A church is listed as a cathedral when it is officially designated by the authorities of a large religious community (usually Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, or Roman Catholic) as the official seat of a bishop or similarly ranking figure in that church.

Any church building belonging to such a denomination can theoretically be promoted to cathedral status or likewise demoted. Many churches in Germany colloquially referred to as cathedrals (e.g. in Frankfurt am Main, Braunschweig, Wetzlar) are not official seats of bishops, and therefore cannot be assigned this distinction.

The designation follows the official ecclesiastical role. Size, architectural appearance, and a colloquial cathedral name do not by themselves make the church the official seat of a bishop.