Authority In the Church: the hierarchy and the papacy

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Authority In the Church the hierarchy and the
papacy

• Chapter 4 lesson 2
• pp. 114-118
• HW p. 141 5, 7, 9

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The hierarchical structure of the Church

• Without organization kingdoms fall apart
• Name one that didnt
• The kingdom of God was meant to last a while so
  it needed organization.
• The hierarchy was developed before the twelve
  apostles were all dead.
• Bishops
• Priests
• Deacons
• Even though we are equal in dignity (horizontal)
  there is a distinct hierarchy (vertical)

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Bishops (well talk more about the others in a
later lesson)

• These are the successors of the Apostles.
• They are headed by the Bishop of Rome, the
  successor of St. Peter.
• It is through St. Peter in particular that
  infallibility resides (The guarantee that St.
  Peter and his successors would be free of error
  in public teachings on matters of faith and
  morals).
• This is the upper tier in the hierarchy of the
  Church on earth.
• The chain of Bishops is unbroken all the way back
  to the Apostles and is what we refer to as
  Apostolic Succession.

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Church Hierarchy is ordained by Christ.

• Dont fall into the trap of thinking the Church
  is a democracy. It would be a bad thing if it
  were!
• It was instituted by Christ who is still its
  head.
• It is referred to as the kingdom of God, not the
  democratic peoples republic of God for a reason.
• With Christ as its head, the clergy make up the
  hierarchy.
• Church hierarchy is different than government or
  corporate hierarchy in that the Churchs is
  defined as those who choose to serve out of love.

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St. Peter and the Papacy

• The Pope is the head of the collegial body of
  Bishops.
• We see St. Peter fulfilling his role as leader
  time and time again in the New Testament.
• He spoke on behalf of the Apostles at Pentecost
• He spoke on behalf of the Apostles arrested
  during various persecutions in Jerusalem.
• He spoke on behalf of the Council of Jerusalem
• St. Paul accepted him as leader of the Apostles
• He established the Diocese in Rome, the center of
  the world at that time.

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Quiz

• You may use your own hand written notes, but not
  the book or help from a neighbor
• QUESTION What are two examples of St. Peters
  leadership of the Apostles and early Church?
• Your answer must include 2.
• 1 points for each. Sentences not required, but
  your answer must be complete enough for me to
  understand and I am the final arbiter of what
  that is