styled "primus" (in the case of the Scottish Episcopal Church), "presiding bishop", "president bishop", "prime bishop" or simply "primate". In the case of the Episcopal Church in the United States, which is composed of several ecclesiastical provinces, there is a presiding bishop who is its primate, but the individual provinces are not led by metropolitans.

Anglican primates may be attached to a fixed see (e.g., the Archbishop of Canterbury is invariably the Primate of All England), who may be chosen from among sitting metropolitans or diocesan bishops and retain the see (as with, for example, the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia), or who may have no see (as in the Anglican Church of Canada). Primates are generally chosen by election (either by a synod consisting of laity, clergy, and bishops, or by a House of Bishops). In some instances, the primacy is awarded based on seniority among the episcopal college. In the Church of England, the primate, like all bishops, is appointed by the British sovereign, in the capacity of Supreme Governor of the established church, on the advice of the Crown Appointments Commission.

The United Churches of South India, of North India, of Pakistan and of Bangladesh have neither metropolitan (arch)bishops nor national primates. Instead, each has a Moderator of the Synod (and a Vice-Moderator), elected from among the bishops for a fixed term, who is ranked among the Anglican primates. [3]

Dual primates

In the Church of England and the Church of Ireland, the metropolitan of the second province has since medieval times also been accorded the title of primate. In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is known as the "Primate of All England" [4] while the Archbishop of York as "Primate of England" [5] (see also Primacy of Canterbury). In Ireland both the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Armagh are titled "Primate of All Ireland"; [6] [7] while both the Anglican and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Dublin are titled "Primate of Ireland". [7] As both of these positions pre-date the 1921 partition, they relate to the whole of Ireland. The junior primates of these churches do not normally participate in the Primates' Meeting.

List of current primates

Key
Active primateMale primate
Inactive primateFemale primate
Position vacant or acting primate

This is a list of the 42 current primates (including four moderators of united churches) in the worldwide Anglican Communion. The list is given according to the Anglican order of precedence, with the Archbishop of Canterbury as primus inter pares first and the others in order of seniority by their first installation to a primacy.

