Questions tagged [church-hierarchy]
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What is the biblical basis for the hierarchical system of the Catholic church?
Roman Catholics have a hierarchical system within their church with cardinals, then archbishops, then bishops, then priests and then deacons (as i have shown below) but where in the Bible do we see ...
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Do lay Catholics have any recourse to override the plans of a diocesan Ordinary?
I like my Bishop, but he has an awful plan to reconstruct our diocese which includes dissolving every single parish and I want to put a stop to it. How can lay Catholics reach the papal nuncio or ...
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Provincial Superior as member of religious house
Can a provincial superior be a member of a religious house and therefore under authority of local superior?
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Leadership over smaller churches in early Christianity
I have heard a claim that during the early Church, bigger churches had leadership positions over smaller churches, which later developed into the idea of a single bishop ruling a dicosese. Are there ...
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Should a Church call out False Prophets who claim to speak with God's word?
This question isn't about a specific situation but was brought on when I read about a few "prophecies" in the US claiming that Trump would win the 2020 election - a prophecy we now know to ...
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What's the difference between pastor, parochial administrator and parochial vicar in the Catholic Church?
I was looking through the list of appointments to a nearby parish and noticed that the Bishop is mixing things up, but not really changing much. Two parishes in a nearby city are linked, with two ...
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Why are the functions for man clear in the Catholic Church leading and decisive hierarchy, but there is no corresponding function for women?
Aside from the functions that both man and women can take in the Church (they can be lay members of the congregations- single or married, they both can be consecrated single persons, they can be ...
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Are men more important then women? [closed]
I had this question for a while and I just can't find the answer. Whenever I go to church all I hear, is that boys can do this, that and other things, but the girls can only listen and sing. It makes ...
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What's the normal term for a Catholic priest that works in a parish under another one?
I am trying to learn about Catholic clerical posts called "cura" and "cura teniente" in rural 1700s Mexico. "Teniente" generally means second-in-command, like lieutenant. I am tempted to translate the ...
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Why doesn’t the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod have bishops?
Most Lutheran synods in the United States, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), have bishops as part of their church hierarchy just like many other mainline Protestants.
Why ...
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Style of referring to a cardinal
As I grew up, I was accustomed to referring to a cardinal by inserting his title between his first and last names. Thus, for example, I was confirmed by the then-archbishop of St. Louis, John Cardinal ...
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Existence of Catholic Church without hierarchy
In case of a global catastrophe (nuclear war or something similar), a big majority of the global population would die, including pope, all bishops, all priests, all deacons. In all churches with ...
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What happens if the Pope is automatically excommunicated?
Some actions incur automatic excommunication. While it is debated whether a Pope can lose the office via heresy, what happens if a pope commits a sin other than heresy, such as abortion or violating ...
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Priestly hiring competitions in the Catholic Church
In the Archives of the Archbishopric of Durango (Mexico) there are a number of documents about concursos de curatos, or priestly concourses, which were used for hiring into vacant parishes and ...
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Does a Catholic bishop appoint the Canon priests of his cathedral?
I hope to learn whether the Prebendary Agustín Fernández de San Vicente became Canon of the Durango Cathedral because he was appointed by Bishop Castañiza of Durango or for some other reason.
...
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Can a priest act on a confession of molestation?
What, if any, ability does a priest or bishop have in order to stop a brother priest who has confessed to molestation of minors, according to Canon Law?
Very often I hear, and am personally aware of ...
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Do the religious figures leading a particular See of Christianity have a specific title(s) for that office?
For instance:
Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, _____ of the (Western) See
Emperor Claudius XI, last _____ of the (Eastern?) See
I've also seen the term "synod"; I'm not sure where that fits in either. ...
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Hierarchy and paid clergy of Jehovah's Witnesses church [closed]
Why do Jehovah's Witnesses say they have no hierarchy or paid clergy in the church organization, when from the Overseer clergy and upwards they get a wage, fully funded car and pension.
Are the ...
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Why does the Roman Catholic church allow girls to serve the altar?
I once knew a classmate who told me that she belonged to the Coptic Orthodox church. Out of curiosity, I asked her whether she had ever served the altar, because I figured that serving the altar was ...
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What is the scriptural basis for a monarchical episcopate?
What scriptural basis has traditionally been put forth by the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches to support the idea of monarchical episcopate (the idea that there must be only one bishop over a city ...
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Why are archdeacons (Anglican, Catholic, or Orthodox) called "The Venerable"? What is the origin, in Latin and English, of this title?
Wikipedia doesn't seem to provide a fleshed-out etymology of this title. Who first held it? When did its usage become applied to all archdeacons. And do archdeacons ever have issues with the title, ...
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How do Congregationalists explain 1st Tim 1:3 and Titus 1:5?
1 Timothy 1:3, KJV
As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into
Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other
doctrine
Titus 1:5, KJV
For this cause ...
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What does title of "Bishop" mean in some African-American churches?
I'm familiar with what "bishop" typically means in mainline, churches. It specifically points to an overseer of several other pastors and/or their congregations.
Some African-American Christian ...
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Who disciplines who within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church?
Restricting as much as is possible to the Pope, Bishops, Priests and Deacons, who disciplines who within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church?
Does that change whether it is in the Western Church or ...
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How do the Pope, Bishops, Priests relate to one another in the Catholic Church's hierarchy? [duplicate]
This excellent question What are the positions relative to each other in the Catholic church's clerical hierarchy? | @Reluctant_Linux_User and its answers have revived some questions on my part which ...
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What is meant by "order" in reference to ministries within the Church, and how did its usage come about?
FMS' answer to What are the positions relative to each other in the Catholic church's clerical hierarchy? mentioned a twofold hierarchy in the Church, that of order and that of jurisdiction.
Given ...
user13992
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What happens if the Cardinals who voted against the Pope get stuck with a Pope they don't like?
What happens if the Cardinals get stuck with a Pope they don't like? Do they still have to obey him?
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What are the key differences between the Western and Eastern Christianity?
I'm currently reading about Eastern Christianity as a part of my study.
Those are the churches that have existed since early times, such as the Nestorians, the Jacobites, the Coptics, and others. But ...
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