|
Church
Hierarchy
|
"Some
people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostles; second,
prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds; then, gifts of healing,
assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues." (1 Cor.
12:28)
"If
any one saith, that, in the Catholic Church there is not a
hierarchy by divine ordination instituted, consisting of bishops,
priests, and ministers; let him be anathema." (Council of
Trent)
"For this will seem to be best and most fitting
indeed, if the priests from each and every province refer to the head,
that is, to the chair of Peter the apostle." (Council of Serdica,
343-344 A.D.)
"No
one may ignore that the Church is an unequal society, in which God
has destined some to command and others to obey. The latter are
the laity; the former, the Clergy." (Pope Gregory XVI)
"If
any one saith, that, besides the priesthood, there are not in the
Catholic Church other orders, both greater and minor, by which, as
by certain steps, advance is made unto the priesthood; let him be
anathema." (Council of Trent)
"If any one saith that bishops are not
superior to priests; or that they have not the power of confirming
and ordaining; or that the power which they possess is common to
them and to priests…let him be anathema." (Council of
Trent)
"Presbyters, therefore, are called priests,
because they offer [the holy Sacrifice of the Mass], as bishops
do, but although they are priests, they have not reached the
fullness of the episcopate, for they do not sign on the forehead
with chrism, or give the Holy Ghost, which only bishops can do as
the Acts of the Apostles plainly indicates." (St. Isidore, Doctor
of the Church, 7th century A.D.)
"But
to assert that priests nowise differ from bishops is reckoned by
Augustine among heretical doctrines (De Haeresibus liii), where he
says that the Arians maintained that 'no distinction existed
between a priest and a bishop.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor
of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"Further
no priest must lose sight of the solemn recommendation of Leo
XIII: 'Let priests hold as sacred the authority of their pastors,
let them take it for certain that the sacerdotal ministry, if not
exercised under the guidance of the Bishops, can never be either
holy, or very fruitful or respectable.'" (Pope St. Pius X,
"Pascendi Dominici Gregis", 1907 A.D.)
"To
desire supremacy in the Church is neither just nor useful. For
what wise man seeks of his own accord to submit to such servitude
and peril, as to have to render an account of the whole Church?
None save him who fears not God's judgment, and makes a secular
abuse of his ecclesiastical authority, by turning it to secular
uses." (St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church)
"All
spiritual authority comes from Peter; all comes from the bishop of
Rome, in whom Peter will continue to govern the Church to the end
of time. Jesus Christ is the founder of the episcopate; it is the
Holy Ghost who establishes bishops to rule the Church; but the
mission and the institution, which assign the pastor his flock,
and the flock its pastor, these are given by Jesus Christ and the
Holy Ghost through the ministry of Peter and his successors."
(Gueranger)
"The
priestly power is surpassed by the episcopal power, as by a power
of a different kind; but the episcopal is surpassed by the papal
power as by a power of the same kind. Hence a bishop can perform
every hierarchical act that the Pope can; whereas a priest cannot
perform every act that a bishop can in conferring the sacraments.
Wherefore as regards matters pertaining to the episcopal Order,
all bishops are equal" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the
Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"Every
Pastor whose authority emanates not from the See of Rome is a
stranger to us, and an intruder. So likewise, in the order of our
Faith, Jesus Christ by Peter, and Peter by his successor, teach us
divine doctrine, and how to distinguish truth from error. Every
Symbol of Faith, every doctrinal judgement, every teaching,
contrary to the Symbol and judgements and teachings of the See of
Rome, is of man, and not of God, and must be rejected, hated, and
anathematized." (Gueranger)
"If any one
saith, that bishops are not
superior to priests; or, that they have not the power of
confirming and ordaining; or, that the power which they possess is
common to them and to priests; or, that orders, conferred by them,
without the consent, or vocation of the people, or of the secular
power, are invalid; or, that those who have neither been rightly
ordained, nor sent, by ecclesiastical and canonical power, but
come from elsewhere, are lawful ministers of the word and of the
sacraments; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent)
"Remember also that the government and
administration of the whole Church rests with the Roman Pontiff to whom,
in the words of the Fathers of the Council of Florence, 'the full power
of nourishing, ruling, and governing the universal Church was given by
Christ the Lord.' It is the duty of individual bishops to cling to the
See of Peter faithfully, to guard the faith piously and religiously, and
to feed their flock. It behooves priests to be subject to the bishops,
whom 'they are to look upon as the parents of their souls,' as Jerome
admonishes." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Mirari Vos", 1832)
"[E]ach
minister of the Church is, in some respect, a copy of Christ...
