Читать книгу Catholicism For Dummies - Rev. Kenneth Brighenti - Страница 102

Christ the King provided governance and leadership to his followers. The kingly office of the Church is to make sure that the Church stays organized with the right people in charge, just like Jesus set it up. The Catholic Church is an institution, and as with any organization, it has rules, procedures, and a hierarchy of authority.

The basic structure of the Church was given by the Lord when He formed His Church by calling the Twelve Apostles, who became the first bishops. Out of the 12, he chose a leader, Peter, the first pope (flip to the earlier section “Establishing a Foundation: Built on Rock” for more details). That’s still the example the Church follows.

Bishops and presbyters or priests (successors to the 70 disciples) are ordained to celebrate the sacraments (especially the Mass), to preach, to teach, and to minister in a local church (known as a parish). A collection of parishes in a geographical location is known as a diocese. The Catholic Church is made up of many different dioceses and archdioceses throughout the world. An archdiocese is a diocese than has the most people in relation to the other dioceses in that particular region. It is not per se the largest geographical territory, but it is the most populous and usually the most historical in that state or region. For example, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is the largest diocese in Pennsylvania. The other (and smaller) seven dioceses (Harrisburg, Erie, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Greensburg, Altoona-Johnstown, and Allentown) are called “suffragan” while Philadelphia is the Metropolitan Archdiocese. In addition to priests, there are ordained deacons who assist priests and bishops in their local parishes and dioceses.

The pope is the head of the Church and the bishop of Rome; as such, his seat of authority (cathedra) is the Basilica of St. John Lateran. He is also the head of the Universal Church, and his seat of authority is the Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican City. Cardinals are appointed by the pope and make up the College of Cardinals. As a body, this college advises the pope and, on his death, elects a new pope.

Because the structure of the Catholic Church is such a complex subject, we devote an entire chapter of this book to the subject: Chapter 6. For the whole scoop on the many people and departments that carry on the work of Christ’s kingly office, be sure to check out that chapter.