Editing Autocephaly (section)

==Overview of autocephaly==
In the first centuries of the history of the [[Christian church]], the autocephalous status of a local church was promulgated by canons of the [[ecumenical council]]s. There developed the [[pentarchy]], i.e., a model of ecclesiastical organization where the universal Church was governed by the primates ([[patriarch]]s) of the five major [[episcopal see]]s of the [[Roman Empire]]: [[Holy See|Rome]], [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], and [[Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]].{{sfn|"Pentarchy"|2001}} The independent (autocephalous) position of the [[Church of Cyprus]] by ancient custom was recognized against the claims of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]], at the [[Council of Ephesus]] (431); it is unclear whether the Church of Cyprus had always been independent, or was once part of the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch|Church of Antioch]]. When the Patriarch of Antioch claimed the Church of Cyprus was under its jurisdiction, the Cypriot clergy denounced this before the Council of Ephesus. The Council ratified the autocephaly of the Church of Cyprus by a resolution which conditionally states: "If, as it is asserted in memorials and orally by the religious men who have come before the Council - it has not been a continuous ancient custom for the bishop of Antioch to hold ordinations in Cyprus, - the prelates of Cyprus shall enjoy, free from molestation and violence, their right to perform by themselves the ordination of bishops [for their island]". After the Council of Ephesus, the Church of Antioch never again claimed that Cyprus was under its jurisdiction.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Downey|first=Glanville|date=1958|title=The Claim of Antioch to Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction over Cyprus|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/985575|journal=Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society|volume=102|issue=3|pages=224–228|issn=0003-049X|jstor=985575}}</ref> The Church of Cyprus has since been governed by the [[List of archbishops of Cyprus|Archbishop of Cyprus]], who is not subject to any higher ecclesiastical authority.