CatholicosPatriarch

CatholicosPatriarch, sometimes written as catholicos-patriarch or CatholicosPatriarch, is a title used in some Eastern Christian traditions to denote the highest bishop who combines the offices of catholicos and patriarch. The term fuses two ancient offices: catholicos, meaning a universal head (from Greek katholikos), and patriarch, a senior episcopal rank used across Eastern and Oriental churches. The combined title signifies both universality and patriarchal authority within a given church.

Usage and examples: In the Georgian Orthodox Church, the supreme leader wears the formal title "Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia" and serves as the chief spiritual and organizational head of the church. The title has historical usage in the Church of the East (also known as the Assyrian Church of the East), where the head of the church was styled "Catholicos-Patriarch of the East" during certain periods. Other autocephalous and uniate churches have used similar compound titles, reflecting a fusion of structures that trace to ancient synodal practices.

Selection and role: The Catholicos-Patriarch is typically elected by a synod or assembly of bishops, with variations depending on the church's canon law. Upon election, the holder exercises oversight over liturgical, disciplinary, and administrative matters within the church and acts as its principal public representative in relations with other churches and with civil authorities, in accordance with canon law.

Spelling and variants: The term is sometimes written with a hyphen or as a compound noun (Catholicos-Patriarch or CatholicosPatriarch).