Lineage Office

Offices defined by a specific line of succession rather than by ordination alone, gathering the papacy, the Dalai Lama, the Aga Khan, the Guru of Sikhism, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and comparable seats where authority rests on being the recognized successor in an unbroken chain. Excludes clergy roles that a tradition can confer on many people at once, such as bishop or abbot, which are grouped separately under clergy role.