Bishop

== Christian bishops and civil government ==
{{see also|State church of the Roman Empire}}
{{More citations needed section
| date = May 2019}}
The efficient organization of the [[Roman Empire]] became the template for the organisation of the church in the [[Christianity in the 4th century|4th century]], particularly after [[Constantine I and Christianity|Constantine's]] [[Edict of Milan]]. As the church moved from the shadows of privacy into the public forum it acquired land for churches, burials and [[clergy]]. In 391, [[Theodosius I]] decreed that any land that had been confiscated from the church by Roman authorities be returned.

[[File:Husaby Church 2013 people on 11th Century gravestone.jpg|thumb|A bishop with other officials on an 11th-century grave in [[Sweden]]]]

The most usual term for the geographic area of a bishop's authority and ministry, the [[diocese]], began as part of the structure of the Roman Empire under [[Diocletian]]. As [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire|Roman authority began to fail in the western portion of the empire]], the church took over much of the civil administration. This can be clearly seen in the ministry of two [[pope]]s: [[Pope Leo I]] in the [[Christianity in the 5th century|5th century]], and [[Pope Gregory I]] in the [[Christianity in the 6th century|6th century]]. Both of these men were statesmen and public administrators in addition to their role as Christian pastors, teachers and leaders. In the [[Eastern Roman Empire|Eastern churches]], [[latifundia]] entailed to a bishop's [[Episcopal see|see]] were much less common, the state power did not collapse the way it did in the West, and thus the tendency of bishops acquiring civil power was much weaker than in the West. However, the role of Western bishops as civil authorities, often called [[Prince-Bishop|prince bishops]], continued throughout much of the [[Middle Ages]].

=== Bishops holding political office ===

[[File:Johann Otto von Gemmingen.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Johann Otto von Gemmingen]], [[Prince-Bishopric of Augsburg|Prince-Bishop of Augsburg]]]]

As well as being Archchancellors of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] after the 9th century, bishops generally served as [[chancellor]]s to medieval monarchs, acting as head of the ''justiciary'' and chief [[chaplain]]. The [[Lord Chancellor]] of [[England]] was almost always a bishop up until the dismissal of [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|Cardinal]] [[Thomas Wolsey]] by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]. Similarly, the position of [[Kanclerz]] in the [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Polish kingdom]] was always held by a bishop until the [[Christianity in the 16th century|16th century]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

In modern times, the principality of [[Andorra]] is headed by [[Co-Princes of Andorra]], one of whom is the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell|Bishop of Urgell]] and the other, the sitting [[President of France]], an arrangement that began with the [[Paréage of Andorra (1278)]], and was ratified in the 1993 constitution of Andorra.<ref name="unesco">{{Cite web|author=Vela Palomares, Susanna|author2=Govern d'Andorra|author3=Ministry of Social Affairs and Culture|title=Andorra – First and second Paréages (feudal charters)|url=http://www.unesco.org/webworld/nominations/en/andorra/andorra.htm|publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|year=1997|access-date=14 December 2010}}</ref>

The [[Pope|office of the Papacy]] is inherently held by the sitting Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/apostolic-see|title=Apostolic See definition and meaning &#124; Collins English Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Collins |first=Roger |title=Keepers of the keys of heaven: a history of the papacy |chapter=Introduction |quote=One of the most enduring and influential of all human institutions,{{nbsp}}[...] No one who seeks to make sense of modern issues within Christendom – or, indeed, world history – can neglect the vital shaping role of the popes. |publisher=Basic Books |date=2009 |isbn=978-0-465-01195-7}}</ref> Though not originally intended to hold temporal authority, since the Middle Ages the power of the Papacy gradually expanded deep into the secular realm and for centuries the sitting Bishop of Rome was the most powerful governmental office in Central Italy.<ref name="Faus">{{cite book |last=Faus |first=José Ignacio Gonzáles |title=Autoridade da Verdade – Momentos Obscuros do Magistério Eclesiástico |language=es |chapter=VIII: Os papas repartem terras |pages=64–65 |isbn=85-15-01750-4 |publisher=Edições Loyola}}. See also chapter VI, O papa tem poder temporal absoluto (pages 49–55).</ref> In modern times, the Pope is also the sovereign Prince of [[Vatican City]], an internationally recognized [[micro-state]] located entirely within the city of Rome.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/VATMOD.HTM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050504134930/https://www.ewtn.com/library/HUMANITY/VATMOD.HTM |url-status=dead |archive-date=2005-05-04 |title=The Role of the Vatican in the Modern World }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= The World's Most Powerful People|url= https://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/#tab:overall/|newspaper= Forbes|date= November 2014|access-date=6 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= The World's Most Powerful People|url= https://www.forbes.com/powerful-people/|newspaper= Forbes|date= January 2013|access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref><ref name=Geopolitics>{{cite journal|last=Agnew|first=John|title=Deus Vult: The Geopolitics of Catholic Church|journal=Geopolitics|date=12 February 2010|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–61|doi=10.1080/14650040903420388|s2cid=144793259}}</ref>

In [[France]], prior to [[French Revolution|the Revolution]], representatives of the clergy &mdash; in practice, bishops and [[abbot]]s of the largest [[monastery|monasteries]] &mdash; comprised the [[Estates of the realm#First Estate|First Estate]] of the [[French States-General|Estates-General]]. This role was abolished after separation of Church and State was implemented during the French Revolution.

