Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. Adapted from www.docstoc.com.

Welcome to my final post on Catholicism. It has been an incredible fortnight sharing about the religious customs and origination of Catholicism with everyone. However, all good things have to come to an end. Today, I will be talking about hierarchy in Catholicism.

Pope
Like other forms of Christianity, Catholicism considers Jesus Christ as the invisible leader of the church. Under his authority, the Bishop of Rome, more commonly known as the Pope, is the visible head of the church. The word "pope" is derived from the Latin word "papa" and the Greek word "pappas", which both refers to "father" in their respective languages. The current pope of the Catholic Church is Pope Francis and began his papacy on 13 March 2013. He is also the 266th pope of the Catholic Church. The pope is in charge of civil and religious matters within the Catholic Church.

The power of the pope is grounded based on Matthew 16:18-19 of the bible within the Roman Catholic Church only. The Catholic Church holds that the pope is not allowed to make mistakes in important official declarations with regards to faith and morality by God. When the pope passes away, a new Pope is being elected by The College of Cardinals. However, popes can also choose to make their resignations when they want to. The most recent example of a retirement of the pope is Pope Benedict XVI, which is succeeded by Pope Francis. The pope lives in Vatican City, which is an independent state within the city of Rome.

Cardinals
Cardinals is considered the second group under the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are basically bishops who have been chosen and elevated to this position by the Pope. Cardinals make up the College of Cardinals, which is in charge of electing a new pope.

Cardinals are required to attend meetings held by the College of Cardinals and making themselves available either individually or in groups to the pope when he needs their advice. Most cardinals are also required to lead districts or sees under the supervision of a bishop (diocese) or the more significant archdioceses. Others are also in charge of departments in the central governing body of the Catholic Church known as the Roman Curia. As mentioned earlier, they are also responsible for the election of the new pope when the existing one passes away or resigns.

Archbishops
Archbishops are the third group under the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Archbishops are responsible for the supervision of metropolitan districts or sees known as archdioceses. However, there are also non-metropolitan archbishops in charge of non-metropolitan sees. It is ranked higher compared to a bishop. Archbishops are granted their titles or by ordination as a chief pastor of the metropolitan see or of another episcopal see to which the title is being attached.

Bishops
A bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for the education of Catholic religious practices and governing Catholics under a district known as a diocese. A diocese can be further divided into many groups of parishes. Parishes are individual communities under a diocese. Bishops are classified under the College of Bishops. Some bishops also hold additional titles such as archbishops. The most powerful bishop (i.e. The bishop of Rome) is known as the Pope of the Catholic Church and is elected by the College of Cardinals. In the past, bishops were known more for a teacher and leader of worship in Catholicism. However, bishops are more of administrators in the Catholic Church.

Priests
Priests are responsible for running individual parishes under a diocese. A priest is a liturgical leader and pastor and takes charge of the administration of the sacraments of the Catholic Church. They also hear confessions and assign penance to the Catholics.

Deacons
Deacons are ordained ministers of the Catholic Church who work alongside with priests and bishops. They are more focused on the outreach to poor and needy Catholics and the ministries of direct service. There are transitional deacons, who are seminarians preparing for ordination to the priesthood and permanent deacons who do not wish to become priests. Deacons are required to be at least 25 years old if single and 35 years old if married under the permission of his spouse. Married deacons are considered permanent based on Latin rites.

The Laity
The Laity, also known as lay Catholics, refers to the people in the Catholic community who are not deacons, priests, archbishops and bishops in the Catholic Church. They are to follow the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church and go through religious practices of Catholicism.

With this, I have come to the end of my post. I hope that everyone had an enjoyable time reading more about Catholicism and learned new things about Catholicism.

- Chong You

References

Hierarchy of the Catholic Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy_of_the_Catholic_Church

Pope Francis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis

Cardinal (Catholicism) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_%28Catholicism%29

Archbishop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop

Bishop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_%28Catholic_Church%29

Deacon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deacon

Catholic Laity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Laity

The Hierarchy in Catholicism - World Religions
http://www.netplaces.com/world-religions/catholicism/the-hierarchy-in-catholicism.htm

The Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/105286233/The-Hierarchy-of-the-Roman-Catholic-Church

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