Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Clergy)
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This page documents an English Wikipedia naming convention. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should follow, though it should be treated with common sense and the occasional exception. When editing this page, please ensure that your revision reflects consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
This is an elaboration of Wikipedia:Naming conventions (people), focusing on topics from the realm of religion. "Clergy" includes, in the context of this particular guideline, Judaism and Islam, while historically related. For names of people related with Asian religions, see e.g. Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Korean), Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Chinese), Wikipedia:Manual of Style (Japan-related articles), etc...
While most clerical names are clear, unambiguous and known, some names associated with clergy of some faiths make this difficult. In those religions which have hierarchies, the higher the level within that hierarchy the greater the likelihood that the person's first name may have ceased to be used publicly, being replaced by a title. Others replace their own name completely with a new one.
As with nobility, this requires a different set of guidelines, not least in so far as it may be difficult to discover what their first name actually was, particularly when dealing with ancient historical church clergy at the higher level.
Honorifics such as "His Holiness" should ordinarily not be used in naming clergy except when discussing forms of address; see Wikipedia:Manual of Style (biographies)#Honorific_prefixes.
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[edit] Christianity
The following are the agreed conventions for some types senior clergymen (and related topics):
[edit] Popes
For popes, whether Roman Catholic, Coptic, or otherwise, use the format "Pope {papal name} {ordinal if more than one} of {episcopal see}". Popes of Rome should not be linked with their episcopal sees; Rome is understood. Also, do not use a pope's personal name. For example, use Pope John Paul I, not Albino Luciani or Pope John Paul I of Rome.
[edit] Patriarchs
For patriarchs, whether the Ecumenical Patriarch, Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, or otherwise, use the format "Patriarch {episcopal name} {ordinal if more than one} of {episcopal see}". Do not use a patriarch's personal name; e.g., use Patriarch Nikon, not Nikita Minov. However, if there is already a well established name in English for a particular patriarch, use that format instead. For example, use John Chrysostom as the main title of article, with Patriarch John I of Constantinople and John I of Constantinople as redirects.
[edit] Cardinals
In the titles of articles, cardinals generally go by their full name (both first name and surname) alone, without the title "Cardinal", as "Ascanio Sforza", not "Cardinal Ascanio Sforza", nor "Ascanio Cardinal Sforza". Exceptions are cardinals who are identifiable only by the cardinalitial title (as in the case of a hypothetical Cardinal John Smith), those best known by the title "Cardinal" followed by a surname (as Cardinal Richelieu), and those of the period before the introduction of surnames. (For many of the latter, however, their place of origin will serve the same function as a surname.)
When it is necessary to add the title "Cardinal", it will usually be sufficient to prefix it to the surname of the cardinal, especially in the body of an article, as "Cardinal Sforza". If both name and surname are used, wikilinking is straightforward if the title is prefixed to the name, as in "Cardinal Ascanio Sforza". However, those who prefer the form "Ascanio Cardinal Sforza" should take care to ensure there is a redirect to the form used in the title of the article on the cardinal in question, or use a piped link.
[edit] Western Bishops and Archbishops
For bishops and archbishops in the western world, do not use their episcopal or archiepiscopal title in the article name unless necessary for disambiguation. For article names where there is both a forename and a surname, used also by other articles, inserting {bishop} after is common, for example William Atwater (bishop) or George Douglas (bishop). If disambiguation is still necessary, use the form Thomas de Rossy (Bishop of the Isles) rather than Thomas de Rossy, Bishop of the Isles, or William Turner (Bishop of Salford) rather than William Turner, Bishop of Salford. Where this is not useful, for instance when men of the same name occupy the same bishopric, death dates can be used, as with Alexander de Kininmund (d. 1380) and Alexander de Kininmund (d. 1344), both bishops and both bishops of Aberdeen.
For prelates where only a forename is available, it is not the business of wikipedia to invent surnames. There are a number of natural disambiguating methods. For examples such as Roger (Bishop of Ross), where the bishopric of Ross had only one bishop named Roger, use of the episcopal title may be acceptable. If this is not the case, or if the prelate is strongly associated with a particular see or place, then "of {place}" may be used, as with Augustine of Canterbury or Clement of Dunblane.
[edit] Eastern Orthodox Metropolitans, Archbishops and Bishops
For Orthodox metropolitans use "Metropolitan {episcopal name} ({surname}) of {episcopal see}". For Orthodox archbishops use "Archbishop {episcopal name} ({surname)} of {episcopal see}". For Orthodox bishops use "Bishop {episcopal name} ({surname)} of {episcopal see}". Examples Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh; Archbishop Gabriel (de Vylder) of Komana; Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia. (The episcopal name may not be the same as the name which the hierarch possessed before ordination - thus Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia was originally Timothy Ware, not 'Kallistos Ware'; nonetheless he is Bishop Kallistos, not 'Bishop Timothy'.)
[edit] Saints
Saints go by their most common English name, minus the "Saint", unless they are only recognisable by its inclusion. For example, Paul of Tarsus, Ulrich of Augsburg but Saint Patrick. (See also List of saints.) Make redirects from forms with "St.", "St", and "Saint". Popes who are also saints are given their papal name, with a redirect from the forms with "Saint". For example, Pope Pius X, with redirects from Pope Saint Pius X and other forms.
[edit] Buildings named after people
- See also: Wikipedia:Naming conventions (architecture) (proposal)
Cathedral and church names, unless they individually use something different, are written as St. not Saint. Hence St. Paul's Cathedral not Saint Paul's Cathedral, St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral not Saint Mary's Pro-Cathedral, etc.
[edit] Antiquity
Neither "pontifex" nor "pontifex maximus" nor any other priestly function (like the prophecising function of a "Sibyl", the worshipping function of a "Maenad" or "Korybante",...) is used in the page name of articles on individual ancient Romans, Greeks, etc..., except in rare cases of "bracketed" disambiguation, for example:
[edit] Judaism
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[edit] Islam
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[edit] Latter Day Saint movement (Mormonism)
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[edit] Other
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