Catholic Church hierarchy

Okay kiddo, the Catholic Church is kind of like a big club with a lot of members. But just like in a club, there are some people who are in charge and make the decisions.

At the very top of the hierarchy is the Pope. He's like the boss of the Catholic Church. He lives in a place called the Vatican, which is in Rome, Italy.

Under the Pope, there are other important people who help him run things. These are called Cardinals, and they are like the Pope's advisors. The Pope chooses the Cardinals and they help him make decisions.

Below them are bishops, who are responsible for overseeing the churches in a certain area. Each bishop is in charge of a place called a diocese, which is like a big area with lots of Catholic churches.

And below the bishops are priests, who are in charge of individual churches (also known as parishes). They give sermons, lead prayers, and do lots of other important things to help their congregation (that’s a big fancy word for all the people who go to their church each week).

So, to sum it up, the Catholic Church has a hierarchy with the Pope at the top, Cardinals as his advisors, bishops in charge of dioceses, and priests in charge of parishes.