කතෝලික සභාවේ ධුරාවලිය

කතෝලික සභාවේ ධුරාවලියරදගුරුවරුන්, පූජකවරුන් සහ උපස්ථායකයන් ගෙන් සමන්විත වේ.In theecclesiologicalsense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the church, theBody of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity.
In canonical and general usage, it refers to those who exercise authority within a Christian church.In theCatholic Church, authority rests chiefly with bishops,while priests and deacons serve as their assistants, co-workers or helpers.Accordingly, "hierarchy of the Catholic Church" is also used to refer to the bishops alone.The term "pope" was still used loosely until the sixth century, being at times assumed by other bishops.The term "hierarchy" became popular only in the sixth century, due to the writings ofPseudo-Dionysius.
As of 31 December 2020, the Catholic Church consisted of 2,903diocesesor equivalent jurisdictions,each overseen by a bishop. Dioceses are divided into individual communities calledparishes, each staffed by one or more priests, deacons, orlay ecclesial ministers.Ordinarily, care of a parish is entrusted to a priest, though there are exceptions. Approximately 19.3% of all parishes do not have a resident pastor, and 1,948 parishes worldwide are entrusted to a deacon or lay ecclesial minister.
All clergy, including deacons, priests, and bishops, may preach, teach,baptize, witnessmarriages, and conductfuneral liturgies.Only priests and bishops can celebrate the sacraments of theEucharist(though others may beministers of Holy Communion),Penance(Reconciliation, Confession),Confirmation(priests may administer this sacrament with prior ecclesiastical approval), andAnointing of the Sick.Only bishops can administer the sacrament ofHoly Orders, by which men areordainedas bishops, priests or deacons.
Thebishops, who possess the fullness of orders, and therefore the fullness of both priesthood and diaconate, are as a body (theCollege of Bishops) considered the successors of theApostlesand are "constituted Pastors in the Church, to be the teachers of doctrine, the priests of sacred worship and the ministers of governance"and "represent the Church."In 2012, there were 5,133 Catholic bishops;at the end of 2021, there were 5,340 Catholic bishops. The Pope himself is a bishop (the bishop of Rome) and traditionally uses the title "Venerable Brother" when writing formally to another bishop.
The pope is the bishop ofRome. He is also, by virtue of that office:
"Pope" is a pronominalhonorific, not an office or a title, meaning "Father" (the common honorific for all clergy). The honorific "pope" was from the early 3rd century used for any bishop in the West, and is known inGreekas far back as Homer'sOdyssey(6:57). In the East, "pope" is still a common form of address for clergy in theBulgarian Orthodox Churchand theRussian Orthodox Church, and is the style of the bishop of Alexandria.Pope Marcellinus(died 304) is the first Bishop of Rome shown in sources to have had the title "pope" used of him. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of Constantinople normally reserved this designation for the Bishop of Rome. From the early 6th century, it began to be confined in the West to the Bishop of Rome, a practice that was firmly in place by the 11th century, when Pope Gregory VII declared it reserved for the Bishop of Rome.
The present rules governing the election of a pope are found in the apostolic constitutionUniversi Dominici Gregis.This deals with the powers, from the death of a pope to the announcement of his successor's election, of the cardinals and the departments of the Roman curia; with the funeral arrangements for the dead pope; and with the place, time and manner of voting of the meeting of the cardinal electors, a meeting known as aconclave. This word is derived from Latincom-(together) andclavis(key) and refers to the locking away of the participants from outside influences, a measure that was introduced first as a means instead of forcing them to reach a decision.
The heads of some autonomous (inLatin,sui iuris)particular churchesconsisting of several local churches (dioceses) have the title ofPatriarch.
The pope, as patriarch of the Latin Church, is the head of the only sui iuris Church in the West, leading to the titlePatriarch of the West. Eastern patriarchs are elected by thesynodof bishops of their particular church.
The patriarchs who head autonomous particular churches are:
These have authority not only over the bishops of their particular church, including metropolitans, but also directly over all the faithful.Eastern Catholic patriarchs haveprecedenceover all other bishops, with the exceptions laid down by the Pope.The honorary title prefixed to their names is "His Beatitude".
