tep, priesthood, gives him power to offer the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass and forgive sins. These orders are not all given
at once, but at times fixed by the laws of the Church.

Q. 982. Are not the different orders separate Sacraments?
A. These different orders are not separate Sacraments. Taken all
together, some are a preparation for the Sacrament and the rest are but
the one Sacrament of Holy Orders; as the roots, trunk and branches form
but one tree.

Q. 983. What name is given to sub-deaconship, deaconship and priesthood?
A. Sub-deaconship, deaconship and priesthood are called major or greater
orders, because those who receive them are bound for life to the service
of the altar and they cannot return to the service of the world to live
as ordinary laymen.

Q. 984. What double power does the Church possess and confer on her
pastors?
A. The Church possesses and confers on her pastor, the power of orders
and the power of jurisdiction; that is, the power to administer the
Sacraments and sanctify the faithful, and the power to teach and make
laws that direct the faithful to their spiritual good. A bishop has the
full power of orders and the Pope alone has the full power of
jurisdiction.

Q. 985. How do the pastors of the Church rank according to authority?
A. The pastors of the Church rank according to authority as follows: (1)
Priests, who govern parishes or congregations in the name of their
bishop; (2) Bishops, who rule over a number of parishes or a diocese;
(3) Archbishops, who have authority over a number of dioceses or a
province; (4) Primates, who have authority over the ecclesiastical or
Church provinces of a nation; (5) Patriarchs, who have authority over a
whole country; and last and highest, the Pope, who rules the Church
throughout the world.

Q. 986. How do the prelates or higher officers of the Church rank in
dignity?
A. The prelates or higher officers of the Church rank in dignity as they
rank in authority, except that in dignity Cardinals are next to the
Pope, and Vicars Apostolic, Monsignori, and others having titles follow
bishops. Papal delegates and those specially appointed by the Pope rank
according to the powers he has given them.

Q. 987. Who are Cardinals, what are their duties and how are they
divided?
A. Cardinals are the members of the Supreme Council or Senate of the
Church. Their duties are to advise and aid the Pope in the government of
the Church, and to elect a new Pope when t