Ecclesiastical Hierarchy

Under the supreme authority of the pope the Roman Catholic Church is governed and served by an elaborate hierarchy. This, so far as its potentates ordinis are concerned, is divided into seven orders: the three "major orders" of bishops and priests, deacons, and subdeacons (bishops and priests forming two degrees of the ordo sacerdotium), and the four "minor orders" of acolytes, exorcists, readers, and door-keepers. These various orders do not derive their potesias ordinis from the pope, but from God, in virtue of their direct ministerial succession from the apostles.1 So far as jurisdiction is concerned, however, those members of the hierarchy known as prelates (praclati), who possess this power (potistas jurisdiction is in joro externo), whether bishops or priests, derive it from the pope.

These jurisdictions are of very varied character, and in most cases are not peculiar to the Roman Catholic Church. They include those of patriarchs, archbishops, metropolitans and bishops in the first rank of the hierarchy, with their subordinate officials, such as archdeacons, archpriests, deans and canons, &c., in the lower ranks. All of these will be found described under their proper headings. The basis of the organization of the Church is territorial, the world being mapped out into dioceses or, in countries where the Roman Church is not well developed - e.g. missions in non-Christian lands - into Apostolic Vicariatcs. The dioceses are grouped in various ways; some are immediately dependent upon the Holy See; some are grouped in ecclesiastical provinces or metropolitana sees, which in their turn are sometimes grouped together to form a patriarchate.

According to the official Gerarchia Cattolica, published at Rome, there were in 1909 ten patriarchates, with fourteen patriarchal sees (including those of the Oriental rite, i.e. those Eastern communities which, though in communion with Rome, had been allowed to retain their peculiar ritual discipline). Of these the four greater patriarchates are those of Alexandria (with two patriarchs, Latin and Coptic); Antioch (with four, Latin, Graeco-Mclchite, Maronite and Syriac) ; Constantinople (Latin) and Jerusalem (Latin). The lesser patriarchates were those of Babylon (Chaldaic), Cilicia (Armenian), the East Indies (Latin), Lisbon (Latin), Venice (Latin) and the West Indies (Latin).

The archiépiscopal sees numbered 204. Of these 21 were immediately subject to the Holy See, while those of the Latin rite having ecclesiastical provinces numbered 164. There were 19 of the Oriental rite : 3 with ecclesiastical provinces, viz. Armenian, Graeco-Rumanian and Graeco-Ruthenian respectively; the rest are subject to the patria rebates, viz. 2 Armenian, 3 Graeco-Melchitc, 3 Syriac, 2 SyroChaldaic, 6 Syro-Marónite.

Of episcopal sees of the Latin rite 6 were suburbican sees of the cardinal bishops, 85 were immediately subject to the Holy See, and 662 arc suffragan sees in ecclesiastical provinces. Of those of the Oriental rite one (Graeco-Ruthenian) is immediately subject to the Holy See; 9 are suffragan sees in ecclesiastical provinces, viz. 3 Graeco-Rumania n and 6 Graeco-Ruthenian: the rest are subject to the patriarebates, viz. 15 Armenian, 2 Coptic, 9 Graeco-Melchite, 5 Svriac, 9 Syro-Chatdaic, 2 Syro-Melchite.

The whole number of these residential sees, including the patriarchates, was 1023. Besides these there were 610 titular sees, formerly called sees in partibus infidelium, the archbishops and bishops of which, are not bound to residence. These titles were generally assigned to bishops appointed to Apostolic Delegations, Vicariatcs and Prefectures, or to the office of coadjutor, auxiliary or administrator of a diocese.

The dioceses are divided into parishes, variously grouped, the most usual organization being that of deaneries. In the parish the authority of the Church is brought into intimate touch with the daily life of the people. The main duties of the parish priest are to offer the sacrifice of the mass, to hear confessions, to preach, to baptize and to administer extreme unction to the dying. It is true to say that in the " cure of souls " the confessional plays a larger part in the Church than the pulpit.

The clergy of the Roman Catholic Church are furthermore divided into regular and secular. The regular clergy are those attached to religious orders and to certain congregations. Of these the former are outside the normal organization of the Church, being exempt from the ordinary jurisdiction of the diocesan bishops, while the more recently formed congregations arc either wholly or largely subject to episcopal authority By far the most powerful of the religious orders are the Jesuits. The secular clergy, on the other hand, are bound by no vows beyond those proper to their orders. Both regular and secular clergy (those at least in major orders) are under the obligation of celibacy, which, by cutting them off from the most intimate common interests of the people, has proved a most powerful disciplinary force in the hands of the popes. The more complete isolation of the regular clergy, however, together with their direct relation to the Holy See, has made them, not only the more effective instruments of papal authority, but more obnoxious to the peoples and governments of countries where they have gained any considerable power. Their privileged position, moreover, leads everywhere to a certain amount of friction between them and the secular clergy.