List of current Christian leaders

The following is a current list of the highest-ranking leaders in major Christian churches or denominations. The list is in descending order based on the number of congregants.

Catholic Church

Pope

The 267th bishop of Rome is Pope Leo XIV, who was elected on 8 May 2025. The pope is the patriarch of the Latin Church, the largest of the Catholic Church's 24 autonomous (sui iuris) churches. The pope is also head of the college of bishops which governs the universal church. The Papal primacy doctrine of Catholics states that this primacy extends in perpetuity to the pope and throughout the Catholic Church.

Eastern Catholic Churches

The pope is the supreme leader of these churches, and also, the head of the universal college of bishops. Each autonomous (sui iuris) church has its own patriarch or other presiding bishop:

Eastern Orthodox Church

Patriarchates

Archbishoprics

Metropolises

Churches in partial communion

Oriental Orthodox Churches

Churches not in communion

Church of the East

Old Catholic Church

Anglican Communion

Other

References

  1. ^ "Statement by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church concerning the encroachment of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on the canonical territory of the Russian Church".
  2. ^ "The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church |". mosc.in. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  3. ^ "General Synod". Archived from the original on April 16, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  4. ^ "Structures & Ministries: New Apostolic Church International (NAC)". www.nak.org. Retrieved 2020-08-08.