Editing Primus inter pares (section)

=== Eastern Orthodox Churches ===
{{See also|Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople#Prerogatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate}}{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}}
The phrase "first among equals" is also used to describe the role of the [[patriarch of Constantinople]], who, as the "ecumenical patriarch", is the first among all the [[bishop]]s of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. He has no direct jurisdiction over the other [[patriarch]]s or the other [[autocephalous]] Orthodox churches and cannot interfere in the election of bishops in autocephalous churches, but he alone enjoys the right of convening extraordinary synods consisting of them or their delegates to deal with ad hoc situations, and he has also convened well-attended pan-Orthodox Synods in the last forty years. His title is an acknowledgement of his historic significance and of his privilege to serve as primary spokesman for the [[Eastern Orthodox Church organization|Eastern Orthodox Communion]]. 

[[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christians]] considered the bishop of Rome to be the "first among equals" during the first thousand years of Christianity<ref name="Ware 214">Timothy Ware, ''The Orthodox Church'' (Oxford: Penguin, 1993), 214–17.</ref> according to the ancient, first millennial order (or "taxis" in Greek) of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, known as the [[Pentarchy]] that was established after Constantinople became the eastern capital of the Byzantine Empire.<ref name="Ware 214" /><ref>[https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/ch_orthodox_docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20071013_documento-ravenna_en.html Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority (The Ravenna Document)], ''Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Church'', 13 October 2007, n. 35.</ref> 

The canons relative to the universal primacy of honor of the [[List of ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople|patriarch of Constantinople]] are the 9th canon of the [[synod of Antioch]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/canonsoc/home/-canons-of-the-particular-councils/antioch-council-341|title=Antiochean Council (341) - The Canons of the Eastern Orthodox Church|website=sites.google.com|access-date=2018-12-06|quote=Canon 9. The presiding Bishop in a metropolis must be recognized by the Bishops belonging to each province (or eparchy), and undertake the cure of the entire province, because of the fact that all who have any kind of business to attend to are wont to come from all quarters to the metropolis. Hence it has seemed best to let him have precedence in respect of honor, and to let the rest of the Bishops do nothing extraordinary without him, in accordance with the ancient Canon of the Fathers which has been prevailing, or only those things which are imposed upon the parish of each one of them and upon the territories under it.|archive-date=2020-10-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009181211/https://sites.google.com/site/canonsoc/home/-canons-of-the-particular-councils/antioch-council-341|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Non-primary source needed|date=May 2023}} and the 28th canon of the [[Council of Chalcedon]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ENG0835/_P1W.HTM|title=Canons of the seven ecumenical councils: text - IntraText CT|website=www.intratext.com|access-date=2018-12-07|quote=Everywhere following the decrees of the Holy Fathers, and aware of the recently recognized Canon of the one hundred and fifty most God-beloved [[Bishops in the Catholic Church|Bishops]] who convened during the reign of [[Theodosius I|Theodosius the Great]] of pious memory, who became emperor in the imperial city of Constantinople otherwise known as New Rome; we too decree and vote the same things in regard to the privileges and priorities of the most holy Church of that same Constantinople and [[New Rome]]. And this is in keeping with the fact that the Fathers naturally enough granted the priorities to the throne of Old Rome on account of her being the imperial capital. And motivated by the same object and aim the one hundred and fifty most God-beloved Bishops have accorded the like priorities to the most holy throne of New Rome, with good reason deeming that the city which is the seat of an empire, and of a senate, and is equal to old imperial Rome in respect of other privileges and priorities, should be magnified also as she is in respect of ecclesiastical affairs, as coming next after her, or as being second to her.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orthodoxie.com/en/ukraine-orthodoxy-the-war-of-the-patriarchs-interview-with-father-jivko-panev/|title="Ukraine - Orthodoxy: The war of the patriarchs", interview with Father Jivko Panev|last=Cazabonne|first=Emma|date=2018-12-06|website=Orthodoxie.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orthodoxie.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/interview-Father-Panev-and-Il-Regno.pdf|title="Ukraine - Orthodoxy: The war of the patriarchs", interview with Father Jivko Panev|website=orthodoxie.com|page=5|access-date=2018-12-07}}</ref>{{Non-primary source needed|date=May 2023}}