The Primates of the Anglican Communion are the chief Archbishops, Presiding Bishops, Moderators and chief pastors of the 42 provinces.
Their churches are autonomous yet inter-dependent in their relationships with each other. The Archbishop of Canterbury convenes their meetings and sessions are chaired by different primates.
Primates' Meetings are held at varying intervals around the world. The next meeting will take place in Rome from 29 April to 2 May 2024.
The Primates have no authority as a body and their own national churches determine how their ministry is carried out in their own context. The customs and responsibilities vary between provinces.
The Primates' Meeting was established in 1978 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan, as an opportunity for “leisurely thought, prayer and deep consultation”.
This website contains the statements and communiqués from the meetings in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2020 (Jordan), 2020 (online), 2021 and 2022.
The use of the title 'primate' in the context of meetings of the Anglican Communion denotes the chief archbishop or bishop of a province of the Anglican Episcopal family of churches.
Further InformationFive primates are elected from amongst their number to form the Primates' Standing Committee. These five primates are part of the Anglican Communion's Standing Committee, alongside the Chair, Vice Chair and other members elected by the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The current members of the Primates' Standing Committee are:
Americas
The Most Revd Linda Nicholls (Canada)
Alternate: The Most Revd Tito Zavala (Chile)
Africa
The Most Revd Jackson Ole Sapit (Kenya)
Alternate: The Most Revd Albert Chama (Central Africa)
Middle East and South Asia
The Most Revd Azad Marshall (Pakistan)
Alternate: Vacant
Oceania and East Asia
The Most Revd Philip Richardson (Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia)
Alternate: The Most Revd Leonard Dawea (Melanesia)
Europe
The Most Revd John McDowell (Ireland)
Alternate: The Most Revd Mark Strange (Scotland)