Yet he is the higher who represents Christ according to a greater
perfection. Now a priest represents Christ in that He fulfilled a
certain ministry by Himself, whereas a bishop represents Him in
that He instituted other ministers and founded the Church. Hence
it belongs to a bishop to dedicate a thing to the Divine offices,
as establishing the Divine worship after the manner of Christ. For
this reason also a bishop is especially called the bridegroom of
the Church even as Christ is." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
"No
one, therefore, unless in communion with Peter can share in his
authority, since it is absurd to imagine that he who is outside
can command in the Church. Wherefore Optatus of Milevis blamed the
Donatists for this reason: 'Against which [the gates of hell] we read
that Peter received the saving keys, that is to say, our prince,
to whom it was said by Christ: 'To thee will I give the keys of
the Kingdom of Heaven, and the gates of Hell shall not conquer
them.' Whence is it therefore that you strive to obtain for
yourselves the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven - you who fight
against the chair of Peter?' (Lib. ii., n. 4-5)." (Pope Leo
XIII, "Satis Cognitum", 1896 A.D.)
"The
Church, which our Risen Jesus is organizing during these days
(Acts 1:3), and which is to be spread throughout the whole world,
is a true and complete society. It must, consequently, have within
it the power to govern, and be able, by the obedience of its
subjects, to maintain order and peace... [O]ur Savior supplied
this want by establishing a shepherd of both sheep and lambs, a
Vicar of his own divine authority: yet Peter, after all, is but a
man; and however sublime his authority, he cannot exercise it
directly and personally over each member of the flock. The new
society has need, therefore, of magistrates of a lower rank, who,
as Bossuet so well expresses it, 'are to be sheep with regard to
Peter, and shepherds with regard to the people.'" (Gueranger)
"Indeed,
there can be no genuine priestly ministry except in communion with
the supreme pontiff and the episcopal college, especially with
one's own diocesan bishop, who deserves that 'filial respect and
obedience' promised during the rite of ordination. This
'submission' to those invested with ecclesial authority is in no
way a kind of humiliation. It flows instead from the responsible
freedom of the priest who accepts not only the demands of an
organized and organic ecclesial life, but also that grace of
discernment and responsibility in ecclesial decisions which was
assured by Jesus to his apostles and their successors for the sake
of faithfully safeguarding the mystery of the Church and serving
the structure of the Christian community among its common path
toward salvation." (Pope John Paul II)
"Also all other things taught, defined, and
declared by the sacred canons and ecumenical Councils, and
especially by the sacred and holy Synod of Trent, (and by the
ecumenical Council of the Vatican, particularly concerning the
primacy of the Roman Pontiff and his infallible teaching), I
without hesitation accept and profess; and at the same time all
things contrary thereto, and whatever heresies have been
condemned, and rejected, and anathematized by the Church, I
likewise condemn, reject, and anathematize. This true Catholic
faith, outside of which no one can be saved, (and) which of my own
accord I now profess and truly hold, I, N., do promise, vow, and
swear that I will, with the help of God, most faithfully retain
and profess the same to the last breath of life as pure and
inviolable, and that I will take care as far as lies in my power
that it be held, taught, and preached by my subjects or by those
over whom by virtue of my office I have charge, so help me God,
and these holy Gospels of God." (Profession of Faith of
the Council of Trent, From the Bull of Pius IV, "Iniunctum
Nobis", 1565 A.D.)
"And
whereas the ministry of so holy a priesthood is a divine thing; to
the end that it might be exercised in a more worthy manner, and
with greater veneration, it was suitable that, in the most
well-ordered settlement of the Church, there should be several and
diverse orders of ministers, to minister to the priesthood, by
virtue of their office; orders so distributed as that those
already marked with the clerical tonsure should ascend through the
lesser to the greater orders. For the sacred Scriptures make open
mention not only of priests, but also of deacons; and teach, in
words the most weighty, what things are especially to be attended
to in the Ordination thereof; and, from the very beginning of the
Church, the names of the following orders, and the ministrations
proper to each one of them, are known to have been in use; to wit
those of subdeacon, acolyte, exorcist, lector, and door-keeper;
though these were not of equal rank: for the subdeaconship is
classed amongst the greater orders by the Fathers and sacred
Councils, wherein also we very often read of the other inferior
orders." (Council of Trent)
"The
son of God, Jesus Christ, for the redemption of the human race
descended from the height of heaven to the lowest part of the
world and underwent a temporal death. But when after his
resurrection he was about to ascend to his Father, that he might
not leave the flock redeemed by his glorious Blood without a
shepherd, he entrusted its care to the blessed apostle Peter, so
that by the firmness of his own faith he might strengthen others
in the Christian religion and kindle their minds with the ardor of
devotion to the works of their salvation. Hence we who by the will
of our Lord, though without merit of our own, have been made
successors of this apostle and hold on earth, though unworthy, the
place of our Redeemer, should always be careful and vigilant in
the guarding of that flock and be forced to direct our thoughts
continuously to the salvation of souls by removing what is harmful
and doing what is profitable. Thus casting off the sleep of
negligence and with the eyes of our heart ever vigilant, we may be
able to win souls to God with the cooperation of his grace."
