Archbishop

In Christianity, an archbishop is an important bishop. The jurisdiction or area governed by an archbishop is called an metropolis (or metropolitan (arch)diocese). In the Catholic Church, when a bishop becomes an archbishop, he does not receive any additional Holy Orders or other sacrament.

In the Catholic Church, archbishops usually oversee archdioceses, which are important regions or cities. While an archbishop holds a higher rank than a regular bishop, his sacramental role remains the same. Archbishops are responsible for maintaining the unity of the church within their archdiocese and may have the authority to oversee multiple dioceses. The head of an archdiocese is often called a metropolitan archbishop. Although not all archbishops are cardinals, some archbishops, especially those in large or important cities, may be appointed as cardinals by the Pope. The title archbishop ad personam is an honorary title and it is granted to a bishop who is appointed as an archbishop but does not have jurisdiction over a specific archdiocese. The title Archbishop Emeritus is given to retired archbishops who continue to hold their title without active jurisdiction.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

While the term archbishop is most commonly associated with Christianity, especially the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches, some other Christian denominations also use the title. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, archbishops often oversee large or historically important areas. The structure may vary, as in some Orthodox traditions, archbishops are ranked lower than metropolitans.^{[6][5][9][10][8]}

In the Anglican Communion, archbishops hold similar responsibilities to those in the Catholic Church. The most notable example is the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is considered the spiritual leader of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion worldwide.^{[5][11][12][13]}

• Archbishop ad personam
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