>Date: Wed, 24 Jan 96 07:17:54 PST 960124.01
>From: Kevin_J._Hayes@ccmail.anatcp.rockwell.com
>
> Dear Father Mateo,
>
> What is the difference between a priest being called
> Father, and the other titles such as Monsignor, Bishop,
> Archbishop, and Cardinal? If I understand correctly, a
> Bishop is the title given to the head of each diocese, and
> that the Pope is also called the Bishop of Rome. Is the
> Archbishop somehow 'higher up' than the Bishop? Is
> Cardinal only a 'symbolic' title, that identifies who is
> eligible to vote for a new Pope? A Monsignor seems to fall
> somewhere between Priest and Bishop, but in what capacity?
>
> Thank you,
> Kevin Hayes
Dear Kevin,
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary answers your questions:
1) priest: clergyman ranking below a bishop and above a deacon;
2) monsignor: prelate with office of chamberlain, domestic prelate, or
protonotary apostolic; largely an honorary or ceremonial title;
3) bishop: clergyman ranking above a priest, having authority to ordain,
confirm, and typically governing a diocese;
4) archbishop: bishop at the head of an ecclesiastical province;
5) cardinal: church official ranking next below the pope, appointed by him
to assist in church government; one of the electors of a new pope;
6) pope: head of the Roman Catholic Church, bishop of Rome.
See also the Catechism of the Catholic Church*, nos. 874-887, 894-895,
897-911. (Do you have your own copy of C.C.C. yet?)
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Mateo
- Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit -
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