Hierarchy of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church’s ordered structure of authority and ministry, headed by the pope and comprising bishops, priests, and deacons. It combines governance with sacramental roles.

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Pope: The bishop of Rome, who serves as the Catholic Church’s universal pastor and holds supreme authority in its governance. The hierarchy’s highest office is held by the bishop of Rome.
Bishop: An ordained minister who leads a diocese and shares in the Church’s teaching, sanctifying, and governing responsibilities. Bishops lead dioceses and form the hierarchy’s principal governing body.
Early Christianity: The movement centered on Jesus and his followers during the first centuries of the Common Era. The Church’s offices developed from forms of leadership in the early Christian communities.
Eastern Orthodox Church: A communion of self-governing churches sharing Orthodox doctrine, liturgy, and sacramental tradition. Its bishops govern through synods, without a universal pope exercising Catholic-style primacy.
College of Bishops: The body of bishops in communion with the pope, which shares responsibility for the universal Church. Bishops exercise their ministry collectively with the pope, not as independent authorities.
Priest: An ordained minister who celebrates the sacraments and serves under a bishop, commonly in a parish. Priests carry out much local ministry while remaining under episcopal authority.
Ignatius of Antioch: A second-century bishop and Christian writer whose letters describe the authority of bishops, presbyters, and deacons. His letters provide early evidence for a threefold pattern of ordained ministry.
Anglican Communion: A global fellowship of autonomous churches rooted in the English Reformation and led locally by bishops. Its provinces are independent, unlike dioceses united under the Catholic pope.
Diocese: A territorial portion of the Catholic Church entrusted to a bishop for pastoral governance. The diocese is the basic jurisdiction through which a bishop oversees local ministry.
Deacon: An ordained minister dedicated to service, who may proclaim the Gospel, assist at liturgy, and perform charitable ministry. Deacons hold an ordained ministry within the hierarchy without serving as priests.