For the heraldry meaning see Ordinary.

In hierarchical Western Christianity, an ordinary (from the Latin ordinarius) is an ecclesiastical officer with both pastoral and governmental jurisdiction over a well-defined group of persons granted by canon law. In the Eastern church, such an officer is called a hierarch, which comes from the Greek word 'ιεραρχης' meaning "high priest."

The term ordinary emphasizes that the power of the officer is not delegated from a higher governmental body but is granted directly from the law, whether that law be the codified 'canon' laws of the church or 'divine' laws which the church sees coming directly from God. Other ecclesiastical officers may exercise governmental or pastoral jurisdiction delegated from one of these officers, but since they are not mentioned in the law, they are not ordinaries.

The power to govern (termed external jurisdiction) is different from pastoral power (also called internal jurisdiction). Governing jurisdiction means executive, legislative, and/or judicial power, whereas pastoral jurisdiction means the power to teach or supervise. Thus, while a pastor has pastoral

Roman Catholic usage

Local ordinaries/hierarchs

Local ordinaries are ordinaries over particular churches. The following officers are local ordinaries:

• Diocesan/eparchial bishops and all prelates who head particular churches
• Vicars capitular, Administrators sede vacante, and temporary Apostolic administrators
• Vicars general and protosyncelli
• Episcopal vicars and syncelli

Other ordinaries/hierarchs

Other officers are also ordinaries, but not local ordinaries.

• Patriarchs and major archbishops over sui juris churches
• Abbots and major superiors over their respective religious orders
• Prelates of personal prelatures

The pope is the local ordinary of Rome. He is also the ordinary, but not the local ordinary, of the Latin rite church. Roman Catholics also believe that he is also the ordinary of the universal Church.

See also

• Military ordinariate Ordinariat