The Pope & Bishop of Rome:

The official head of the worldwide Catholic Church is the pope, or the Bishop of Rome.  He is the Shepherd guiding the Catholic Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  The pope is also recognized as a world leader or Head of State and is treated as such in Papal visits.  The College of Cardinals elects the pope.  This body of Cardinals assists the pope in his responsibilities.  The gathering of Cardinals who elect the pope is called a conclave.  Some titles for the pope include Holy Father - Saint Ignatius of Antioch said that the pope is like the living image of God; Bishop of Rome - direct line of succession from Peter, the first Bishop of Rome; and Supreme Pontiff - from the Latin, a bridge guilder, the connector between God and humans. Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th head of the Catholic Church since Saint Peter.

Bishop Robert Lynch

The Bishop:

The local leader and shepherd who is entrusted with the care of the spiritual lives of Catholics is the bishop.  He is called and ordained to lead a geographical area called a diocese.  The diocese is composed of numerous parishes in a designated location.  Together the pope and bishops share in the responsibility to lead the Church.  Collegiality is the term used to describe this shared role.  A bishop is a priest who has been appointed by the pope to lead a particular diocese.  In larger metropolitan areas, there may be several auxiliary bishops to assist the Ordinary (bishop) of the diocese.  A cathedral is a title given to the major church of a diocese, under the direction of the bishop.

Appointed by the pope, a cardinal is a bishop who has a higher rank, recognition, and responsibility within the Church.  The College of Cardinals is the name given to all the cardinals throughout the world.  It is the group who gather in prayer, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to elect a pope.  Some cardinals, named this for the red hat they wear in official roles, lead a large diocese, while others live in Rome, assisting the pope in the various offices needed to govern the Church.

An archbishop is the head of a particular province or region which includes several other dioceses; however, the archbishop does not have jurisdiction over these dioceses, other than his own.  The archbishop along with the bishops of a province meet regularly to discuss issues and concerns regarding policies and practices of handing on he faith.

The Conference of Bishops:

In each country or geographical area, the bishops gather annually or semi-annually to discuss issues and concerns of faith and on occasion to promulgate pastoral directives.  The bishops of a country form what is known as the Conference of Catholic Bishops.  They write pastoral letters to enhance the faith, worship, and values of the Catholic community in a given country.  During the meetings of the Conference of Bishops they may choose to present policy statements to the civil and political issues that prevail in their country.

Pastor is a title derived from the Latin word, which means "shepherd". A pastor is usually an ordained priest who guides, governs, and cares for the needs of the parishioners in a given parish or group of parishes.  There may be pastoral administrators, not ordained, leading parishes in some locations.  In addition, pastoral associates serve the parishioners.  These can be priests, deacons, or lay leaders who, together with the pastor, form a parish staff. The pastoral parish council is a trained group of lay leaders who work with the pastor, and staff to carry out the mission of the local parish.  The creed - beliefs and values of the Scriptures and Tradition; the code, the commandments, and precepts of the Church; and the cult, the sacramental life, worship, prayers, and traditions of the Catholic Church are carried out by these leaders on the local level.

The parish usually designates a geographical area.  The size of a parish varies.  Some are as small as a few dozen members and other parishes' memberships number in the thousands.  By reason of baptism, the faith-filled members of the parish have the responsibility of taking the Good News into their daily lives.

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