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Catholicos (plural Catholicoi) is a title given to the head bishop of an autonomous region under the Patriarchate of Antioch
Antioch

Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the nearer East and was a cradle of gentile hi...
 in the ancient Syrian church
Syrian Church

Syrian Church may refer to:*Syriac Orthodox Church*Syriac Catholic Church...
. Catholicos in all respect is equallant to a Patriarch in powers, but, in precedence, defers to the Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its Early Christianity....
. The word 'Catholicos' is a transliteration
Transliteration

Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice....
 of the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 ?a???????, pl. ?a??????? , meaning concerning the whole, universal or general.

There existed 4 Catholicos in the ancient church:

All these 4 ancient catholicates were independent Autocephalous provinces came under the Papal supervision of the Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its Early Christianity....
 prior to the creation of the Catholicos

A Catholicate or Catholicosate (at times spelt as catholicossate) is the area of responsibility (territorial or otherwise) of the catholicos
Catholicos

Catholicos is a title given to the head bishop of an autonomous region under the Patriarchate of Antioch in the ancient Syrian church. Catholicos in all respect is equallant to a Patriarch in powers, but, in precedence, defers to the Patriarch of Antioch....
, considered a leader within any of the several churches of Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
, especially those regarded as Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christianity Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils ? the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus....
.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches not of Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite, is the liturgy used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches and by the Greek-Catholic Churches ....
, Catholicos is equivalent to a Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop

In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an Ordinary to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in his....
.

Origin of the title
The title arose in the Patrarichate of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its Early Christianity....
 sometime after the division of jurisdiction of provinces among the three Churches in the First Council of Nicaea
First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicea was convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperors Constantine I in 325 CE. The Council was historically significant as the first effort to attain consensus decision-making in the church through an legislature representing all of Christendom....
 in 325 AD, that with canon six confirmed the traditional jurisdition of the Church of Antioch.






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Catholicos (plural Catholicoi) is a title given to the head bishop of an autonomous region under the Patriarchate of Antioch
Antioch

Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the nearer East and was a cradle of gentile hi...
 in the ancient Syrian church
Syrian Church

Syrian Church may refer to:*Syriac Orthodox Church*Syriac Catholic Church...
. Catholicos in all respect is equallant to a Patriarch in powers, but, in precedence, defers to the Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its Early Christianity....
. The word 'Catholicos' is a transliteration
Transliteration

Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system or system of rules for such practice....
 of the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 ?a???????, pl. ?a??????? , meaning concerning the whole, universal or general.

There existed 4 Catholicos in the ancient church:
  • Catholicos of the East in Persia/India
  • Catholicos of Etchmiadzin in Armenia
  • Catholicos of Iberia in Georgia
  • Catholicos of Caucasian Albania in Azerbijan


All these 4 ancient catholicates were independent Autocephalous provinces came under the Papal supervision of the Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its Early Christianity....
 prior to the creation of the Catholicos

A Catholicate or Catholicosate (at times spelt as catholicossate) is the area of responsibility (territorial or otherwise) of the catholicos
Catholicos

Catholicos is a title given to the head bishop of an autonomous region under the Patriarchate of Antioch in the ancient Syrian church. Catholicos in all respect is equallant to a Patriarch in powers, but, in precedence, defers to the Patriarch of Antioch....
, considered a leader within any of the several churches of Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christianity traditions and churches which developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Christianity in Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity....
, especially those regarded as Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christianity Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils ? the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus....
.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches not of Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite

The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite, is the liturgy used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches and by the Greek-Catholic Churches ....
, Catholicos is equivalent to a Major Archbishop
Major Archbishop

In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an Ordinary to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in his....
.

Origin of the title


The title arose in the Patrarichate of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch

Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title carried by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its Early Christianity....
 sometime after the division of jurisdiction of provinces among the three Churches in the First Council of Nicaea
First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicea was convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperors Constantine I in 325 CE. The Council was historically significant as the first effort to attain consensus decision-making in the church through an legislature representing all of Christendom....
 in 325 AD, that with canon six confirmed the traditional jurisdition of the Church of Antioch. History shows that catholicoses were created mainly to rule Eastern provinces that formed outside the Roman Empire which was part of patrarichate of Antioch as per the custom of ancient church.

