The supreme archbishop ( lat. Archiepiscopus maior ) is the metropolitan who heads the Eastern Catholic Church with the status of supreme archbishopric. The Supreme Archbishop, although he is of a rank lower than the Patriarch of the Eastern Catholic Church, is equal in rights to him in all respects. The supreme archbishop elected by his Church is confirmed by the pope. If the pope does not approve the supreme archbishop, new elections are held.
The Supreme Archbishops are members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches .
As of 2012, there were four Eastern Catholic churches with the status of supreme archbishopric, which were led by the following hierarchs:
- Svyatoslav Shevchuk is the supreme archbishop of Kiev and Galitsky , the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church . Elected in 2011.
- Cardinal Georg Alencherri is the supreme archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamali, the head of the Syro-Malabar Church . Elected in 2011.
- Cardinal Baselios Kleemis Tottunkal is the supreme archbishop of Trivandrum ( Thiruvananthapuram ), the head of the Syro-Malankar church . Elected in 2007.
- Cardinal Lucian Mureshan - High Archbishop of Fagarash-Alba Julia, head of the Romanian Catholic Church . Elected in 2005.