Hierarchy of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church’s hierarchy is made up of bishops, priests, and deacons. In a theological sense, “hierarchy” means the “holy ordering” of the Church as the Body of Christ, meant to honor the different gifts and ministries needed for true unity. In everyday church law and common usage, the term refers to those who hold authority in a Christian church. In Catholicism, that authority lies mainly with bishops, while priests and deacons act as their helpers or co-workers. Sometimes “hierarchy of the Catholic Church” is used to mean only the bishops themselves. The word “pope” was used loosely until the sixth century, occasionally taken by other bishops. The term “hierarchy” itself only became common in the sixth century, thanks to the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius.

As of the end of 2020, the Catholic Church had 2,903 dioceses or similar jurisdictions, each led by a bishop. Dioceses are split into local communities called parishes, each served by one or more priests, deacons, or lay ecclesial ministers. Usually a priest is in charge of a parish, but there are exceptions. About 19.3% of all parishes lack a resident pastor, and 1,948 parishes worldwide are entrusted to a deacon or lay ecclesial minister.

All clergy—deacons, priests, and bishops—can preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages, and lead funeral services. Only priests and bishops can celebrate the sacraments of the Eucharist (though others may distribute Holy Communion), Penance (Reconciliation, Confession), Confirmation (priests need prior church approval), and Anointing of the Sick. Only bishops can administer the sacrament of Holy Orders, through which men are ordained as bishops, priests, or deacons.

**History** The existence of a Roman Catholic hierarchy of bishops, priests, and deacons is recorded from the time of the first Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians.

**Episcopate** Bishops hold the fullness of orders—the complete priesthood and diaconate. As a group (the College of Bishops), they are seen as the successors of the Apostles and are “constituted Pastors in the Church, to be the teachers of doctrine, the priests of sacred worship and the ministers of governance,” and they “represent the Church.” In 2012, there were 5,133 Catholic bishops; by the end of 2021, that number had risen to 5,340. The Pope himself is a bishop (the bishop of Rome) and traditionally addresses other bishops as “Venerable Brother” in formal letters.

A bishop’s typical job is to provide pastoral leadership for a diocese. Those who do this are called diocesan ordinaries, because they have ordinary (not delegated) authority under canon law. In Eastern Catholic Churches, they may be called hierarchs. Other bishops may be appointed to help ordinaries (auxiliary or coadjutor bishops) or to serve in wider roles, such as papal nuncios or officials in the Roman Curia.

Bishops from a country or region can form an episcopal conference and meet regularly to discuss current issues. Decisions in certain areas, especially liturgy, are solely up to these conferences. Conference decisions bind individual bishops only if at least two-thirds of members agree and the Holy See confirms them.

Bishops are usually ordained by at least three other bishops, though only one is needed for validity, and a mandate from the Holy See is required. Ordination to the episcopate completes the sacrament of Holy Orders; even a retired bishop remains a bishop, because the effect of Holy Orders is permanent. Titles like archbishop or patriarch do not change a bishop’s sacramental status, and bishops promoted to those offices do not need further ordination.

Sacramentally, all bishops are equal. However, they are distinguished by jurisdiction, office, and privileges, as outlined below. All bishops are “vicars of Christ.”

**Pope (Bishop of Rome)** The pope is the bishop of Rome. By virtue of that office, he is also: Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the Latin Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, and Servant of the servants of God.

**Offices and titles** “Pope” is a pronominal honorific, not an office or title, meaning “Father” (a common honorific for all clergy). From the early 3rd century, it was used for any bishop in the West, and appears in Greek as far back as Homer’s *Odyssey* (6:57). In the East, “pope” is still a common address for clergy in the Bulgarian and Russian Orthodox Churches, and is the style of the bishop of Alexandria. Pope Marcellinus (died 304) is the first Bishop of Rome known to have had the title “pope” applied to him. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of Constantinople normally reserved the designation for the Bishop of Rome. By the early 6th century, it began to be limited in the West to the Bishop of Rome, a practice firmly in place by the 11th century, when Pope Gregory VII declared it reserved for the Bishop of Rome.

As bishop of the Church of Rome, he is successor to that local church’s co-patrons, Saint Peter and Saint Paul. As such, the Church of Rome and its bishop have always held a prominence in the Catholic communion and at least some degree of primacy among his fellow bishops, just as Peter had a certain primacy among the other apostles. The exact nature of that primacy is one of the ongoing discussions in church history.