Episcopal see

The seat orcathedraof the Bishop of Rome in theArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran

Anepiscopal seeis,in a practical use of the phrase,the area of abishop'secclesiastical jurisdiction.

Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous withdiocese.

The wordseeis derived fromLatinsedes,which in its original or proper sense denotes the seat or chair that, in the case of a bishop, is the earliest symbol of the bishop's authority.This symbolic chair is also known as the bishop'scathedra.The church in which it is placed is for that reason called the bishop'scathedral,from Latinecclesia cathedralis,meaning the 'church of thecathedra'. The wordthroneis also used, especially in theEastern Orthodox Church,both for the chair and for the area of ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

The termseeis also used of the town where the cathedral or the bishop's residence is located.

Catholic Church

Within Catholicism, each diocese is considered to be a see unto itself with a certain allegiance to the See of Rome. The idea of a see as a sovereign entity is somewhat complicated due to the existence of the twenty-threeParticular Eastern Catholic Churches.Both the Western Church and its Eastern Catholic counterparts reserve some level of autonomy, yet each also is subdivided into smaller sees (dioceses and archdioceses). The episcopal see of thePope,the Bishop of Rome, is known as "theHoly See"or "theApostolic See",claimingpapal supremacy.

Eastern Orthodox Church

TheEastern Orthodox Churchviews allbishopsas sacramentally equal, and in principle holding equal authority, each over his own see. Certain bishops may be granted additional administrative duties over wider regions (as in the idea of thePentarchy), but these powers are limited and never extend over the entire Church. Thus, the Eastern Orthodoxoppose the idea of papal supremacyor any similar supremacy by any one bishop.

United Methodist Church

TheUnited Methodist Churchis divided intoAnnual Conferences,each one of which is presided over by a resident bishop, who isbishopof a namedEpiscopal Area,or See city. This is usually the Annual Conference's largest, or sometimes most centrally located, city. Annual Conferences are the regional bodies which are the fundamental basic bodies of which theUnited Methodist Global Connectionis composed. Annual Conferences are responsible for many matters, including the approval, election and ordination of clergy, who then become members of the Annual Conference in which they are elected and ordained and – with some exceptions – serve within the bounds of for the tenure of their ministries.

United Methodist Bishopsare elected in larger regional conclaves every four years which are known asJurisdictional Conferences.These super-regional Jurisdictional Conferences comprise an equal number of lay and clergy delegates from each Annual Conference, each delegation determined by the size of the Annual Conference, within the Jurisdiction, and new bishops are elected and consecrated from among the clergy of the Jurisdiction's Annual Conferences. These bishops who are elected for life, are then sent to lead the various Annual Conferences of the Jurisdiction. Episcopal candidates are usually – although not always – the first clergy delegate elected from a particular Annual Conference. Each bishop is assigned to and leads for four year terms an Episcopal area, or see, of each Annual Conference. An Episcopal area can also comprise more than one Annual Conference when two smaller Annual Conferences agree to share a bishop.

See also

• Apostolic succession
• Apostolic Throne
• Early centers of Christianity
• Ecclesiastical province
• Episcopal polity
• Lists of popes, patriarchs, primates, archbishops, and bishops
• Sede vacante

External links

• "See".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). 1911.