Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Greek: Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ; Turkish: Rum Ortodoks Patrikhanesi, "Greek Orthodox Patriarchate"), part of the wider Orthodox Church, is one of the fourteen autocephalous churches within the communion of Orthodox Christianity. It is headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, currently Bartholomew I.

Because of its location at the former capital of the Byzantine Empire and its role as the Mother Church of most modern Orthodox churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has enjoyed the status of "Primus inter pares (first among equals)" among the world's Eastern Orthodox prelates. Unlike the Pope, he does not exercise control over the individual autocephalous churches, which are fully autonomous. He is, however, widely regarded as the representative and spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, although this role has been disputed by the Moscow Patriarchate, which represents the numerically largest Orthodox community (a disputable position, as the majority of its flock is made up of parishes in Ukraine).