A metropolitan and an archbishop are both bishops. That’s the first thing to understand. They’re not a different order of clergy above bishops, they’re bishops with additional responsibilities or honorific titles. The differences are about jurisdiction and administration, not about sacramental authority.
In the Antiochian Orthodox Church, a metropolitan is the ruling bishop of an archdiocese. He’s the shepherd of that entire territory, the symbol of its unity, and its official representative to the wider Church and to civil authorities. Metropolitan Saba, who leads our Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, is a bishop just like any diocesan bishop. But he also carries the weight of overseeing the whole archdiocese, participating in the Holy Synod of Antioch, and representing all of us to the Patriarch and to other Orthodox Churches.
The title “archbishop” works a bit differently. Sometimes it’s an honorific given to a bishop of an important or historic see. Sometimes it describes the bishop of a major city. Metropolitan Saba’s full title is “Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.” He’s the archbishop of his particular see (New York) and the metropolitan of the broader archdiocese. It sounds complicated, but it’s really just layering of titles that reflect both local and regional responsibility.
This goes back to the early Church. When Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, bishops naturally led the churches in individual cities. But some cities were more important than others. The bishop of a metropolis, a provincial capital, would have a kind of seniority among the bishops of that region. He’d call them together for synods. He’d settle disputes. He’d ordain new bishops for neighboring cities. That’s where “metropolitan” comes from: the bishop of the mother city.
“Archbishop” developed similarly. It just means “chief bishop” and originally marked out bishops of particularly significant sees. Over time different Orthodox Churches have used these titles in slightly different ways, but the basic idea remains. These are bishops with wider responsibilities.
Here in Southeast Texas, we’re part of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America, which is itself part of the larger Antiochian Archdiocese. Metropolitan Saba oversees the whole archdiocese. Our diocesan bishop oversees our specific region. But sacramentally they’re the same. Both can ordain priests, consecrate churches, and celebrate the Divine Liturgy. The metropolitan simply has a broader administrative role and participates in the patriarchal synod with certain privileges that diocesan bishops don’t have.
Think of it like this. Every bishop is a successor to the apostles. Every bishop holds the fullness of the priesthood. But not every bishop governs the same size territory or has the same role in Church councils. A metropolitan is first among equals in his archdiocese, not because he’s more of a bishop, but because someone has to coordinate, represent, and shepherd the whole body.
When you hear “His Eminence” instead of “His Grace,” that’s usually a metropolitan or archbishop. When you see a bishop wearing a white klobuk (that tall hat) instead of a black one, that often indicates metropolitan rank. These are external markers of an internal reality: this bishop carries responsibility for more than just his immediate diocese.
For converts from Protestant backgrounds, this can feel strange. We’re used to thinking of church structure in terms of pastors, maybe district superintendents, perhaps bishops if you’re Methodist or Anglican. The Orthodox pattern is older and more tied to geography. A bishop isn’t just an administrator, he’s the living icon of Christ in his diocese, the one who gathers the faithful around the Eucharist. A metropolitan does that for a whole archdiocese, binding together many dioceses into one body.
The Antiochian Archdiocese elected Metropolitan Saba in February 2023. He was enthroned at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Brooklyn that May. When you pray for “our father among the saints, John, Patriarch of Antioch, and our Metropolitan Saba,” you’re praying for the men who shepherd our particular corner of the Orthodox world. They’re bishops. They’re successors to the apostles. And they carry the specific burden of leading and unifying the Church across continents.
If you’re visiting St. Michael for the first time, you’ll hear Metropolitan Saba commemorated at every Divine Liturgy. That’s not just protocol. It’s how we express our unity with the whole Antiochian Church, stretching from Damascus to Beaumont, from the first century to today.
