religious hierarchy
Ecclesiastical chain of command
A religious hierarchy is the formal structure of authority and rank within a religious organization, typically arranged in levels from highest to lowest.
In Christianity, this might run from pope to cardinals to bishops to priests; other faiths have their own chains of command.
The term can describe either the system itself or the people who occupy its upper ranks: The religious hierarchy opposed the proposed reforms.
Such structures determine who has power over doctrine, ritual, and personnel decisions within the faith.
- dioceseBishop's territorial jurisdiction
- priestOne who performs sacraments
- canon lawReligious institutional regulations
- bishopDiocesan clergy head
- moral guidanceTeaching right from wrong
parish · holy orders · high priest · imam · rabbi · fatwa · pope · synod · cardinal · council · dogma · convent · monastery · patriarch · creed · ritual observance · nun · monk
- religionChristianity, Islam, beliefs, Judaism, Hinduism
- Druzetawhid, star symbol, Jethro, cosmic mind, secret doctrine
- religious ordersBenedictines, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits, Carmelites
religious, religion, religions, religiously, religiosity, irreligious, hierarchy, hierarchies, hierarchical