Catholic Church Research Paper

1. Since we have been talking about some of the many figures in the Catholic Church, like the Pope, I would like you to do a little internet research and find a site that describes the roles and relationships of the following terms in the Catholic Church structure: Pope, Holy See, Cardinal, Bishop, Diocese, Priest, Deacon, and Laity. Describe each term in writing and explain how each is related to one other term.

Pope- The head of the Catholic Church and based at the Vatican. The pope is responsible for the general leadership of the church. Additionally, he is also the head of the Vatican and the Holy See. He also makes numerous appointments for various administrative and religious positions throughout the world. ("Catholic Church," 2013) …show more content…
It is a sovereign judicial entity under international law ("U.S. State Department," 2016, p. A1)
Cardinal- This position is filled by appointment from the pope and make up the College of Cardinals. As a body, they advise the pope, and upon his death, elects a new pope ("Catholic Church," n.d.). They are situated in different parts of the world and they represent the pope and the Roman Catholic Church as a whole ("Catholic Church," n.d., p. A1). Cardinals are also referred to as the princes of the Church and not all cardinals are bishops.
Arch Bishop- An archbishop is a bishop of the main diocese. A cardinal can hold both titles ("Catholic Church," n.d.).
Bishop- A bishop is similar to a priest; he is ordained to this office. He is a teacher of the church doctrine, a priest of sacred worship, and a minister of church government ("Catholic Church," n.d., p. A1). A typical role of a bishop is to provide pastoral governance for a diocese and represent the Church ("Catholic Church," 2013, p. …show more content…
During the early and middle nineteenth century, church leaders were firmly against human rights, human equality, religious toleration, broader freedom of speech and inter faith dialogue, as well as labor unions (Massaro, 2012). Although the condemned propositions applied to specific circumstances in Europe at the time, many of which are worthy of extreme criticism: “All action of God upon man and the world was to be denied"; and "The state, as being the origin and source of all rights, is endowed with a certain right not circumscribed by any limits” (Lockwood, n.d., p.

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