The term 'Catholicos' first seems to have been applied to the churches in the Persian Empire
Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
, where it was believed that the holder was the successor of the Apostle Thomas. The first claim that the bishop of Selucia-Ctesiphon was superior to the other bishoprics and had (using a later term) patriarchal rights was made by Mar Papa bar Gaggai
List of Patriarchs of Babylon

The Patriarch of Assyria, also called the Assyrian Patriarch, is the leader and head bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East, formerly based in Mosul, Iraq, and now in exile in Chicago....
 (or Aggai, c. 317-c. 329). In the 4th century this claim strengthen and Mar Isaac (or Ishaq, 399-c.410), who organized the Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon
Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon

The Synod of Seleucia-Ctesiphon met in AD 410 under the presidency of Mar Isaac, the bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. The most important decision of the Synod which had a very far reaching effect on the life of the church, was to declare the bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon as the primate of the Sassanid church; and in recognition of this he...
, used the title of bishop of Selucia-Ctesiphon, Catholicos and Head over the bishops of all the Orient.. This line of Catholicos gave origin to the Church of the East
Church of the East

Church of the East may refer to the Church centered in modern Syria and Iraq named Nestorianism in the Western world before it was divided into the three bodies below....
 and used the East Syrian Rite
East Syrian Rite

The East Syrian Rite is also known as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite, Assyrian Rite, Chaldean Rite or Persian Rite although it originated in Osroene....
.

Catholicos of the East


Autocephalous Churches of East Syrian Rite


The following are autocephalous
Autocephaly

Autocephaly, in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop....
 Churches of East Syrian Rite
East Syrian Rite

The East Syrian Rite is also known as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite, Assyrian Rite, Chaldean Rite or Persian Rite although it originated in Osroene....
 that claim succession to the Catholicos of the East of Selucia-Ctesiphon of the Church of the East
Church of the East

Church of the East may refer to the Church centered in modern Syria and Iraq named Nestorianism in the Western world before it was divided into the three bodies below....
. These Churches were named Nestorian
Nestorianism

Nestorianism is the doctrine that Christ exists as two ,persons the man Jesus and the divine Son of God, or Jesus Christ the Logos, rather than as two natures of one divine essence....
 in the West
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
 (not a self-identification):
  • Catholicos of Assyrian Church of the East
    Assyrian Church of the East

    The Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East , currently presided over by Mar Dinkha IV, is a Christian particular church and one of the earliest to separate itself from communion with the Catholic Church ....
    • Mar Dinkha IV is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.
  • Catholicos of Ancient Church of the East
    Ancient Church of the East

    The Ancient Church of the East separated from the Assyrian Church of the East, after Mar Shimun XXIII, the patriarch of Assyrian Church of the East made reforms which were not supported....
    • Mar Addai II
      Mar Addai II

      Mar Addai II is the Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and resides in Baghdad, Iraq.He was elected to the position in February 1970, several months after the death of Mar Thoma Darmo, and consecrated 20 February 1972....
       is the current Catholicos of the Ancient Church of the East.


Eastern Catholic Churches of East Syrian Rite

The following are Eastern Catholic Churches of East Syrian Rite
East Syrian Rite

The East Syrian Rite is also known as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite, Assyrian Rite, Chaldean Rite or Persian Rite although it originated in Osroene....
 that claim succession to the Catholicos of the East of Selucia-Ctesiphon of the Church of the East
Church of the East

Church of the East may refer to the Church centered in modern Syria and Iraq named Nestorianism in the Western world before it was divided into the three bodies below....
:
  • Catholicos of the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East
    Chaldean Catholic Church

    The Chaldean Catholic Church or the Chaldean Church of Babylon is an Eastern Catholic Churches Particular_church#Autonomous_particular_Churches_or_Rites of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church....
    • Mar Emmanuel III Delly
      Emmanuel III Delly

      Mar Emmanuel III Delly is the Catholic Chaldean Patriarchs of Babylon and Primate of the Chaldean Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Churches sui juris particular church of the Catholic Church and a Cardinal ....
       is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East (in full Communion
      Full communion

      Full communion is a term used in Christianity ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion , with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential doctrines, between a Christian community and other communities or between that community and individuals....
       with the Pope
      Pope

      The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
      .)
  • Catholicos of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
    Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

    The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is a Chaldean Catholic Church or East Syrian Rite, Major Archbishop Church in Full communion with the Roman Catholic Church....
     in India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
    • Mar Varkey Vithayathil is the current Catholicos-Major Archbishop
      Major Archbishop

      In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop is a title for an Ordinary to whose archiepiscopal see is granted the same jurisdiction in his autonomous particular Church that an Eastern patriarch has in his....
       of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (in full Communion
      Full communion

      Full communion is a term used in Christianity ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion , with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential doctrines, between a Christian community and other communities or between that community and individuals....
       with the Pope
      Pope

      The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
      .)


