The ecumenical patriarch (Greek: Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, romanized: Oikoumenikós Patriárchis; Turkish: Konstantinopolis ekümenik patriği) is the archbishop of Constantinople–New Rome and ranks as primus inter pares (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that make up the Eastern Orthodox Church. He is regarded as the representative and spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide.The term ecumenical in the title is a historical reference to the Ecumene, a Greek designation for the civilised world, i.e. the Roman Empire, and it stems from Canon 28 of the Council of Chalcedon.