Editing Archbishop of Canterbury (section)

== Province and Diocese of Canterbury ==

[[File:CanterburyCathedral.png|thumb|View of [[Canterbury Cathedral]] from the north west {{circa|1890–1900}}]]

The archbishop of Canterbury exercises metropolitical (or supervisory) jurisdiction over the [[Province of Canterbury]], which encompasses thirty of the forty-two dioceses of the Church of England, with the rest falling within the [[Province of York]]. The four Welsh dioceses were also under the province of Canterbury until 1920 when they were transferred from the [[established church]] of England to the [[Disestablishment of the Church in Wales|disestablished Church in Wales]].

The archbishop of Canterbury has a ceremonial provincial ''curia'', or court, consisting of some of the senior bishops of their [[Province of Canterbury|province]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/events/EnthronementofRW2003.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202170108/http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/events/EnthronementofRW2003.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Order of Service from the Enthronement of the 104th Archbishop in 2003|archive-date=2 February 2007}}</ref> The [[bishop of London]]&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;the most senior cleric of the church with the exception of the two archbishops&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;serves as Canterbury's provincial [[Dean (Church)|dean]], the [[bishop of Winchester]] as [[Chancellor (ecclesiastical)|chancellor]], the [[bishop of Lincoln]] as vice-chancellor, the [[bishop of Salisbury]] as [[precentor]], the [[bishop of Worcester]] as chaplain and the [[bishop of Rochester]] as [[cross-bearer]].

Along with [[Primacy of Canterbury|primacy over the archbishop of York]], the archbishop of Canterbury also has a precedence of honour over the other bishops of the Anglican Communion. They are recognised as ''primus inter pares'', or first amongst equals. They do not, however, exercise any direct authority in the provinces outside England, except in certain minor roles dictated by Canon in those provinces (for example, they are the judge in the event of an ecclesiastical prosecution against the archbishop of Wales). They do hold [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitical]] authority over several [[extra-provincial Anglican churches]], and they serve as ''ex officio'' [[bishop of the Falkland Islands]].

{{As of|2024}} the archbishop has four [[suffragan]] bishops:
* The [[bishop of Dover]] is given the additional title of "bishop in Canterbury" and empowered to act almost as if the bishop of Dover were the [[diocesan bishop]] of the [[Diocese of Canterbury]], since the archbishop is so frequently away fulfilling national and international duties.
* Two further suffragans, the [[bishop of Ebbsfleet]] and the [[bishop of Richborough]], are [[provincial episcopal visitor]]s for the whole [[Province of Canterbury]], licensed by the archbishop as "flying bishops" to provide oversight throughout the province to parishes which for conscience' sake cannot accept that women can be ordained in the Sacrament of Ordination in the Church of England.
* The [[bishop of Maidstone]] provides alternative episcopal oversight for the province of Canterbury for particular members who take a conservative evangelical view of male headship. On 23 September 2015, [[Rod Thomas (bishop)|Rod Thomas]] was consecrated bishop of Maidstone.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5545/suffragan-bishop-of-maidstone-announced|title = Articles}}</ref> Previously the bishop of Maidstone was an actual suffragan bishop working in the diocese, until it was decided at the diocesan synod of November 2010 that a new bishop would not be appointed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.canterburydiocese.org/diocesansynodnews/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615003605/http://www.canterburydiocese.org/diocesansynodnews/index.htm|url-status=dead|title=Canterbury Diocese – Synod News|archive-date=15 June 2011}}</ref>