The insignia of the Roman Catholic Church, tell most every thing. It is a hierarchical form of church organization, with its officers and administrators. Don't be deceived by the thinking that the pope is the sole head of the church. He has great authority, nevertheless, they operate in the following order:
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons.[1][2] In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the Church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gifts and ministries necessary for genuine unity. (1 Cor 12)
In canonical and general usage, it refers to those who exercise authority within a Christian church.[3] In the Catholic Church, authority rests chiefly with the bishops,[4] while priests and deacons serve as their assistants, co-workers or helpers.[5] Accordingly, "hierarchy of the Catholic Church" is also used to refer to the bishops alone.[6]
As of 31 December 2014, the Catholic Church consisted of 2,998 dioceses or equivalent jurisdictions,[7] each overseen by a bishop. Dioceses are divided into individual communities called parishes, each staffed by one or more priest, deacon, or lay ecclesial minister.[8] Ordinarily, care of a parish is entrusted to a priest, though there are exceptions. Approximately 22% of all parishes do not have a resident pastor, and 3,485 parishes worldwide are entrusted to a deacon or lay ecclesial minister.[9]
All clergy, including deacons, priests, and bishops, may preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages, and conduct funeral liturgies.[10] Only priests and bishops can celebrate the sacraments of the Eucharist (though others may be ministers of Holy Communion),[11] Penance (Reconciliation, Confession), Confirmation (priests may administer this sacrament with prior ecclesiastical approval), and Anointing of the Sick.[12][13] Only bishops can administer the sacrament of Holy Orders, by which men are ordained as priests or deacons.[14]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy_of_the_Catholic_Church
The Roman Catholic Church claims to have received its authority directly from the Lord Jesus Christ, when giving the command to Peter:...That thou art peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; Matthew 16:18. This however, is a miss interpretation of scriptures for in no way did Peter assume any authority above the other Apostles or assume the titles claimed by the Bishop of Rome! More could be said about his but it suffices to say that titles such as: "The Vicar of Christ", "The Head of the Church, All Authority in Heaven and Earth", ETC. Is an usurpation of power claimed by every Pope since Emperor Justinian conferred authority over the Bishop of Rome in the year:
If it had been so,The lord would not have rebuked Peter, the disciple in Mark 8:33 "he rebuked peter, saying, Get thee behind me,Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men". [In fact, this assumed authority by the Bishop of Rome is just that, a man's unholy ambition to undeserved power over their fellow men!]. The Lord Jesus clearly declared in the scriptures:"Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister(servant); Matthew 20:25,26.
Another claim of received authority comes from Matthew 18:18 "Verily i say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
All authority was given to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but never ever to the Bishop of Rome! The current pope says: The various Protestant denominations will be welcome back as brethren and recognized as: Dioceses and there leaders as Cardinals!
In fact, to the surprise of many evangelicals, The current Pope and Catholic clergy do not want to convert them to the Catholic views but just stay were they are and evangelist those in their community" - http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2014/07/pope-francis-doesnt-want-to-convert-evangelicals.html [soon they will all be one, according to the ecumenical plans].
the recent conversion of Evangelicals to Roman Catholicism can be well described in the following article and need not improvement at the present time. Suffice to say that any church structure / government which has a hierarchical form of Government will eventually unite with the Roman Catholic structures for they have that much in common!!!
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