(First Council of Lyons)
"Bishops
have the chief cure of the sheep of their diocese, while parish
priests and archdeacons exercise an inferior ministry under the
bishops. Hence a gloss on 1 Corinthians 12:28, 'God hath set some
in the church... helps, governments, etc.,' says: 'Helps, namely
assistants to those who are in authority,' as Titus was to the
Apostle, or as archdeacons to the bishop; 'governments, namely
persons of lesser authority, such as priests who have to instruct
the people': and Dionysius says (De Ecclesiastica Hierarchia v)
that 'just as we see the whole hierarchy culminating in Jesus, so
each office culminates in its respective godlike hierarch or
bishop.' Also it is said (Decretal XVI,Q1, canon Cunctis):
'Priests and deacons must all take care not to do anything without
their bishop's permission.' Wherefore it is evident that they
stand in relation to their bishop as wardens or mayors to the
king; and for this reason, just as in earthly governments the king
alone receives a solemn blessing, while others are appointed by
simple commission, so too in the Church the episcopal cure is
conferred with the solemnity of consecration, while the archdeacon
or parish priest receives his cure by simple appointment; although
they are consecrated by receiving orders before having a
cure." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"Christ
the Lord, Son of the living God, came that He might save His
people from their sins and that all men might be sanctified. Just
as He Himself was sent by the Father, so He also sent His
Apostles. Therefore, He sanctified them, conferring on them the
Holy Spirit, so that they also might glorify the Father upon earth
and save men, 'to the building up of the body of Christ' (Eph.
4:12), which is the Church. In this Church of Christ the Roman
pontiff, as the successor of Peter, to whom Christ entrusted the
feeding of His sheep and lambs, enjoys supreme, full, immediate,
and universal authority over the care of souls by divine
institution. Therefore, as pastor of all the faithful, he is sent
to provide for the common good of the universal Church and for the
good of the individual churches. Hence, he holds a primacy of
ordinary power over all the churches. The bishops themselves,
however...are successors
of the Apostles as pastors of souls. Together with the supreme
pontiff and under his authority they are sent to continue
throughout the ages the work of Christ, the eternal pastor. Christ
gave the Apostles and their successors the command and the power
to teach all nations, to hallow men in the truth, and to feed
them. Bishops, therefore, have been made true and authentic
teachers of the faith, pontiffs, and pastors through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to them." (Second Vatican Council)
"Let
us attentively and devoutly contemplate the mystic ladder of the
hierarchy, established by our Jesus, whereby we might ascend to
heaven. At the very summit is the bishop, having in himself the
plenitude of Holy Orders and the power to produce other pontiffs,
and priests, and deacons. He has the power of offering up the Holy
Sacrifice [of the Mass]; he holds the keys whereof our Lord speaks, when he
says: Whatsoever ye shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in
heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed
also in heaven (Mt. xviii 18), he can administer all the
sacraments; the consecration of the Chrism and Holy Oils belongs
to his office; he can not only bless, he can consecrate. Next
comes the priest, who truly looks upon the bishop as his spiritual
father, seeing that he received the dignity and character of the
priesthood. The priest, however, does not possess the plentitude of
Jesus' priesthood. His hands, though most holy, have not the power
to produce other priests; he blesses, but he does not consecrate;
he must look to the bishop for holy Chrism, for he himself cannot
make it. Notwithstanding this, his dignity is great, for he has
power to offer the Holy Sacrifice [of the Mass] and his offering is the same as
that of the bishop. He forgives the sins of those whom the bishop
has put under his care. The solemn administration of baptism is
entrusted to him, when the bishop himself does not perform it: and
as to extreme unction, it is essentially a priest's
function." (Gueranger)
"[T]he Apostolic mission was not destined to
die with the Apostles themselves, or to come to an end in the
course of time, since it was intended for the people at large and
instituted for the salvation of the human race. For Christ
commanded His Apostles to preach the 'Gospel to every creature, to
carry His name to nations and kings, and to be witnesses to him to
the ends of the earth.' He further promised to assist them in the
fulfillment of their high mission, and that, not for a few years
or centuries only, but for all time - 'even to the consummation of
the world.' Upon which St. Jerome says: 'He who promises to remain
with His Disciples to the end of the world declares that they will
be for ever victorious, and that He will never depart from those
who believe in Him' (In Matt., lib. iv., cap. 28, v. 20). But how
could all this be realized in the Apostles alone, placed as they
were under the universal law of dissolution by death? It was
consequently provided by God that the Magisterium instituted by
Jesus Christ should not end with the life of the Apostles, but
that it should be perpetuated. We see it in truth propagated, and,
as it were, delivered from hand to hand. For the Apostles
consecrated bishops, and each one appointed those who were to
succeed them immediately 'in the ministry of the word.' Nay more:
they likewise required their successors to choose fitting men, to
endow them with like authority, and to confide to them the office
and mission of teaching. 'Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in
the grace which is in Christ Jesus: and the things which thou hast
heard of me by many witnesses, the same command to faithful men,
who shall be fit to teach others also' (2 Tim. ii., I-2)."
