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The Pope is in charge of and responsible for the Catholic Church on earth.
His Holiness Pope John Paul II was Jesus' chosen representative for over 26 years. The new pope, Benedict XVI, is the latest in a long line that stretches back for 2 millennia. It was the disciple Peter who was the first representative that Jesus specifically singled out for this task close to 2000 years ago. Jesus gave Peter the authority to lead, teach and govern the Catholic community. That authority has, through the centuries, been carefully passed on to Peter's successors from Pope to Pope.
The organisational structure Jesus put into place all those years ago consisted of 12 core men whom he recruited to take on the leadership of the Catholic community. He taught them about his philosophy and told them to teach others about it. He also delegated certain responsibilities and powers to those leaders – like the power to forgive in Jesus' name. |
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Saint Peter, the first Pope, lived in Rome after Jesus returned (or ascended) into heaven. All Popes, with the exception of a handful, have lived there ever since.
Although the Pope is our spiritual leader we are never forced to believe everything he says or the interpretations he places on things. We have free will and so can choose to agree with him or not. However, there are some fundamental beliefs that we have to accept in order to be a Catholic. |
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Belief in the reality that Jesus died on a cross.
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Belief in the reality that Jesus was the Son of God.
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Belief in the reality that Jesus is the Saviour of the world.
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Are there any beliefs you have that are unchangeable and that stand for all time? |
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Who speaks on your behalf? Do you agree with everything they say because they have that authority? |
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Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, Leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. |
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Here's the overall hierarchy of the management team: |
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Overall head of the Catholic Church.
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Working at the Vatican in Rome or leading the Catholic Church in a specific country.
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In charge of regions called dioceses.
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Vicar Generals and Monsignors:
Working with specific responsibilities in a diocese.
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Responsible for local churches called Parishes.
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As well as those people that manage the Church, there are also many other people that contribute in many diverse ways to our community life: deacons, monks, nuns, brothers, sisters and 'lay' people (everyday worshippers like me for example). |
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It's a large family all told and it's made up of a healthy mix of ages and backgrounds. Did you know that the Pope is a spiritual father to over one billion people!?
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Another important role that the management team described above have is to teach the message of Jesus Christ and provide guidelines about how we are to live as his followers. This teaching authority is called "The Magisterium of the Church".
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Sometimes I have found the Magisterium's interpretation and teachings challenging, but as a Catholic I trust that they speak the truth. Even if at first I find what they say difficult to take on board, I take their teachings very seriously because I believe they speak with God given authority. |
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Your guide for this section is Edwin. He is 20, and has grown up in Wales. Click here to read his story. |
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| This is a website of the Catholic Enquiry Office; part of an Agency of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales |
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