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Bishops who travel

Unknown
edited December 1969 in Random Issues
Hi,

You know in our Church, our Bishops don't have their 1st names, nor their surnames.

What then is written on their passports when they travel? A passport has obligatory fields like 1st names and last names.

Comments

  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    I guess that my own bishop has his civil, registered names which are on his birth certificate on his UK passport. I know what they are and occasionally someone outside the Church will use them, but it always sounds strange. I don't think the UK would allow him to put anything else on his passport. I am not 100% sure. But I am 100% sure he cannot just put Abba Seraphim.

    Deacon Peter
  • Unknown
    OK.. what I mean is that they don't have their original 1st names.. they only have the names given to them after their ordination. But they definately do not have last names.

    Peter - so a Bishop may still have to use his family name (that he was born with) on his passport?
  • mabsootamabsoota
    i think this is what he means. when my abouna went into hospital i had to ask him for his 'proper' name so i could find him, so for official purposes, these people have to use their original family names.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    Yes, that is what I mean.

    As far as the state is concerned a bishop is just a person with the names which are on his birth certificate. And so that is what I guess, 99.9999%, is on his passport. I can belong to a religious cult and call myself Mickey Mouse, but on my passport it will say Peter Farrington.

    Deacon Peter
  • salsoulsalsoul
    I think it depends... i've seen bishop's passport before and they had Bishop so and so El Soryani as a name on their passport.  Even some of the monks have their priest name and their monastery as first/last name.

    I think passports issued in egypt would allow that for them.

    perhaps passport issued from other countries wouldn't!
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    Yes I could easily imagine that it would work like that in Egypt where there is a long tradition of dealing with the Coptic Orthodox Church.

    But here in the UK in the 18th century for instance, the Anglican priest would just be known as Mr Smith, not even Father Smith.

    Deacon Peter
  • Christ4LifeChrist4Life
    Well, I don't know about bishops, but I know that priests formally change their names in paper. For example, in his pasport, a  priest would have the name given to him after his ordination not before. He does use the same family name though. I assume the same would be for bishops.
  • peterfarringtonpeterfarrington
    Is that on an Egyptian, US, Canadian or UK passport - or any other one of course.

    My example was of what I guess is the case for UK nationals.

    In Christ

    Deacon Peter
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