PRIMAZIALE, SEDE. – This is the cathedral church presided over by a bishop bearing the title of primate over a given region. As such, the primate takes precedence over the other metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops of the country included within his jurisdiction.
In historical sources, primates are sometimes called, in a general sense, ecclesiastical superiors (Mansi, XXI, 121).
I. HISTORICAL NOTES
In the fourth century, the title of primate was often attributed to the bishop of Carthage, who exercised true jurisdiction over all Africa. Indeed, the Primus Cartuginensis convened general councils in Africa and presided over them (cf. the Carthaginian Councils held from 407 onward); at these general councils he reviewed the provincial councils; he indicated to the other bishops the day on which Easter was to be celebrated; and he settled disputes concerning the metropolitans (cf. Hefele-Leclercq, I, pp. 1199–1200). This jurisdiction disappeared with the decline of the African Church, and after 1076 no further mention is made of II.The other primates in the West probably originated with the appointment, from the fourth century onward, by the Roman Pontiffs of certain metropolitans (especially those of Arles and Thessalonica) as their vicars. The powers originally granted to the individual eventually became attached to the see; thus, following the implicit or explicit recognition of the Roman Pontiffs, the primatial sees arose of Arles, Bordeaux, and Lyons (sixth century) in Gaul; of Canterbury in England (seventh century); of Armagh in Ireland (eighth century); of Mainz and Salzburg (eighth century) in Germany; of Toledo in Spain; of Venice for Dalmatia (fifteenth century); of Gran (Esztergom) in Hungary; of Pisa for Sardinia; and of Mechelen in Belgium (sixteenth century). The rights of the primates, which were not always uniform either in nature or everywhere, consisted in consecrating metropolitans or bishops, visiting dioceses, receiving appeals, and so forth. In France, although the primatial sees were suppressed by the Concordat of 1801, the title of primate nevertheless remained with the archbishop of Lyons. In the East, the title of exarch (v.).
II. CURRENT LAW
The Roman Pontiff, who is at the head of the entire Church, is also called Patriarch of the West and Primate of Italy (cf. Ann. Pont. 1952, p. 27).According to the current discipline of the CIC, that of the primate is nothing more than a prerogative of honor, without true jurisdiction (can. 271); the primate has the right of precedence over archbishops, while following patriarchs (cann. 271, 208). Even today, when sending encyclicals or apostolic letters to the episcopate of the entire Catholic world, the Pope uses the formula: Ad omnes Patriarcas Primates... The title of primate is not officially used in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and in the Annuario Pontificio it is never mentioned except in reference to the Roman Pontiff.