ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHY. – It is the complex of persons who participate in the power of the Church. Hierarchy is a Greek word (ἰερὰ ἀρχή) meaning sacred principate.
The power conferred Church (v.) is divided into the power of order and that of jurisdiction; the former has as its immediate purpose the glorification of God in the offering of the sacrifice of the Mass and the sanctification of souls in the administration of the Sacraments; the latter has as its direct end the government of the faithful with a view to attaining eternal life, and is exercised in the infallible teaching of revealed Truths (magisterium), in the promulgation of canonical laws (legislative power), in the decision of cases arising among the faithful (judicial power), and in applying penal sanctions against violators of the laws (coercive power). These powers are to be regarded as different functions of the same sacrum imperium, with which the Church is endowed as a perfect society.
Jurisdiction is divided: a) into the power of the external forum, when it is directed principally to the common good, regulating the social relations of its members and producing public juridical effects; and that of the internal forum, when it is directed principally to the private good, regulating the relations of consciences with God and producing predominantly moral effects; b) into ordinary power, when it is connected ipso iure with an office, and delegated power, when it is given to a person by commission. Ordinary power is subdivided into proper power, if it is joined to an office and exercised in one’s own name, and vicarious power, if it is attached to an office but exercised in the name of another.
From the twofold sacred power there originates a twofold hierarchy: of order and of jurisdiction (cf. can. 108 § 3). The hierarchy of order is constituted by that complex of persons who are endowed with the power to offer the sacrifice and administer the Sacraments, conferred through sacramental ordination. The hierarchy of jurisdiction is constituted by the series of those persons who are endowed with the power to teach and govern, transmitted to them according to juridical norms. In both hierarchies there are fundamental grades, which have their origin in divine law: the episcopate, the presbyterate, and the diaconate in the hierarchy of order; the papacy and the episcopate in the hierarchy of jurisdiction. Alongside the fundamental grades there are various secondary grades, instituted by the Church: for example, in the hierarchy of order there are the four grades resulting from the Minor Orders (the order of porter, lectorate, exorcistate, and acolyte).
The two hierarchies are really distinct, although bound together by a mutual relationship. They differ in origin: Order is in fact conferred by a special Sacrament, whereas jurisdiction is granted through canonical mission; they also differ in property, because the valid use of Order, in most cases, cannot be taken away, whereas jurisdiction may be revoked.
In another respect, the two hierarchies stand in a mutual relationship, first because jurisdiction, ordinarily, presupposes Order, whereas the exercise of the powers of Order is directed by jurisdiction; and then because both derive from God, to whom they directly or indirectly orient the souls of the faithful.
Those members of the Church who enter into the twofold hierarchy are called clerics (from the Greek κλῆρος = lot, that is, in sorteum Domini vocati), whereas all the others are called laity (from the Greek λχός = people). Since the Church bears within her bosom superiors and subjects who are really distinct by divine law, she is an unequal society, in which, that is, the members do not have equal rights and duties.
The individual grades and powers of the twofold hierarchy are treated under the entries: ACCOLYTATE; DEACON AND ARCHDEACON; EXORCIST AND EXORCISTATE; INFALLIBILITY OF THE CHURCH AND OF THE POPE; LECTORATE; SACRED ORDER; PORTER; POPE, PAPACY; PRESBYTERATE; SUBDIACONATE; BISHOP.