Oriental Orthodox Church


In the 6th century, on initiative of Mar Jacob Baradaeus
Jacob Baradaeus

Jacobus Baradaeus or James Baradaeus , was ordained by the Miaphysitism bishop of Edessa, Mesopotamia , with ecumenical authority over the members of their body throughout the East....
, a hierarchy of the Syrian Orthodox
Syriac Orthodox Church

The Syriac Orthodox Church is an autocephaly Oriental Orthodox church based in the Middle East, with members spread throughout the world. It schism with Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism over the Council of Chalcedon, which the Syriac Orthodox Church rejects....
 was erected in the present Iraq
Iraq

Iraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros Mountains, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
 to serve the Christians who were not passed under the Catholicate of the Church of the East. The main See
Episcopal See

An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral....
 was placed in Tikrit
Tikrit

Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the province of Salah ad Din ....
 and the rite used was the one of Antioch, i.e. the West Syrian Rite
West Syrian Rite

The West Syrian Rite is the rite used by certain Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic churches. It is in its origin simply the old Antiochene Rite in the Syriac language....
. The first head of this hierarchy was the Great Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop

In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis ; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital....
 Ahudemeh (559-575). From the 7th century the title used was Maphrian
Maphrian

The Syriac word Maphryana, rendered as mafriano, also Anglicized as Maphrian, literally signifying 'one who bears fruit', i.e. 'a consecrator', is used to designate the prelate who, in the Syriac Orthodox Church, holds the second rank after the patriarch among the Syriac Orthodox Christians , somewhat comparable to an Exarch....
 (or Maphryono). In the 12th century the See was moved to Mosul
Mosul

Mosul is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some 400 km northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linkin...
 and from the 13th century the title became Catholicos of the East. After the massacres of Tamerlane, the Maphrian was forced to leave Persia and this title was used for the general vicar, with nominal right of succession, of the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church.

In 17th century many Christians of the Kerala
Kerala

Kerala is a Indian Union States and territories of India located in the southwestern part of India. With an Arabian Sea coastline on the west, it is bordered on the north by Karnataka and by Tamil Nadu on the south and east....
 region in India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
 decided to left the Church of Malabar, the local Church that has always been in connection with the Church of the East
Church of the East

Church of the East may refer to the Church centered in modern Syria and Iraq named Nestorianism in the Western world before it was divided into the three bodies below....
 and that from the second half of 16th century was under the control of the Portuguese
Portuguese people

The Portuguese people are the ethnic group or nation native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of Southern Europe-Western Europe Europe....
s, and to pass under the hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church. They left the East Syrian Rite to adopt the West Syrian Rite. The title of Catholicos of the East for an Indian hierarchy was used from the 20th century. The following heads of Orthodox Church claims succession to the Catholicos of the East.
  • Catholicos of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
    • Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Didymus I
      Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I

      Baselios Marrthoma Didymos I was enthroned Catholicos of the East & Catholicos of the East on October 31, 2005. Didymos was consecrated as Bishop on August 24, 1966 and has been serving as Metropolitan of the Malabar Diocese of the church....
       is the current Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
  • Catholicos of Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
    • Baselios Thomas I is the current Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church.


