The Anglican Communion is a gathering of autonomous particular Churches consisting of Provinces, Dioceses, Extra-Provincial Jurisdictions, Vowed Religious Communities, Acknowledged Communities and various societies of apostolic works under the pastoral oversight of Bishops, Archbishops and Primates. The Anglican expression of the faith is distinct from the Roman Catholic as well as the European Reformed Churches, as Anglican communities of faith are ordered according to Rites and traditions established in accord with the norms of the Book of Common Prayer 1662 and its approved revisions. This Communion has, historically, ministered on five of the seven continents as part of the expansion of the British Empire.