In the 21st century, the more senior bishops of the [[Church of England]] continue to sit in the [[House of Lords]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]], as representatives of the [[established church]], and are known as [[Lords Spiritual]]. The [[Bishop of Sodor and Man]], whose diocese lies outside the [[United Kingdom]], is an [[ex officio member|''ex officio'' member]] of the [[Legislative Council of the Isle of Man]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Lord Bishop|url=http://www.tynwald.org.im/about/tynday/TD2017/Documents/TD2017%20Prog.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002071524/http://www.tynwald.org.im/about/tynday/TD2017/Documents/TD2017%20Prog.pdf |archive-date=2017-10-02 |url-status=live|work=Tynwald Day 2017|publisher=Tynwald|accessdate=29 November 2019|page=10|date=5 July 2017}}</ref> In the past, the [[Bishop of Durham]] had extensive vice-regal powers within his northern diocese, which was a [[county palatine]], the [[County Palatine of Durham]], (previously, [[Liberty of Durham]]) of which he was ''ex officio'' the [[earl]]. In the 19th century, a gradual process of reform was enacted, with the majority of the bishop's historic powers vested in [[The Crown]] by 1858.<ref name="durham1858">{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=1858 |chapter=45 |act=Durham County Palatine Act 1858 |section= |date=1858-07-23|accessdate= 2021-11-29}}</ref>

[[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] bishops, along with all other members of the clergy, are [[canon law|canonically]] forbidden to hold political office.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ukrainian schismatic synod allows "clergy" to run for political office, against Church canons |url=https://orthochristian.com/121464.html |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=OrthoChristian.Com}}</ref> Occasional exceptions to this rule are tolerated when the alternative is political chaos. In the [[Ottoman Empire]], the [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]], for example, had de facto administrative, cultural and legal jurisdiction,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eastern Orthodoxy - The church of Russia (1448–1800) {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-Orthodoxy/The-church-of-Russia-1448-1800 |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> as well as spiritual authority, over all [[Eastern Orthodox Christianity|Eastern Orthodox Christians]] of the empire, as part of the Ottoman [[Millet (Ottoman Empire)|millet]] system. An Orthodox bishop headed the [[Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro]] from 1516 to 1852, assisted by a secular ''[[guvernadur]]''. More recently, Archbishop [[Makarios III]] of [[Cyprus]], served as [[President of Cyprus|President]] of the [[Cyprus]] from 1960 to 1977, an extremely turbulent time period on the island.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wuthnow|first=Robert |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1307463108 |title=The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion: 2-volume Set |isbn=978-1-136-28493-9 |chapter=Orthodoxy, Greek |date=4 December 2013 |publisher=Routledge |oclc=1307463108 |quote=He continued as president and archbishop during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, when Greek and Turkish Cypriots clashed over what Turks viewed as Greek efforts to disenfranchise them, and the governments of both Greece and Turkey intervened in Cypriot affairs.}}</ref>

In 2001, [[Peter Hollingworth]], [[List of Companions of the Order of Australia|AC]], [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] – then the Anglican Archbishop of [[Anglican Diocese of Brisbane|Brisbane]] – was controversially appointed [[Governor-General of Australia]]. Although Hollingworth gave up his episcopal position to accept the appointment, it still attracted considerable opposition in a country which maintains a formal [[Separation of church and state|separation between Church and State]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 30, 2001 |last=Crampton |first=Dave |title=Church Vs State Issues Raised In Oz GG Appointment |url=https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0104/S00150/church-vs-state-issues-raised-in-oz-gg-appointment.htm?from-mobile=bottom-link-01 |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=www.scoop.co.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-06-04 |title=A churchman cannot serve two masters |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/a-churchman-cannot-serve-two-masters-20030604-gdgvfc.html |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>

=== Episcopacy during the English Civil War ===
{{main|English Civil War#Episcopacy during the English Civil War}}

During the period of the [[English Civil War]], the role of bishops as wielders of political power and as upholders of the established church became a matter of heated political controversy. [[Presbyterianism]] was the polity of most [[Reformed Churches]] in Europe, and had been favored by many in England since the English Reformation. Since in the [[Apostolic Age|primitive church]] the offices of ''presbyter'' and {{transliteration|grc|episkopos}} were not clearly distinguished, many [[Puritans]] held that this was the only form of government the church should have. The Anglican divine, [[Richard Hooker]], objected to this claim in his famous work ''Of the Laws of Ecclesiastic Polity'' while, at the same time, defending Presbyterian ordination as valid (in particular [[John Calvin|Calvin's]] ordination of [[Theodore Beza|Beza]]). This was the official stance of the English Church until the Commonwealth, during which time, the views of Presbyterians and Independents ([[Congregationalists]]) were more freely expressed and practiced.