Eastern Catholic Churches of West Syrian Rite

The following are Eastern Catholic Churches of the West Syrian Rite
West Syrian Rite

The West Syrian Rite is the rite used by certain Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic churches. It is in its origin simply the old Antiochene Rite in the Syriac language....
:

  • Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
    Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

    The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Antiochian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church in the Catholic Communion, in union with the Pope of Rome, historically linked to the Syrian Church....
     (in full Communion
    Full communion

    Full communion is a term used in Christianity ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion , with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential doctrines, between a Christian community and other communities or between that community and individuals....
     with the Pope
    Pope

    The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
    ).
    • Catholicos Baselios Cleemis
      Moran mor Baselios Cleemis

      Baselios Cleemis Catholica Bava born Isaac Thottunkal is the Major Archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.Cleemis was born at Mukkoor,Thiruvalla, Kerala, India....
       is the present Catholicos of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
      Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

      The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Antiochian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal sui iuris Eastern Catholic Church in the Catholic Communion, in union with the Pope of Rome, historically linked to the Syrian Church....
      . According to the jurisdictional tradition of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church the Major Archbishop has since used the term "Catholicos".


Armenian Churches


Armenian Apostolic Church


Likewise, the head of One Holy Universal Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church
Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest national church and one of the most ancient Christianity communities.The official name of the church is the One Holy Universal Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church ....
 also bore the title Catholicos. The Catholicos of Etchmiadzin presides over the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church and is the head of the world's 7 million Armenian Orthodox Christians.
  • Catholicos of Etchmiadzin (Chief Shepherd and Pontiff to all Armenians dispersed throughout the world) of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
    • Karekin II
      Karekin II

      Catholicos Karekin II is the current head of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church.He was born as Ktrij Nersessian in Voskehat, Armenia, on August 21, 1951....
       is the current Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church.


Apart from this, there existed two other Catholicos in the Armenian Church. They are:
    • Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia
      Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia

      The Holy See of Cilicia...
       (Since 1441). The present Catholicos is His Holiness Aram I
      Aram I

      His Holiness Aram I is the head of the Holy See of Cilicia and has been Catholicos of Cilicia of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church since 1995....
      .
    • Catholicos of Akdamar Island
      Akdamar Island

      Akdamar Island is a small island in Lake Van in the Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey of Turkey, about 0.7 km2 in size, situated about 3 km from the shoreline....
       (1116-1895)
Among these two titular Catholicos, only the one in Cilicia exists even today. The primacy of honor of the Catholicossate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

Armenian Catholic Church


  • Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church
    Armenian Catholic Church

    The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches sui juris in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. It is in full communion with and accepts the authority of the Pope in Rome as regulated by Eastern canon law....
     (in full Communion
    Full communion

    Full communion is a term used in Christianity ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion , with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential doctrines, between a Christian community and other communities or between that community and individuals....
     with the Pope
    Pope

    The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
    ).
    • Nerses Bedros XIX
      Nerses Bedros XIX

      Nerses Bedros XIX was born in Cairo, Egypt on January 17, 1940, the fifth of eight children, is the current patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church....
       is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. His full title is officially "Patriarch Catholicos of the House of Cilicia
      List of Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia

      This is a list of The Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia. The Armenian Catholic Church patriarchate was established in 1740 and recognized by the Pope of the Catholic Church in 26 November,1742 following a Schism within the Armenian Patriarchate based in Cilicia....
      "


Catholicos of Iberia


The title of catholicos is also used in the Georgian Church, whose head carries the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia

Catholicos-Patriarch has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I ....
.
  • Catholicos of Georgian Orthodox Church
    • Ilia II
      Ilia II

      Ilia II is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church. He is officially styled as His Holiness and Beatitude, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia....
       is the current Catholicos of the Georgian Orthodox Church.


Catholicos of Caucasian Albania

Historically, the title of Catholicos was also used by the chief bishop of Caucasian Albania
Caucasian Albania

Caucasian Albania was an ancient kingdom that existed on the territory of present-day Republic of Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan and came under strong Armenian religious and cultural influence....
. With the Islamic invasion this church deteriorated and the provinces came under the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin.

See also

  • Catholicos of Georgia
  • Catholicos of Armenia
    Catholicos of Armenia

    The Catholicos of All Armenians is the Chief bishop of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is one of the Oriental Orthodoxy churches that do not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon....
  • List of Catholicoi of Armenia
    List of Catholicoi of Armenia

    This is a list of The Catholicoi of all Armenians, head bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church....
  • Catholicos of the East
    Catholicos of the East

    "Catholicos" is a title used by Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches to denote the head of a Church or a dignitary of the highest order. This article focuses upon the Catholicos of the East in India....
  • List of Catholicos of the East


External links