The head of the Catholic church is known as the Pope . The church is orgined in a hierarchical structure, in descending order - pope , cardinal, archbishop, bishop, priest. These offices constitute the priesthood, and can only be occupied by unmarried men, except in unusual instances. The pope is elected by the college of cardinals and continues in office until death or rarely until he steps down. The practice of Catholic church consists of seven sacraments - Eucharist, marriage, holy orders, extreme unction, confession, baptism, and confirmation.
Holy orders is the entering into the priesthood and involves a vow of chastity.
Extreme Unction is also known as last rites or blessing the sick and involves the annointing with oil of the sick and dying. Confession involves admitting sins to a priest and receiving penance. Baptism is given to infants and upon entering adulthood, the baptised make a personal commitment in the sacrement of confirmation. Historically, the church service was conducted entirely in Latin but the reorganization of the Church in the 1960's, local languages came into use. The local churches are organized into geographic districts, called parishes.