Who was the bishop of costantinople?

Answer 1

The current bishop of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) is His All Holiness Bartholomew I.

Because Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire (and some other reasons), the Bishop of Rome was held as the "first among equals" and held a primacy of honor in the early Church. When Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Constantinople, that city's bishop rose in eminence to be the second among equals. The second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople - the Council that gave Christianity the final form of the Creed) professed that the Bishop of Constantinople (called Nova Roma, or New Rome) was to be esteemed in honor. Five major apostolic sees/patriarchates were held up: Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Rome and Constantinople were the two foremost sees.

In the sixth century or so, the title of Ecumenical Patriarch was given to the Patriarch of Constantinople. This is a title of honor, not one of authority. Pope Gregory the Great wrote against the idea of a universal bishop having authority over other bishops and decried the bishop of Constantinople for taking the title.

By the 10th and 11th centuries, the Latin West and the Greek East were clearly separating over issues of papal authority and the Latin insertion of the filioque clause into the Creed. 1054 A.D. is given by many as the "official" date of the schism, though there is some arbitrariness to that date.

For the last thousand years, the bishop of Constantinople has been seen as the Ecumenical Patriarch, the "first among equals" among the bishops of the Eastern Orthodox Church. This position should not be confused with the practice of the papacy or the organization of the Roman Catholic Church, though, as the Patriarch does not function as the Pope. The Ecumenical Patriarch has administrative jurisdiction and is given special honor, but his "primacy" is not one of authority over the other Patriarchs and bishops.