A large number of Catholic priests, monks and nuns met their deaths during the French Revolution.
The First Estate was Catholic clergy, so essentially, the Pope.
The French revolution was extremely hostile to the Catholic Church. They guillotined priests, nuns, and sisters by the hundreds, desecrated Churches, and destroyed priceless relics; leaving the common people bereft of spiritual guidance and solace.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy forced the clergy to take an oath to the National Assembly instead of to Rome, and it required that priests be elected. This action alienated the clergy from the Revolution and infuriated the king.
The members of the upper class in Maya society were kings, priests, warriors and merchants.
In 2013 there were 12,350 religious priests (in other words priests in religious orders as opposed to diocesan priests), all of whom may offer Mass, and there were 4,407 brothers in religious orders; for a total of 16,757 men in religious orders.
priests
The priests were in charge of managing the religious business of the kingdom
priests
There are thousands of saints who were never priests, too many to list here.
Priests council the members of their congregations and lead religious ceremonies.
Most people refer to priests, brothers, nuns, and sisters as "religious". As in, Sr. Clare is a religious.
Priests and acolytes.
Not directly. There is a 'chain of command' in the Church, not unlike the military. Ministers, such as priests, come under the supervision of their immediate superior - pastor, abbot, bishop, for example. The pope has more to do than supervise the actions of each of the thousands of Catholic priests.
Then as now Catholic Priests could not marry; but Anglican Priests who were not members of religious orders were allowed to get married.
Protestant: pastors Catholic: pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests Orthodox: bishops and priests
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