Explaining the Hierarchy of the Church

Dear Catholic Exchange,

Nancy Gutentag

Dear Ms. Nancy Gutentag,

Peace in Christ! We at Catholics United for the Faith were pleased to receive your question regarding hierarchical offices within the Catholic Church.

First of all, it must be understood that, while there exists a hierarchical structure of authority within the Catholic Church, this structure does not work like a corporation or the military. It is not a chain of command and control. In fact, the term “hierarchy” is a religious term, and its understanding is not derived from common, non-religious use of the word.

The basic order of authority in the Church’s hierarchy is as follows. The highest authority belongs to the Bishop of Rome (the pope), who “has full, supreme and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.882).

Secondly, the bishops possess the authority to make decisions pertaining to the universal Church when such decisions are made in union with the pope. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter’s successor, as its head.” As such, this college has “supreme and full authority over the universal Church; but this power cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Roman Pontiff” (CCC, no.883; cf. no.884).

Third, there are individual bishops. The ordinary function of a bishop is that of a shepherd who oversees a particular diocese. There also exist offices for auxiliary or assistant bishops whose duty is to assist the diocesan bishop. Archbishops or Metropolitans (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 435, 436) not only oversee a particular diocese, but also help the pope oversee a geographical region of dioceses known as an “ecclesiastical province.” Thus an archbishop presides over the bishops within a defined district made up of dioceses.

Fourth, priests are “co-workers” of the bishops (CCC, no.888, 1562). One of the main functions of priests is to serve in a particular parish, a small sub-unit within a diocese. The Catechism states: “A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop” (CCC, no. 2179). The bishop is the shepherd of his diocese and pastors of parishes share in the bishop’s ministry and are never disconnected from it.

Finally, deacons are ordained ministers who assist the diocesan bishop and priests in various tasks, most importantly the celebration of the sacraments and, above all, the Mass (CCC, no.1569-70).

There also exists the College of Cardinals which provides a very important service, namely the election of the pope (Code of Canon Law, canon 349). In addition to this chief function, cardinals may also perform two other roles. Cardinals are available to assist the Roman Pontiff, either by acting collegially — when they are summoned together to deal with questions of major importance — or by acting individually — that is, in the offices which they hold for the purpose of assisting the Roman Pontiff, especially in the daily care of the universal Church. To become a Cardinal, one must be a bishop, priest, or deacon (Code of Canon Law, canon 350).

A monsignor is an honorary designation “bestowed as an elevation from among the general ranks of the clergy.” The honor is bestowed by the pope, typically at the request of diocesan bishops for one of their priests. By assuming the rank of monsignor, the priest is made a member of the “papal household.” However, this distinction does not bring with it any additional authority. Monsignori are entitled to wear special priestly vestments indicating their membership in the papal household (Father Peter M.J. Stravinskas, ed., Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Encyclopedia, Revised Edition, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, Ind, 1998, pp. 682-83).

Religious orders exist as communities of individuals who freely consecrate their lives to the living of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. This state of life does not enter into the hierarchical structure of the Church. Religious communities possess their own structure of authority, but this authority is always subject to the Church’s authority. The purpose of the consecrated life is to follow Christ more nearly, to serve His Church more directly, and to witness to others the reality of the world to come (CCC, no. 914-919). Priests within religious communities would hold the same authority as diocesan priests, but would not ordinarily serve as pastors of parishes unless specifically entrusted with this duty by the bishop of the diocese. Canon Law states that only the diocesan bishop may entrust a parish to a religious institute or society of apostolic life (Code of Canon Law, canon 520 §1)

For further reading on the hierarchy of the Catholic Church you may wish to consult The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church by James-Charles Noonan, Jr. This book is produced by Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA, Inc., and can be obtained from Benedictus Books (888-316-2640, CUF members receive a 10% discount). This text provides a thorough description of the various offices within the Church, as well as their functions and how they relate to one another.

I hope this response adequately answers your questions. If you have found this information to be helpful, please consider a donation to CUF to help sustain this service. You can call us at 1-800-MY FAITH, visit us at www.cuf.org, or send your contribution to the address below. Thank you for your support as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”

United in the Faith,

Kathleen Rohan

Information Specialist

Catholics United for the Faith

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