Holy Synod of The Coptic Orthodox Church - Seniority

Seniority

According to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria traditions, the Pope, being the Bishop of Alexandria and being the Senior and Elder Bishop and the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province and Primate of all Egypt, is the head of the Holy Synod as a first among equals. The most senior position after the Pope was that of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Pentapolis, but since its demise in the days of Pope John VI of Alexandria as a major Archiepiscopal Metropolis, it has been held as a Titular See attached to another Metropolis.

There is a special status of seniority of honor and precedence for the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Holy and Great City of Our Lord, Jerusalem, Holy Zion, Archbishop of the Holy Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, Philadelphia of Jordan and All the Near East.

This great archdiocesan Metropolis is technically outside the Egyptian Province and is not considered to be within the jurisdiction of the Pope of Alexandria, but is one of the possessions of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. It was created by Pope Cyril III (1235-1243) in the Thirteenth Century, which, at that time, had caused a dispute between the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. This was a very rare incident between the two sister churches as in general their relationship is one of the strongest between any two sister churches.

According to the Alexandrine tradition, the Metropolitan Bishop rank is granted by the Pope of Alexandria to the Diocesan Bishops under his jurisdiction on a personal status (Ad Personam) and not due to the size or the importance of the eparchy, which the Bishop is shepherding; however, the rank of Metropolitan Archbishop is granted to those whose Archdioceses have historical importance and used to or still have more than one Suffragan Diocese within their territorial jurisdictions.

It is important to note that the Coptic Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop of Jerusalem is the only Coptic Orthodox Hierarch who is consecrated as a Metropolitan Archbishop without being consecrated first as a Bishop at a separate occasion, and then elevated to the Metropolitan Archbishop rank at a later time as is the norm in all episcopal consecration according to the tradition of the Church of Alexandria, but it is done concurrently on the same occasion (day). This has been the case since Cyril III consecrated Metropolitan Archbishop Basilius as the first Coptic Orthodox Metropolitan Archbishop of Jerusalem and All the Near East. This status is most probably because the Archdiocese of Jerusalem is considered as a major Patriarchal Exarchate outside the regular territorial jurisdiction of the Alexandrine Throne and accordingly, the presiding hierarch is a Patriarchal Exarch of the Alexandrine Throne, thus being honored by the Archepiscopal rank right upon consecration.

Usually, the chosen Hieromonk who have been selected for the episcopal dignity is consecrated first as a Diocesan Bishop, then with time, he could be awarded the higher dignity of Metropolitan Bishop, except in the above-mentioned case of the Archdiocese of Jerusalem and All the Near East. Sometimes the nominated Diocesan Bishop has already the episcopal rank in the capacity of an Assistant Bishop or an Auxiliary Bishop or a General Bishop, then he is only enthroned as the Shepherd of that Diocese.

Currently, and because the seniority of the members of the Holy Synod is decided according to the seniority of the consecretion/elevation date of the ecclesiastical ranks: First come the Metropolitan Archbishops and Metropolitan Bishops, followed by the Diocesan Bishops then the Bishops Exarchs of the Throne, then the Suffragan Bishops, then the Auxiliary Bishops, then the General Bishops and finally the Chorbishops but also according to the date of consecration within each rank.

Accordingly, the most senior position after the Pope is the oldest consecrated Metropolitan Archbishop, who is now Mikhail, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Holy Metropolis of Asyut (Lycopolis), (Hieracon) and (Apollonopolis Parva) (Consecrated in 1946).

In spite of the ancient Alexandrine tradition, the most senior Hierarch, after the Senior Hierarch of Pentapolis, is the Hierarch of the Metropolis of (Lycopolis), (Hieracon) and (Apollonopolis Parva), which is Asyut; but since the great and ancient Titular Metropolis of Pentapolis in (Cyrenaica), that comprises the Holy Suffragan Dioceses of (Cyrene), (Appollonia), (Ptolemais), (Berenice) and (Arsinoe), is currently a Titular title, incorporated within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Holy Metropolis of Beheira (Hermopolis Parva), (Buto), (Naucratis), Mariout (Mareotis), Marsa Matruh (Paraetonium), (Apis); who is also the Titular Archbishop and Patriarchal Exarch of the Ancient and Holy Titular Archdiocese of Libya, comprising the Titular Suffragan Dioceses of (Livis, Marmarica, Darnis, Neapolis and Tripolitania); of the Ancient and Holy (Exarchate of Africa) in Tunisia, comprising the Titular and Holy Suffragan Dioceses of (Mauretania Tingitana) and (Mauretania Caesariensis) and of the Ancient and Holy Titular Metropolis of (Numedia) in Algeria and Morocco that includes the Titular and Holy Suffragan Dioceses of (Leptis Parva) and of (Hadramentum). Accordingly that honor goes to the Hierarch of the Metropolis of (Lycopolis), (Hieracon) and (Apollonopolis Parva) apart from the fact of the current adoption of the seniority of the date of consecration of the later Hierarch.

The most senior Metropolitan Archbishop or Metropolitan Bishop in consecration will become the Locum tenens in case of the death of the Pope and until the election of the new Pope, and he will be the one who enthrones the newly elected Pope along with all the Hierarchs, who are members of the Holy Synod.

This seniority ranking system does not diminish the importance and the greatness of the Archdiocese of Jerusalem and All the Near East, since its inclusion under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Church of Alexandria in early medieval times. It is to be noted that the archiepiscopal status of this great Metropolis is also granted due to the Holy Apostolic Throne that it represents, being the Apostolic and Patriarchal Throne of Jerusalem, although its Metropolitan Archbishop does not claim that title and is under the jurisdiction of the Holy Apostolic Throne of Alexandria.