ProvincePrimatePersonDate of birth & ageConsecration [i] Took office [ii]
Church of England The Archbishop of Canterbury
 & Primate of All England 		Vacant since 7 January 2025
Anglican Church of Southern Africa The Archbishop of Cape Town
 & Primate of Southern Africa		 Thabo Makgoba 15 December 1960 (age 64)25 May 200231 December 2007
Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma)The Archbishop of Myanmar
 & Bishop of Yangon		 Stephen Than Myint Oo 1958 (age 66–67)200517 February 2008
Church of the Province of Central Africa The Archbishop of Central Africa
 & Bishop of Lusaka		 Albert Chama unknown200320 March 2011
Anglican Church of Kenya The Primate and Archbishop of All Kenya
 & Bishop of All Saints' Cathedral		 Jackson Ole Sapit 12 June 1964 (age 60)20053 July 2016
Anglican Church of Korea The Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea
 & Bishop of Busan		 Onesimus Park May 16, 1963 (age 61)201211 May 2017–2018 (first term)
12 July 2024 –present (second term) [8]
Scottish Episcopal Church The Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
 & Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness 		Mark Strange 2 November 1961 (age 63)23 October 200727 June 2017
Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan The Archbishop of Khartoum
 & Primate of Sudan		 Ezekiel Kondo 1957 (age 67–68)200330 July 2017
Anglican Church in Aotearoa,
New Zealand and Polynesia [iii] 		Te Pīhopa o Aotearoa,
  Primate of New Zealand
 & Te Pīhopa o Te Tairāwhiti 		Don Tamihere 1972 (age 52–53)11 March 20178 April 2018
Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan The Archbishop of Juba
 & Primate of South Sudan		 Justin Badi Arama 1964 (age 60–61)200122 April 2018
Anglican Church of Tanzania The Archbishop of Tanzania
 & Bishop of Tanga		 Maimbo Mndolwa 1968 (age 56–57)4 September 201220 May 2018
Church of the Province of Rwanda The Archbishop of Rwanda
 & Bishop of Gasabo		 Laurent Mbanda 1954 (age 70–71)May 201010 June 2018
Church of Bangladesh [iv] The Moderator of the Church of Bangladesh
 & Bishop of Dhaka 		Samuel Sunil Mankhin unknown8 November 20095 December 2018
Church of the Province of Melanesia The Archbishop of Melanesia
 & Bishop of Central Melanesia		 Leonard Dawea 1971or1972(age 52–53)August 201615 September 2019
Church of Uganda The Archbishop of Uganda
 & Bishop of Kampala		 Stephen Kaziimba 15 August 1962 (age 62)26 October 20081 March 2020
Church of Nigeria The Archbishop of Abuja
 & Primate of All Nigeria		 Henry Ndukuba 18 July 1961 (age 63)September 199925 March 2020 [9]
Anglican Church of Australia The Primate of Australia
 & Archbishop of Adelaide 		Geoffrey Smith 1958or1959(age 65–66) [10] 25 July 20077 April 2020 [11]
Church of Ireland The Archbishop of Armagh
 & Primate of All Ireland 		John McDowell 1956 (age 68–69)23 September 2011 [12] 28 April 2020 [13]
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui The Archbishop of Hong Kong
 & Bishop of Western Kowloon 		Andrew Chan 1962 (age 62–63)25 March 2012 [14] 3 January 2021 [14]
Church of Pakistan [iv] The Moderator of the Church of Pakistan
 & Bishop in Raiwind		 Azad Marshall unknown199414 May 2021
Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria The Archbishop of Alexandria
 & Bishop of Egypt 		Samy Fawzy 1963 (age 61–62)27 February 20178 June 2021
Episcopal Church in the Philippines The Prime Bishop of the Philippines Brent Alawas March 27, 1957 (age 67)28 October 20096 August 2021
Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi The Archbishop of Burundi
 & Bishop of Buye		 Sixbert Macumi 1968 (age 56–57)200521 August 2021
Church in Wales The Archbishop of Wales
 & Bishop of Bangor 		Andy John 9 January 1964 (age 61)29 November 20086 December 2021
Province of the Anglican Church of the Congo The Archbishop of the Congo
 & Bishop of Aru		 Georges Titre Ande unknownunknown23 January 2022 [15]
Church of the Province of West Africa The Primate of West Africa,
 Metropolitan Archbishop of Ghana
 & Bishop of Asante Mampong		 Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith 21 February 1964 (age 60)May 20113 June 2022 [16]
Anglican Church of Mexico [v] Archbishop of Mexico
 & Bishop of Cuernavaca		 Enrique Treviño Cruz 1959 (age 65–66)23 February 201311 June 2022 [17]
Anglican Church in Central America The Primate of Central America
 & Bishop of El Salvador 		Juan David Alvarado 1961or1962(age 62–63)24 January 201524 August 2022 [18]
Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil The Primate of Brazil
 & Bishop of Amazon		 Marinez Rosa dos Santos Bassotto 1971or1972(age 53–54)201823 November 2022
Church of North India [iv] The Moderator of the Church of North India
 & Bishop of Agra		 Bijay Kumar Nayak unknown8 May 20059 December 2022
Anglican Church in Aotearoa,
New Zealand and Polynesia [iii] 		The Bishop of Polynesia
 & Primate of New Zealand 		Sione Uluʻilakepa 1965 (age 59–60)11 March 202311 March 2023 [19]
Anglican Church of South America The Presiding Bishop of South America
 & Bishop of Argentina		 Brian Williams unknown8 November 20207 May 2023
Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East The President Bishop and Primate of the Church in Jerusalem
 & Archbishop in Jerusalem 		Hosam Naoum 1974 (age 50–51)14 June 202012 May 2023
Church of the Province of South East Asia The Archbishop of South East Asia
 & Bishop of Singapore		 Titus Chung 1964or1965(age 59–60)18 October 2020 [20] 23 January 2024 [21]
Anglican Church in Aotearoa,
New Zealand and Polynesia [iii] 		The Senior Bishop of the New Zealand Dioceses,
  Primate of New Zealand
 & Bishop of Wellington 		Justin Duckworth 1968 (age 56–57)30 June 201222 May 2024 [22]
Anglican Church in Japan The Primate of Japan
 & Bishop of Okinawa 		David Eisho Uehara unknown7 September 2013 [23] 30 May 2024 [24]
The Episcopal Church in the USA The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Sean W. Rowe 6 February 1975 (age 49)8 September 20071 November 2024
Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean The Archbishop of the Indian Ocean
 & Bishop of Fianarantsoa		 Gilbert Rateloson Rakotondravelo unknown200314 December 2024
Anglican Church of Chile The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Chile
 & Bishop of the South of Chile		 Enrique Lago unknown15 July 201812 January 2025
Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola The Presiding Bishop of IAMA
 & Bishop of Zambezia		 Vicente Msosa 18 February 1981 (age 43)25 February 201726 January 2025 [25]
Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea The Senior Bishop of Papua New Guinea
 & Bishop of Aipo Rongo		 Nathan Ingen unknownunknown11 May 2020 (Acting)
Church of South India [iv] The Deputy Moderator of the Church of South India
 & Bishop of Karimnagar 		K. Reuben Mark 29 March 1961 (age 63)4 May 20155 September 2023 (Acting) [26]
Anglican Church of Canada The Acting Primate of Canada
 & Archbishop of Algoma and Moosonee 		Anne Germond 1960 (age 64–65)11 February 201715 September 2024 (Acting)
Church in the Province of the West Indies The Senior Bishop of the Province of the West Indies
 & Bishop of Belize		 Philip S. Wright 10 February 1967 (age 57)17 November 20051 January 2025 (Acting)

