Dean (Christianity)

A dean, in an ecclesiastical context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and many Lutheran denominations. A dean's assistant is called a sub-dean.

Latin decanus in the Roman military was the head of a group of ten soldiers within a centuria, and by the 5th century it was the head of a group of ten monks. It came to refer to various civil functionaries in the later Roman Empire.

Based on the monastic use, it came to mean the head of a chapter of canons of a collegiate church or cathedral church.

Based on that use, deans in universities now fill various administrative positions.^{[citation needed]}

Latin decanus should not be confused with Greek diákonos (διάκονος), from which the word deacon derives, which describes a supportive role.

In the Catholic Church, the Dean of the College of Cardinals and the Cardinal Vice-Dean are the president and vice-president of the college. Both are elected. Except for presiding and delegating administrative tasks, they have no authority over the cardinals, acting as primus inter pares (first among equals).

In the universities that grew out of the cathedral and monastery schools, a university dean came to be an official with various administrative duties.^{[citation needed]}

The chief priest of a Catholic cathedral is a dean.^{[citation needed]}