Ecclesiastical Province

SECULAR OR DIOCESAN CHUCH ORGANISATION

Early History

Ecclesiastical provinces first assumed a fixed form in the Eastern Roman Empire. The more important centres (e.g. Antioch for Syria, Ephesus for the Province of Asia, Alexandria for Egypt, Rome for Italy), whence Christian missionaries issued to preach the Gospel, were regarded as the ''mother''-churches (hence the Greek term ''metro''politan) of the newly-founded Christian communities. From the second half of the second century the bishops of the territories within the same natural geographical boundaries were accustomed to assemble on important occasions for common counsel in synods. From the end of that century the summons to attend these increasingly important synods was usually issued by the bishop of the capital of the state province ( Eparchy ), who also presided over the assembly, especially in the East. Important communications were also forwarded to the bishop of the provincial capital to be brought to the notice of the other bishops. Thus in the East during the third century the bishop of the provincial metropolis came gradually to occupy a certain superior position, and received the name of metropolitan.

At the Council Of Nicæa (325) this position of the metropolitan was taken for granted, and was made the basis for conceding to him definite rights over the other bishops and dioceses of the state province. In Eastern canon law since the fourth century (cf. also the Synod of Antioch of 341, can. ix), it was a principle that every civil province was likewise a church province under the supreme direction of the metropolitan, i.e. of the bishop of the provincial capital.

This division into ecclesiastical provinces did not develop so early in the Western Empire. In North Africa the first metropolitan appears during the fourth century, the Bishop of Carthage being recognized as primate of the dioceses of Northern Africa; metropolitans of the separate provinces gradually appear, although the boundaries of these provinces did not coincide with the divisions of the empire. A similar development was witnessed in Spain, Gaul, and Italy. The migration of the nations, however, prevented an equally stable formation of ecclesiastical provinces in the Christian West as in the East. It was only after the fifth century that such gradually developed mostly in accordance with the ancient divisions of the Roman Empire. In Italy alone, on account of the central ecclesiastical position of Rome, this development was slower. However, at the end of antiquity the existence of church provinces as the basis of ecclesiastical administration was fairly universal in the West. In the Carlovingian period they were reorganized, and have retained their place till the present day.

Roman Catholic Church

In the Roman Catholic Church , a province consists of a Metropolitan Archdiocese and a number of other Particular Church es, usually Diocese s, known as ''suffragan sees''. The Archbishop of the metropolitan see is the Metropolitan of the province. The delimitation of church provinces is since the Middle Ages a right reserved to the pope.

By contrast there have always been, and are to-day, individual dioceses which do not belong to any province, but are Exempt , i.e. directly subject to the Holy See. In April 2006, there are 527 metropolitan sees, not counting a few who are given a more exclusive name because of the higher status of their Archbishop: 4 Major archidiocesis and 9 Patriarchates, nor the Papacy (which recently abandoned the title of Patriarch of The West for its see of Rome).

The authority of the metropolitan over the suffragan sees is very limited (for example, during a Vacancy , a metropolitan can name a Temporary Administrator if the College of Consultors of the diocese fails to elect one within a set time and the Pope has not named an Apostolic Administrator ). Thus, the metropolitan is not an Ordinary with respect to the ecclesiastical province.

The borders of provinces have often been inspired, or even determined, by historical state borders. In the United States , Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces typically follow state lines, with less populous states being typically grouped into provinces and more populous states being a province by themselves. California and Texas are the only states with multiple provinces, with each state having two metropolitan archdioceses.

Anglican Communion

In the Anglican Communion , national churches are often by themselves considered a "province", whether or not their head bears the title of Archbishop , but none have archdioceses.

The Church Of England divides England into two provinces under the Archbishops Of Canterbury and York , and uses the term ''suffragan bishop'' in the sense that the Roman Catholic Church uses " Auxiliary Bishop ". The Anglican Church Of Australia , the Anglican Church Of Canada , the Church Of Ireland , the Church Of Nigeria and the Episcopal Church In The United States Of America are all also divided into two or more provinces.

REGULAR EQUIVALENT

The term province, or occasionally "Religious province", also refers to a geographical and administrative subdivision in a number of a non-monastic religious orders or congregations. This is true of most, though not all, religious communities founded after the year 1000, A.D.

A province of a religious community is typically headed by a Provincial Superior (see there), e.g. the abbot of a historical pivotal mother convent, who functions juridically somewhat like the metropolitan archbishop of a (arch)diocese but restricted to the regular clergy of his denomination. The title differs by each congregational tradition. The borders of such juridsdictions are determined independelntly of the the diocesan structure, and so often differ from the abovementioned 'secular' ecclesiastical provinces, usually far larger in most parts of the word, sometimes even smaller in a congregation's hartland.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

GigaCatholic- Metropolitan Archdioceses, including all Catholic provinces

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Ecclesiastical Province