But Bartholomew’s power is more limited than the pope’s. There are eight other Orthodox patriarchs, each of whom presides over a national or regional Church, and Bartholomew’s role is that of “first among equals.”

The primary event of a series (usually a day's worth) of gladiatorial games. Basically, the "main event" or "main attraction".

Primus inter pares is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals.[a]