ECCLESIASTICAL HIERARCHY. - It is the aggregate of persons who participate in the power of the Church. Hierarchy is a Greek word (ἰερὰ ἀρχή) meaning sacred principality.
The power conferred by Jesus Christ on the Church (v.) is divided into the power of order and of jurisdiction; the first 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 second has as its direct end the government of the faithful in order to the attainment of eternal life, and it is exercised in the infallible teaching of the revealed Truths (magisterium), in the promulgation of canonical laws (legislative power), in the decision of causes arising among the faithful (judicial power), and by applying penal sanctions against transgressors of the laws (coercive power). These powers are to be considered as different functions of the same sacrum imperium, with which the Church as a perfect society is invested.
Jurisdiction is divided: a) into power of the external forum, when it is directed principally to the common good, regulating the social relations of the members and producing public juridical effects; and 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 ipso iure it is connected with an office, and delegated, when it is given to a person by commission. Ordinary power is subdivided into proper, if it is joined to an office and exercised in one's own name, and vicarious, if it is tied to an office but exercised in the name of others.
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 aggregate of persons who are invested with the power to offer the sacrifice and to administer the Sacraments, conferred by sacramental ordination. The hierarchy of jurisdiction is constituted by the series of those persons who are furnished with the power to teach and to govern, transmitted to them according to juridical norms. In both hierarchies there are fundamental grades, which have their origin in divine right: the episcopate, the presbyterate, the diaconate in the hierarchy of order; the papacy and the episcopate in the hierarchy of jurisdiction. Close to the fundamental ones there are various secondary grades, which were instituted by the Church: for example, in the hierarchy of order there are the four grades which result from the minor Orders (ostiariate, lectorate, exorcistate, acolythate).
The two hierarchies are really distinct, although bound by mutual relation. They are distinguished by origin: in fact Order is conferred by a specific Sacrament, while jurisdiction is granted by canonical mission; they differ furthermore in property, because the valid use of Order, in most cases, cannot be taken away, while jurisdiction can be revoked.
The two hierarchies, on the other hand, are in mutual relation, first because jurisdiction, in the ordinary way, presupposes Order, while the exercise of the powers of Order is directed by jurisdiction, and then because both come from God, to whom directly or indirectly they orient the souls of the faithful.
Those members of the Church who come to be part of the twofold hierarchy are called clerics (from the Greek κλῆρος = lot, that is, in sortem Domini vocati), while all the others are called laity (from the Greek λαός = people). The Church, bearing in her bosom, really distinct by divine right, superiors and subjects, 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: ACCOLITATO; DIACONO E ARCIDIACONO; ESORCISTA E ESORCISTATO; INFALLIBILITÀ DELLA CHIESA E DEL PAPA; LETTORATO; ORDINE SACRO; OSTIARIATO; PAPA, PAPATO; PRESBITERATO; SUDDIACONATO; VESCOVO.
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Antonio Piolanti