Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Baltimore track

Baltimore Catechism No. 3

Lesson 25 — On Extreme Unction and Holy Orders

Q. 984.What double power does the Church possess and confer on her pastors?

A.The Church possesses and confers on her pastor, the power of orders and the power of jurisdiction; that is, the power to administer the Sacraments and sanctify the faithful, and the power to teach and make laws that direct the faithful to their spiritual good. A bishop has the full power of orders and the Pope alone has the full power of jurisdiction.

Q. 985.How do the pastors of the Church rank according to authority?

A.The pastors of the Church rank according to authority as follows: (1) Priests, who govern parishes or congregations in the name of their bishop; (2) Bishops, who rule over a number of parishes or a diocese; (3) Archbishops, who have authority over a number of dioceses or a province; (4) Primates, who have authority over the ecclesiastical or Church provinces of a nation; (5) Patriarchs, who have authority over a whole country; and last and highest, the Pope, who rules the Church throughout the world.

Q. 986.How do the prelates or higher officers of the Church rank in dignity?

A.The prelates or higher officers of the Church rank in dignity as they rank in authority, except that in dignity Cardinals are next to the Pope, and Vicars Apostolic, Monsignori, and others having titles follow bishops. Papal delegates and those specially appointed by the Pope rank according to the powers he has given them.

Q. 987.Who are Cardinals, what are their duties and how are they divided?

A.Cardinals are the members of the Supreme Council or Senate of the Church. Their duties are to advise and aid the Pope in the government of the Church, and to elect a new Pope when the reigning Pope dies. They are divided into committees called sacred congregations, each having, its special work to perform. All these congregations taken together are called the Sacred College of Cardinals, of which the whole number is seventy.