(Pope Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum", 1896 A.D.)
"But, forasmuch as in the sacrament of Order,
as also in Baptism and Confirmation, a character is imprinted,
which can neither be effaced nor taken away; the holy Synod with
reason condemns the opinion of those, who assert that the priests
of the New Testament have only a temporary power; and that those
who have once been rightly ordained, can again become laymen, if
they do not exercise the ministry of the word of God. And if any
one affirm, that all Christians indiscriminately are priests of the
New Testament, or that they are all mutually endowed with an equal
spiritual power, he clearly does nothing but confound the
ecclesiastical hierarchy, which is as an army set in array; as if,
contrary to the doctrine of blessed Paul, all were apostles, all
prophets, all evangelists, all pastors, all doctors. Wherefore,
the holy Synod declares that, besides the other ecclesiastical
degrees, bishops, who have succeeded to the place of the apostles,
principally belong to this hierarchical order; that they are
placed, as the same apostle says, by the Holy Ghost, to rule the
Church of God; that they are superior to priests; administer the
sacrament of Confirmation; ordain the ministers of the Church; and
that they can perform very many other things; over which functions
others of an inferior order have no power. Furthermore, the sacred
and holy Synod teaches, that, in the ordination of bishops,
priests, and of the other orders, neither the consent, nor
vocation, nor authority, whether of the people, or of any civil
power or magistrate whatsoever, is required in such wise as that,
without this, the ordination is invalid: yea rather doth It
decree, that all those who, being only called and instituted by
the people, or by the civil power and magistrate, ascend to the
exercise of these ministrations, and those who of their own
rashness assume them to themselves, are not ministers of the
Church, but are to be looked upon as thieves and robbers, who have
not entered by the door." (Council of Trent)
"The
Church is a society, and as such requires an authority and
hierarchy of her own. Though it is true that all the members of
the Mystical Body partake of the same blessings and pursue the
same objective, they do not all enjoy the same powers, nor are
they all qualified to perform the same acts. The divine Redeemer
has willed, as a matter of fact, that His Kingdom should be built
and solidly supported, as it were, on a holy order, which
resembles in some sort the heavenly hierarchy. Only to the
apostles, and thenceforth to those on whom their successors have
imposed hands, is granted the power of the priesthood, in virtue
of which they represent the person of Jesus Christ before their
people, acting at the same time as representatives of their people
before God. This priesthood is not transmitted by heredity or
human descent. It does not emanate from the Christian community.
It is not a delegation from the people. Prior to acting as
representative of the community before the throne of God, the
priest is the ambassador of the divine Redeemer. He is God's
vice-regent in the midst of his flock precisely because Jesus
Christ is Head of that body of which Christians are the members.
The power entrusted to him, therefore, bears no natural
resemblance to anything human. It is entirely supernatural. It
comes from God. 'As the Father hath sent me, I also send you...he
that heareth you heareth me...go ye into the whole world and
preach the gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved.' That is why the visible, external
priesthood of Jesus Christ is not handed down indiscriminately to
all members of the Church in general, but is conferred on
designated men, through what may be called the spiritual
generation of holy orders. This latter, one of the seven
sacraments, not only imparts the grace appropriate to the clerical
function and state of life, but imparts an indelible 'character'
besides, indicating the sacred ministers' conformity to Jesus
Christ the Priest and qualifying them to perform those official
acts of religion by which men are sanctified and God is duly
glorified in keeping with the divine laws and regulations."
(Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei", 1947 A.D.)
Also
See: Vatican
View Section | Vatican
View (Reflections) | Bishops
/ Episcopate | Priests
/ Priesthood | Diocese
/ Parish | The
Hierarchical Priesthood Vs. the 'Common Priesthood of the
Faithful' | The
Priesthood is Not Derived From the Community | The
Laity & The Clergy | Duties
& Responsibilities of Priests | Pope
(Topical Scripture) | Priests
(Topical Scripture) | Church
(Topical Scripture) | Misc.
Priests / Vocations Facts | U.S.
Dioceses & Archdioceses
Note:
Categories are subjective and may overlap. For more items related
to this topic, please review all applicable categories. For more
'Reflections' and for Scripture topics, see links below.
Top |
Reflections: A-Z | Categ.
| Scripture: A-Z |
Categ.
| Help
|
