140. In the Church, however, all power comes from Christ.

In the Church, however, all power comes from Christ.

YOUCAT Catechism + Catechism of the Catholic Church Lesson 140

Ave Maria series

140  Why is the Church not a democratic organization?

Democracy operates on the principle that all power comes from the people.  In the Church, however, all power comes from Christ.  That is why the Church has a hierarchical structure.  At the same time, however, Christ gave her a collegial structure as well.  [874-879]

Second Vatican Council Fathers with their secretaries leaving St. Peter's Basilica. Photo by Lothar Wolleh. .....140

The hierarchical element in the Church consists in the fact that Christ himself is the one who acts in the Church when ordained ministers, by God’s grace, do or give something that they could not do or give by themselves, in other words, when they administer the sacraments in Christ’s place and teach with his authority.  The collegial element in the Church consists in the fact that Christ entrusted the entire faith to a group of twelve apostles, whose successors govern the Church, with the Pope, the Petrine ministry presiding.  Given this collegial approach, councils are an indispensable part of the Church.  Yet even in other administrative bodies of the Church, in synods and councils, the manifold gifts of the Spirit and the universality of the Church throughout the world can be fruitful.

Hierarchy (from Greek hieras and arche=holy origin): the gradated structure of the Church under Christ, from whom all power and authority proceeds.

Pope (from Greek pappas=father): successor of the apostle Peter, Bishop of Rome.  Because Peter was the first among the apostles, the Pope, as his successor, presides over the college of bishops.  As Christ’s Vicar or representative, he is the supreme pastor, priest and teacher of the Church.

Bishop (from Greek episkopein=to supervise): successor of the apostles; leader of a diocese (local Church); as a member of the college of bishops, under the leadership of the Pope, the bishop has a share in the responsibility for the universal Church.

Priest (from Greek presbyteros=elder): co-worker with the bishop in proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments.  He carries out his ministry in common with the other priests, under the leadership of the bishop.

Deacon (Greak diakonos=servant, helper): He is ordained for the ministry (diakonia) of the Word, the liturgy, and charitable works.  His ordination includes the authority to baptize, to preach at Mass, and to preside at the sacrament of Matrimony.

[874-879]

THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH

Why the ecclesial ministry?

874 Christ is himself the source of ministry in the Church. He instituted the Church. He gave her authority and mission, orientation and goal:

In order to shepherd the People of God and to increase its numbers without cease, Christ the Lord set up in his Church a variety of offices which aim at the good of the whole body. The holders of office, who are invested with a sacred power, are, in fact, dedicated to promoting the interests of their brethren, so that all who belong to the People of God . . . may attain to salvation.( Lumen gentium 18)³⁸⁹ –Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition

875 "How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent?"(Romans 10:14:15)³⁹⁰   No one - no individual and no community - can proclaim the Gospel to himself: "Faith comes from what is heard."(Romans 10:17)³⁹¹ No one can give himself the mandate and the mission to proclaim the Gospel. The one sent by the Lord does not speak and act on his own authority, but by virtue of Christ's authority; not as a member of the community, but speaking to it in the name of Christ. No one can bestow grace on himself; it must be given and offered. This fact presupposes ministers of grace, authorized and empowered by Christ. From him, bishops and priests receive the mission and faculty ("the sacred power") to act in persona Christi Capitis; deacons receive the strength to serve the people of God in the diaconia of liturgy, word and charity, in communion with the bishop and his presbyterate. The ministry in which Christ's emissaries do and give by God's grace what they cannot do and give by their own powers, is called a "sacrament" by the Church's tradition. Indeed, the ministry of the Church is conferred by a special sacrament.—CCC

876 Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service. Entirely dependent on Christ who gives mission and authority, ministers are truly "slaves of Christ,"(compare Romans 1:1)³⁹² in the image of him who freely took "the form of a slave" for us.(Philippians 2:7)³⁹³  Because the word and grace of which they are ministers are not their own, but are given to them by Christ for the sake of others, they must freely become the slaves of all.(compare 1 Corinthians 9:19)³⁹⁴ –CCC

877 Likewise, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a collegial character. In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the Twelve as "the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy."(Ad gentes 5)³⁹⁵  Chosen together, they were also sent out together, and their fraternal unity would be at the service of the fraternal communion of all the faithful: they would reflect and witness to the communion of the divine persons.(compare John 17:21-23)³⁹⁶  For this reason every bishop exercises his ministry from within the episcopal college, in communion with the bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter and head of the college. So also priests exercise their ministry from within the presbyterium of the diocese, under the direction of their bishop.—CCC

878 Finally, it belongs to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry that it have a personal character. Although Christ's ministers act in communion with one another, they also always act in a personal way. Each one is called personally: "You, follow me"(John 21:22; compare Matthew 4:19; John 1:4)³⁹⁷ in order to be a personal witness within the common mission, to bear personal responsibility before him who gives the mission, acting "in his person" and for other persons: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . ."; "I absolve you . . . ."—CCC

879 Sacramental ministry in the Church, then, is a service exercised in the name of Christ. It has a personal character and a collegial form. This is evidenced by the bonds between the episcopal college and its head, the successor of St. Peter, and in the relationship between the bishop's pastoral responsibility for his particular church and the common solicitude of the episcopal college for the universal Church.

Church  Council fathers