Primates in the Anglican Communion

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.

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 primate		Male primate
	Inactive primate		Female 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.

Province	Primate	Person	Date of birth & age	Consecration [i]	Took office [ii]
Church of England	The Archbishop of Canterbury  & Primate of All England	ZzVacant since 7 January 2025	(2000-01-17) 17 January 2000 (age 25)	17 January 2038	17 January 2038
Anglican Church of Southern Africa	The Archbishop of Cape Town  & Primate of Southern Africa	Thabo Makgoba	(1960-12-15) 15 December 1960 (age 64)	25 May 2002	31 December 2007
Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma)	The Archbishop of Myanmar  & Bishop of Yangon	Stephen Than Myint Oo	1958 (age 66–67)	2005	17 February 2008
Church of the Province of Central Africa	The Archbishop of Central Africa  & Bishop of Lusaka	Albert Chama	unknown	2003	20 March 2011
Anglican Church of Kenya	The Primate and Archbishop of All Kenya  & Bishop of All Saints' Cathedral	Jackson Ole Sapit	(1964-06-12) 12 June 1964 (age 60)	2005	3 July 2016
Anglican Church of Korea	The Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of Korea  & Bishop of Busan	Onesimus Park	(1963-05-16) May 16, 1963 (age 61)	2012	11 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	(1961-11-02) 2 November 1961 (age 63)	23 October 2007	27 June 2017
Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan	The Archbishop of Khartoum  & Primate of Sudan	Ezekiel Kondo	1957 (age 67–68)	2003	30 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 2017	8 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)	2001	22 April 2018
Anglican Church of Tanzania	The Archbishop of Tanzania  & Bishop of Tanga	Maimbo Mndolwa	1968 (age 56–57)	4 September 2012	20 May 2018
Church of the Province of Rwanda	The Archbishop of Rwanda  & Bishop of Gasabo	Laurent Mbanda	1954 (age 70–71)	May 2010	10 June 2018
Church of Bangladesh [iv]	The Moderator of the Church of Bangladesh  & Bishop of Dhaka	Samuel Sunil Mankhin	unknown	8 November 2009	5 December 2018
Church of the Province of Melanesia	The Archbishop of Melanesia  & Bishop of Central Melanesia	Leonard Dawea	1971or1972(age 52–53)	August 2016	15 September 2019
Church of Uganda	The Archbishop of Uganda  & Bishop of Kampala	Stephen Kaziimba	(1962-08-15) 15 August 1962 (age 62)	26 October 2008	1 March 2020
Church of Nigeria	The Archbishop of Abuja  & Primate of All Nigeria	Henry Ndukuba	(1961-07-18) 18 July 1961 (age 63)	September 1999	25 March 2020 [9]
Anglican Church of Australia	The Primate of Australia  & Archbishop of Adelaide	Geoffrey Smith	1958or1959(age 65–66) [10]	25 July 2007	7 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	unknown	1994	14 May 2021
Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria	The Archbishop of Alexandria  & Bishop of Egypt	Samy Fawzy	1963 (age 61–62)	27 February 2017	8 June 2021
Episcopal Church in the Philippines	The Prime Bishop of the Philippines	Brent Alawas	(1957-03-27) March 27, 1957 (age 67)	28 October 2009	6 August 2021
Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi	The Archbishop of Burundi  & Bishop of Buye	Sixbert Macumi	1968 (age 56–57)	2005	21 August 2021
Church in Wales	The Archbishop of Wales  & Bishop of Bangor	Andy John	(1964-01-09) 9 January 1964 (age 61)	29 November 2008	6 December 2021
Province of the Anglican Church of the Congo	The Archbishop of the Congo  & Bishop of Aru	Georges Titre Ande	unknown	unknown	23 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	(1964-02-21) 21 February 1964 (age 60)	May 2011	3 June 2022 [16]
Anglican Church of Mexico [v]	Archbishop of Mexico  & Bishop of Cuernavaca	Enrique Treviño Cruz	1959 (age 65–66)	23 February 2013	11 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 2015	24 August 2022 [18]
Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil	The Primate of Brazil  & Bishop of Amazon	Marinez Rosa dos Santos Bassotto	1971or1972(age 53–54)	2018	23 November 2022
Church of North India [iv]	The Moderator of the Church of North India  & Bishop of Agra	Bijay Kumar Nayak	unknown	8 May 2005	9 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 2023	11 March 2023 [19]
Anglican Church of South America	The Presiding Bishop of South America  & Bishop of Argentina	Brian Williams	unknown	8 November 2020	7 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 2020	12 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 2012	22 May 2024 [22]
Anglican Church in Japan	The Primate of Japan  & Bishop of Okinawa	David Eisho Uehara	unknown	7 September 2013 [23]	30 May 2024 [24]
The Episcopal Church in the USA	The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church	Sean W. Rowe	(1975-02-06) 6 February 1975 (age 50)	8 September 2007	1 November 2024
Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean	The Archbishop of the Indian Ocean  & Bishop of Fianarantsoa	Gilbert Rateloson Rakotondravelo	unknown	2003	14 December 2024
Anglican Church of Chile	The Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Chile  & Bishop of the South of Chile	Enrique Lago	unknown	15 July 2018	12 January 2025
Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola	The Presiding Bishop of IAMA  & Bishop of Zambezia	Vicente Msosa	(1981-02-18) 18 February 1981 (age 43)	25 February 2017	26 January 2025 [25]
Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea	The Senior Bishop of Papua New Guinea  & Bishop of Aipo Rongo	Nathan Ingen	unknown	unknown	11 May 2020 (Acting)
Church of South India [iv]	The Deputy Moderator of the Church of South India  & Bishop of Karimnagar	K. Reuben Mark	(1961-03-29) 29 March 1961 (age 63)	4 May 2015	5 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 2017	15 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	(1967-02-10) 10 February 1967 (age 57)	17 November 2005	1 January 2025 (Acting)

See also

• Anglican Communion
• List of current patriarchs

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. Three bishops representing each of the three tikanga share the Primacy and the style of Archbishop.
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.

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. 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. 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.

External links

• Anglican Communion - Primates
• Anglican Online