WHO MAKES UP THE CHURCH? - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The Catholic Church is made up of all baptized people who live under the precepts, norms, values ​​and faith of this institution. By 2015, according to official figures from the Vatican, there were more than 1200 million Roman Catholics in the world; 41.3% of this population is in Latin America.

The Catholic Church has a hierarchical organization. Below are the main power figures within the church.

1.- The Pope

He is the Bishop of Rome and the highest representative of the Church. He is elected by the cardinal electors during the conclave and is the sovereign of the city of the Vatican.

Its functions include:

- Define and guide the moral conduct of Catholics.

- Supervise, erect and divide dioceses and ecclesiastical provinces.

- Appoint or remove bishops.

- Manage ecclesiastical properties.

- To supervise the regional and national councils, and the episcopal conferences.

- Take care of the processes of beatification and canonization of the saints.

2.- Cardinals

They often lead an Archdiocese or hold a high-ranking administrative position within the Church.

In general, they are the right hand of the Pope in everything that concerns the daily government of the universal Church.

3.- Bishops

They direct the Dioceses, and exercise the triple mission of: teaching, sanctifying and governing a portion of the Church with independent criteria. Each Bishop reports directly to the Pope in his line of command.

They are responsible for caring for the Priests and Deacons, and they have the mission of teaching the faith in a genuine way, celebrating worship, especially the Eucharist, and leading their Church as true pastors.

4.- Priest

They are the collaborators of the bishops and have not yet received the entire sacrament of Holy Orders.

Some of the honorary titles that are attributed to priests are: Vicar, Monsignor, Apostolic Protonotary, Honorary Prelate of His Holiness, Chaplain of His Holiness, Canon.

5.- Deacon

They are the assistants of priests and bishops, and they possess the first degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders.

They are ordained not for the priesthood, but for the service of charity, of the proclamation of the Word of God and of the liturgy.

They do not consecrate the host and are not authorized to direct the sacrament of confession.

6.- Pastors

He is the parish leader assigned to him and reports directly to the Diocesan Bishop.

They direct the Holy Mass and are entrusted with the administration of the sacraments. They must also get involved with their community, so they often visit families, organize charitable works within their environment and offer the extreme anointing to the sick.

7.- Consecrated

They are usually laity or clergy who decide to live a life especially consecrated to God. Some of the titles granted to consecrated persons are:

- In the Abbeys: Abad and Abbess.

- In the monasteries: Monk and Nun.

- In the Convents: Friar and Sister.

- In the Hermitages: Hermits.

8.- Lay faithful

They are those faithful servants of the Church who are not part of the clergy.

They are baptized Catholics but, being outside the clerical environment, they can lead a conventional life: marry, have children, and are not obliged to take vows of poverty or celibacy.

References

1. This is the hierarchical constitution of the Catholic Church (2013). ABC newspaper. Madrid Spain. Recovered from: abc.es
2. Functions of the Pope (1978). Process Magazine. Mexico DF, Mexico. Recovered from: proces.com.mx
3. How many Roman Catholics are there in the world? (2013). BBC News. London England. Recovered from: bbc.com
4. Rudd, S. (2011). The 3 Tier Hierarchy Of The Roman Catholic Church. California, USA. Recovered from: bible.ca
5. Trigilio, J. and Brighenti, K. (2017). Who is who in the Catholic Church? Dummies, to Wiley Brand. Recovered from: dummies.com
6. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org.