Other autonomous particular churches are headed by amajor archbishop.
At present, there are four major archbishops:
There are also titular patriarchs in the Latin Church, who, for various historical reasons, were granted the title, but never the corresponding office and responsibilities, of "patriarch".
Cardinalsare princes of the church appointed by the Pope.He generally chooses bishops who headdepartmentsof theRoman Curiaor importantepiscopal seesthroughout the world. As a whole, the cardinals compose aCollege of Cardinalswhich advises the Pope, and those cardinals under the age of 80 at the death or resignation of a Popeelect his successor. Their heraldic achievement is surmounted by the redgaleroandtasselsas a form of martyred position in the church.
Not all cardinals are bishops.Domenico Bartolucci,Karl Josef Becker,Roberto TucciandAlbert Vanhoyeare examples of 21st-century non-bishop cardinals. The1917 Code of Canon Lawintroduced the requirement that a cardinal must be at least a priest.Previously, they need only be inminor ordersand not evendeacons.Teodolfo Mertel, who died in 1899, was the last non-priest cardinal. In 1962,Pope John XXIIImade it a rule that a man who has been nominated a cardinal is required to be consecrated a bishop, if not one already,but some ask for and obtain dispensation from this requirement. It is rare that the Pope will appoint Cardinals who are priests only and not consecrated as a bishop.
The Latin Church title ofprimatehas in some countries been granted to the bishop of a particular (usually metropolitan) see.It once involved authority over all the other sees in the country or region, but now only gives a "prerogative of honor" with no power of governance unless an exception is made in certain matters by a privilege granted by the Holy See or by an approved custom.The title is usually assigned to theordinaryof the first diocese or the oldest archdiocese in the country.Thus inPoland, the primate is the archbishop of the oldest archdiocese (Gniezno, founded in 1000), and not the oldest diocese (Poznań, founded in 968).
A Latin ChurchMetropolitanis the bishop of the principal (the "metropolitan") see of anecclesiastical provincecomposed of several dioceses.  The metropolitan receives apalliumfrom the pope as a symbol of his office.
The metropolitan bishop has limited oversight authority over thesuffragan diocesesin their province, including ensuring that the faith and ecclesiastical discipline are properly observed.He also has the power to name adiocesan administratorfor avacantsuffragan see if the diocesan council of consultors fails to properly elect one.His diocesan tribunal additionally serves by default as the ecclesiasticalcourt of appealfor suffragans (court of second instance),and the metropolitan has the option of judging those appeals personally.
The title ofarchbishopis held not only by bishops who head metropolitan sees, but also by those who head archdioceses that are not metropolitan sees (most of these are in Europe and theLevant). In addition, it is held by certain other bishops, referred to as "Titular Archbishops" (see "Other Bishops" below) who have been given no-longer-residential archdioceses as their titular sees—many of these in administrative or diplomatic posts, for instance aspapal nunciosor secretaries ofcurial congregations. The bishop of a non-archiepiscopal see may be given the personal title of archbishop without also elevating his see (such a bishop is known as anarchbishopad personam), though this practice has seen significantly reduced usage since theSecond Vatican Council.
The bishop or eparch of a see, even if he does not also hold a title such as archbishop, metropolitan, major archbishop, patriarch or pope, is the centre of unity for hisdioceseoreparchy, and, as a member of the College of Bishops, shares in responsibility for governance of the whole church (cf.Catechism of the Catholic Church, 886).
Within the Catholic Church the following posts have similarities to that of a diocesan bishop, but are not necessarily held by a bishop.
A diocesan bishop may have bishops who assist in his ministry. Thecoadjutor bishopof a see has the right of succession on the death or resignation of the diocesan bishop, and, if the see is an archdiocese, holds the title of archbishop. Similarly, a retired diocesan bishop keeps his connection with the see to which he was appointed, and is known as bishop (or archbishop)emeritusof that see. On the other hand, anauxiliary bishop, who may also hold posts such asvicar generalorepiscopal vicar, is appointed bishop of atitular see, a see that in the course of history has ceased to exist as an actual jurisdictional unit.