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The date the person was consecrated as an Anglican (or United Church) bishop.
  2. ↑ The date the person first became a primate (usually by the confirmation of their election or by their installation, enthronement or investiture in office).
  3. 1 2 3 Three bishops representing each of the three tikanga share the Primacy and the style of Archbishop.
  4. 1 2 3 4 The moderators of the Churches of Bangladesh, of North India, of Pakistan and of South India are not, strictly speaking, primates, but they nonetheless rank with and participate alongside the Communion's primates.
  5. ↑ Treviño's status as archbishop of Mexico was disputed by the late Francisco Manuel Moreno and other bishops within the church, but he is recognized as primate and archbishop by the Anglican Communion Office.

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References

  1. ↑ (Accessed 24 June 2023)
  2. ↑ Anglican Communion – Primates' Meetings (Accessed 6 July 2013)
  3. ↑ Anglican Communion Office. "What is a Primate?". Anglicancommunion.org. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  4. ↑ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Canterbury"  . Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  5. ↑ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Ancient See of York"  . Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  6. ↑ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Armagh"  . Catholic Encyclopedia . New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  7. 1 2 James Murray, Enforcing the English Reformation in Ireland (Cambridge University Press 2011 ISBN   978-0-52136994-7, pp. 41-43; MacGeoghegan, James, The History of Ireland, Ancient and Modern (1844), James Duffy, Dublin, p. 337
  8. ↑ "대한성공회 제34차 전국의회 성료" (in Korean). 대한성공회. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "Archbishop Henry Ndukuba installed as new Primate of the Church of Nigeria". Anglican Communion News Service. Anglican Communion Office. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Gailberger, Jade (4 December 2016). "Our new Anglican Archbishop Geoffrey Smith lines up vision for future". The Advertiser. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "Archbishop Geoffrey Smith elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia". Anglican Communion News Service. Anglican Communion Office. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "Church of Ireland - A Member of the Anglican Communion". www.ireland.anglican.org. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Welcome Archbishop John - Church of Ireland - A Member of the Anglican Communion". Ireland.anglican.org. 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  14. 1 2 The Most Revd Andrew Chan installed as Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, ECHO, 3 January 2021
  15. ↑ "Archbishop Titre Ande Georges installed as primate of L'Eglise Anglicane du Congo". Anglican Communion News Service. Jan 25, 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Cyril Ben-Smith elected primate of West Africa". Anglican Ink. May 10, 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Smith, Emilie Teresa (March 12, 2024). "Tempest in the Anglican Church of Mexico". The Living Church. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  18. ↑ Michael, Mark (May 2, 2022). "Juan David Alvarado Elected Central American Primate". The Living Church. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  19. ↑ Mateboto, Pauliasi (13 March 2023). "Ulu'ilakepa ordained as Bishop of Polynesia". Fiji Times. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. ↑ Wenxuan, Alex (18 October 2020). "Titus Chung formally succeeds Rennis Ponniah as 10th Bishop of Singapore". Salt & Light. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  21. ↑ Lee, Gracia (23 January 2024). "Bishop Titus Chung installed as the 7th Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia". Salt & Light. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  22. ↑ "Synod welcomes Archbishop Justin". Anglican Taonga. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  23. ↑ "Japan's newest bishop consecrated". Anglican Communion News Service. 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  24. ↑ "A new primate for the NSKK". Anglican Communion News Service. 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  25. ↑ "New primate installed for the Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola". Episcopal News Service. 27 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  26. ↑ Chandran, Cynthia (9 September 2023). "Council demands invalidation of Rasalam's fellow office-bearers". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
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