Difference between bishop and archbishop explained simply

The duties and powers of a bishop

• A bishop must have completed the other offices of the priestly career before his ordination, which is carried out by at least one other bishop. A corresponding consecration must be determined by the Pope.
• The diocesan or local bishop stands above the so-called auxiliary bishop. Auxiliary bishops support him in his activities and preside over a diocese, an ecclesiastical administrative district.
• A local bishop, however, is not subordinate to an archbishop, but solely subordinate to the Pope. He has both legal and teaching powers in his diocese, so he is the highest ecclesiastical authority in all disputes - apart from the Pope. He is also the only one who is allowed to administer sacraments such as ordination or confirmation.

There are these differences to an archbishop

• To anticipate it, the title of archbishop has nothing to do with iron ore. The prefix "arch" (as in "archangel") means something like "upper" or "highest".
• An archbishop has no direct authority over a local bishop. The biggest difference is that an archbishop manages an archdiocese. Such is a kind of core diocese to which other dioceses are attached. Ultimately, an archbishop in the archdiocese does the same Functions like a local bishop in an ordinary diocese. In practice there are still various special regulations, but these are negligible for general understanding.


Difference between pastor and pastor - simply explained

When it comes to the church, one knows more and the other less. …

• However, there is a type of archbishop, the so-called metropolitan, who, in contrast to this, actually carries out more extensive tasks. A metropolitan presides over an ecclesiastical province in addition to his ordinary duties. This usually consists of two to five dioceses.
• Within the ecclesiastical province, the metropolitan is responsible for maintaining faith and discipline. So it represents a supervisory authority, without however having the authority to remedy it, at least not in relation to other bishops.