Important titles or functions usually, but not necessarily, held by (arch)bishops who are not in charge of a diocese or an equivalent community include those ofApostolic Delegate,Apostolic Nuncio,Papal Legate,Patriarchal Vicar,Pontifical Delegate.
Local ordinaries are placed over or exercise ordinary executive power inparticular churchesor equivalent communities.
Major superiors ofreligious institutes(includingabbots) and ofsocieties of apostolic lifeare ordinaries of their respective memberships, but not local ordinaries.
Bishops are assisted by priestsanddeacons. All priests and deacons areincardinatedin a diocese or religious order.Parishes, whether territorial or person-based, within a diocese are normally in the charge of a priest, known as the parish priest or the pastor.
Although priests are incardinated into a diocese or order, they may obtain the permission of their diocesan ordinary or religious superior to serve outside the normal jurisdiction of the diocese or order. These assignments may be temporary or more permanent in nature.
The diocesan bishop appoints avicar generalto assist him in the governance of the diocese. Usually, only one vicar general is appointed; particularly large dioceses may have more than one vicar general. The vicar general or one of them is usually appointedmoderator of the curiawho coordinates the diocesan administrative offices and ministries.A diocesan bishop can also appoint one or moreepiscopal vicarsfor the diocese. They have the same ordinary power as a vicar general, however, it is limited to a specified division of the diocese, to a specific type of activity, to the faithful of a particular rite, or to certain groups of people.Vicars general and episcopal vicars must be priests or bishops. In the Eastern Catholic Churches, they are called protosyncelli and syncelli (canon191 of theCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches).
"TheVicar Foraneknown also as theDeanor the Archpriest or by some other title, is the priest who is placed in charge of a vicariate forane" (canon 553 of the 1983Code of Canon Law), namely of a group of parishes within a diocese. Unlike a regional Episcopal vicar, a vicar forane acts as a help for the parish priests and other priests in the vicariate forane, rather than as an intermediate authority between them and the diocesan bishop.
This section concerns the priest who in the 1983 Code of Canon Law is referred to by the termparochus, which in some English-speaking countries is rendered as "the parish priest", in others as "the pastor". The English term "pastor" is also used in a more generic sense corresponding instead to the Latin termpastor:
The parish priest/pastor may be assisted by one or more other priests:
The honorary title ofmonsignoris conferred by the Pope upon diocesan priests (not members ofreligious institutes) in the service of theHoly See, and may be granted by him also to other diocesan priests at the request of the priest's bishop. The priest so honored is considered to be a member of thepapal household. The title goes with any of the following three awards:
In December 2013,Pope Francisdecided to make future grants of the title ofMonsignorto priests not in the service of the Holy See only in the rank of Chaplain of His Holiness and only to priests aged 65 or over.
Deaconsare ordained ministers of the church who are co-workers with the bishop alongside presbyters, but are intended to focus on the ministries of direct service and outreach to the poor and needy, rather than pastoral leadership. They are usually related to a parish, where they have a liturgical function as the ordinary minister of theGospeland the Prayers of the Faithful. They may preachhomilies, and in theRoman Ritemay preside at non-Eucharistic liturgies such as baptisms, weddings, funerals, and adoration/benediction. In theEastern Catholic Churches, in the absence of a priest, deacons do not vest and may only lead services as a reader, never presiding at weddings or funerals.
Most Catholics arelaity, a term derived from Greek λαὸς Θεοῦ (Laòs Theoû), meaning "people of God". All Christian faithful have the right and duty to bring the gospel message increasingly to "all people in every age and every land".They all have a share in the church's mission and have the right to undertake apostolic activity according to their own state and condition.
Religious—who can be either lay people or clergy—are members ofreligious institutes, societies in which the members take public vows and live a fraternal life in common.This is a form ofconsecrated lifedistinct fromother forms, such as that ofsecular institutes.It is distinct also from forms that do not involve membership of an institute, such as that of consecrated hermits,that of consecrated virgins,and other forms whose approval is reserved to the Holy See.