Who is Archbishop Giacomo Morandi? The odds are that most Catholics around the world have never heard of him.
But they would surmise that, since he’s an archbishop, he must be at least somewhat important and, if nothing else, pretty high up in the Church’s hierarchy.
Seeing the Church in terms of hierarchy, whether one likes it or not, is hardwired into our Catholic DNA. We know there are precise ranks among the clerics and that the rungs on the ecclesiastical ladder mean something.
For instance, all Catholics know that their parish priest has greater authority than a deacon. If their pastor is a “Monsignor”, they know he must have done something important to be given this honorary title.
And then there’s the bishop. No one has to tell a Catholic that the bishop outranks the priest in the diocese and is, in fact, their boss.
Click here to read the full article
Support UCA News…
….As we enter the first months of 2022, we are asking readers like you to help us keep UCA News free.
For the last 40 years, UCA News has remained the most trusted and independent Catholic news and information service from Asia. Every week, we publish nearly 100 news reports, feature stories, commentaries, podcasts and video broadcasts that are exclusive and in-depth, and developed from a view of the world and the Church through informed Catholic eyes.
Our journalistic standards are as high as any in the quality press; our focus is particularly on a fast-growing part of the world – Asia – where, in some countries the Church is growing faster than pastoral resources can respond to – South Korea, Vietnam and India to name just three.
And UCA News has the advantage of having in its ranks local reporters who cover 23 countries in south, southeast, and east Asia. We report the stories of local people and their experiences in a way that Western news outlets simply don’t have the resources to reach. And we report on the emerging life of new Churches in old lands where being a Catholic can at times be very dangerous.
With dwindling support from funding partners in Europe and the USA, we need to call on the support of those who benefit from our work.
Click here to find out the ways you can support UCA News. You can make a difference for as little as US$5…
Credit: Source link