ecumenical patriarch

American  

noun

1. the patriarch of Constantinople, regarded as the highest dignitary of the Greek Orthodox Church.

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Other Word Forms

• ecumenical patriarchate
  noun

Etymology

Origin of ecumenical patriarch

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ecumenical patriarch

So Moscow has been at loggerheads for centuries with the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, always the spiritual leader of the church.

From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2022

Large portions of the communion are in national churches that are independently governed, with the ecumenical patriarch having only symbolic prominence, though he does directly oversee Greek Orthodox and some other jurisdictions.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 22, 2021

It brings together Christian leaders, including the pope, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Orthodox ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew, as well as representatives of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Jainism.

From Reuters ● Oct. 3, 2021

Fellow church leaders, such as the Orthodox leader, ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, politicians and other public figures flock to meet him.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 17, 2018

The claim of its bishop to be ecumenical patriarch stopped short of the Primacy.

From The Formation of Christendom, Volume VI The Holy See and the Wandering of the Nations, from St. Leo I to St. Gregory I by Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)