Who commands in religions: all the spiritual leaders of the main faiths in the world

Almost all religions recognize figures who, for their wisdom and their culture, act as Guide of the community of the faithfullocally or nationally: among them the Orthodox patriarchsThe Imam Muslimi rabbis head of the Jewish communities, i guru Hindu and, for the Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama. The roles and attributions of these figures are very different but in no religion there is a figure with the same power of which it enjoys, for Catholics, the Dad. The Pope is aauthority absolute in spiritual mattersto the point that even Christian doctrine can change, and it is also the head of a state, the Vatican city. The other Christian confessions and other religions do not recognize a garment with the same power eIn many cases, they do not have a clergy that acts as an intermediary between the faithful and divinities, as are the Catholic priests.

Non -Catholic Christianity

Here are the main figures for Christian but not Catholic faiths.

Orthodox Church

In the Orthodox Christianity The clergy exists, but There is no figure like that of the Pope. The “leaders” of the Orthodox religion are the patriarchseach with competence on a specific territory (generally a state). Among the various patriarchs, that of Constantinople (Istanbul) enjoys particular prestige and is a sort of Primus Inter Percisbut has no formal authority on the other patriarchs. The current patriarch of Constantinople is Bartolomeoin the century Dimitrios Archontonis, in office since 1991. The Orthodox patriarchate of Flycurrently led by Cirillo I.

Protestant Church

In the Protestant Christianity There is no clergy, because the faithful must communicate with the divinity without the intermediation of priests. THE shepherds They only serve to guide the community spiritually. There is therefore no recognized garment.

Anglican Church

There Anglican Churchwhich in part follows the Protestant doctrine and partly the Catholic one, is headed by king of Englandtherefore currently from Charles III. Anglicanism was born precisely because in 1532 the sovereign, Henry VIII, wanted to take control over the English clergy. Spiritual leader of the Anglican Church is instead theArchbishop of Canterbury. Currently the charge is vacant.

Coptic Orthodox Church

There Coptic Orthodox Churchpresent in Egypt, is led by a figure that brings the title of Popethe “Pope of Alexandria and patriarch of all over Africa”. The Copts are distinguished from other Christians because they are monophysitesThat is, they believe that Jesus had only divine nature and not a human and a divine. Currently the Coptic Pope is Teodoro (Tawadros) IIin office since 2012. There is also a minority Catholic Coptawhich recognizes the Pope of Rome as his boss and, locally, is subject to a patriarch based in Alexandria.

Islam

Islam does not recognize a supreme authority, nor is it equipped with priests on the model of the Catholic ones. However, there are the Figures that guide the communities of the faithfuldifferent according to the “confessions” (Islam is not a unitary religion but is divided into “confessions”, the main ones of which are that Sunni and that Shiite). In the past, Sunnis they recognized as head of the whole Muslim community the caliphwhat does it mean vicar (“implied” of Muhammad “). Today there is no universally recognized caliph. In the past, the title was held by the most important sovereigns in the Islamic world, because, since the Middle Ages, from religious charge the Caliphate had turned into a mainly political role. In 1517 the title of Caliph was taken by the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, but in 1924 he was abolished by decision of the Turkish government.

The Shiite they did not recognize the caliphs as Muhammad’s successors, with the exception of the first four, but followed other guides, known as imamthe last of which was “hidden” in the year 874. In the individual religious communities, the imams (not to be confused with the imam understood by the Shiites as the leader of the whole Muslim world) are those who guide the Mosque prayersin particular on the occasion during the collective prayer of Friday. In the field Shiitethe highest religious authorities are called Ayatollah (literally “signs of God”), and are considered models to imitate. The title of Ayatollah, which has become common in the twentieth century, is widespread above all in Iran. Some exponents who enjoy particular prestige receive the title of Great Ayatollah. THE’Alim (plural Ulama or Ulema) Instead it is “the one who knows”, that is, one Koran scholar and theology expertwhich enjoys great prestige. In the Iranian and Turkish sphere, the wise are identified with the title of mullah.

Judaism

There Jewish religion it does not have a supreme garment. The main religious figures of Judaism are the rabbisthat is, men who know theology and act as Guide of the faithful. The figures with greater power are the Capo rabbiniwho have authorities on a state or city. In Italy, for example, each Jewish community has its head rabbi, the most important of which is that of Rome. Internationally, the rabbis who enjoy the greatest prestige are the two Rabbini head of the state of Israel, A Askenazita and a sefarditis (the two main “currents” of Jewish religion). However, they, they have no power on the Judaism of other territories.

Hinduism

Hinduism has neither the clergy nor a supreme garment. The figures who enjoy greater prestige are the guruthat is, the masters who teach the religious principles to their disciples.

Buddhism

Not even the Buddhist religion recognizes supreme authorities. In Tibet, however, the Buddhists recognize a religious leader, the Dalai Lamaapproximately translatable as “Oceanic master of wisdom”. In the past, the Dalai Lama was also the political leader of Tibet, but he lost this role since 1950, when the territory has been annexed to China. The Dalai Lama is chosen by the Tibetan monks among the children, on the basis of the recognition of certain signs. Current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatsochosen in 1940, when he was only 5 years old.