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

St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, a typical Catholic church. Picture from Wikipedia.

In this post, I will talk about how the history of Catholicism, in terms of how it originated as a form of Christianity.

The Catholic Church first originated from Roman Empire and was founded by the Jesus Christ, based on Catholic traditions. Jesus Christ designated 12 Apostles and gave them instructions, which are known as The Great Commission, to them to continue his work. The Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles signaled the beginning of the public ministry of the Church. Peter was the first bishop of Rome and the consecrator of Linus as its next bishop.

Due to the encouragement by the government for inhabitants to learn Greek language, the ideas of Catholicism were able to be more easily elaborated and comprehended. Therefore, many Jewish communities were able to be converted to Christians, with 40 Christian communities established by Year 100. The communities were also formed in other countries such as Armenia, Iran and Malabar Coast. As the early Christian Church was not well-managed, it led to difference in manipulations of beliefs in Christianity.

To ensure more consistency in their teachings, Christian communities developed into a more rigid hierarchy. A central bishop has more power over the appointed church personnel in his city, leading to the formation of the Metropolitan bishop. Since the second century, bishops often gather in regional synods to resolve doctrinal and policy issues. By the third century, the bishop of Rome serves as a court of appeals for problems that cannot be resolved by other bishops. The doctrine was refined by the Church Fathers, a series of influential theologians and teachers. However, proto-orthodox teachers such as Ignatius of Antioch and Irenaeus explained Catholic teaching in huge contrast to other things such as Gnosticism.

Find out more about the history of the Catholic church in this video.

That is all I have to offer for now. Look forward to my next and final post on Catholicism which will be published within this weekend.

- Chong You

References
History of The Catholic Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Catholic_Church



Hey people! I am back with more on Taoism! Sadly, this will be the last post I will be posting as I have finished all of my 5 posts! :). Thank you so much for all your support the past 3 weeks, and all your comments are very much appreciated!

So anyway, back to topic, I will be talking on other Taoism practices. :)

Recitation

Reciting passages from the Tao Te Ching has been a spiritual practice for over 2000 years. For people who couldn't read and write it was an important way to learn the text, but even for those who could read, recitation was a vital expression of devotion and a way of spiritual growth.

As Taoism became more religious, various groups taught that recitation could do more than make the reciter a better person: the words of the Tao Te Ching were thought to have the power to cure sickness, banish evil spirits, and bring good luck.

For the Celestial Masters group, the Tao Te Ching was a liturgical tool as well as a source of philosophical wisdom.

Many other Taoist groups gave the Tao Te Ching a central place in the liturgy and chanted it ritually in the belief that doing so under the right conditions would prolong life and bring human beings closer to complete unity with the Tao.

Talismans






Talismans are objects thought to have the power to bring good luck. They can also be used to remove or keep away evil spirits.

In Taoist tradition talismans are strips of paper on which are written words of power and religious symbols which focus benevolent spiritual energies to purify, heal the sick and drive away demons.

Talismans can only be written (the word normally used isdrawn) by highly qualified people, who have undergone long training and who are in a state of purity.



Alright! I have completed my number of posts for the project. Thank you so much for the support and comments! :). Do show support for my other group members!

- Clarice

Citations:
http://scenery.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2009-08/10/taoist_music_of_wudang_mountains6081c849bd856d240553.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzk3_vmpGJhLwcMKNiwRDpQ5B2dRtR-4p_9FVGgv3RPwx_k1wn15PeIw5N2BMxpbJMVG0XTYKnYQ5NSJUz5QDJuZjg_chkeQDMTRK-_ydERa0FTi5pwu-lbz7S9LGNPO_0_nAA91gTRBc/s320/Talisman+All+In+One.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/practices/recitation.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/practices/talismans.shtml

PAST