ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Order of precedence in the Catholic Church

Okay kiddo, so you know how sometimes you have to follow rules at school, like you have to line up in a certain order to go to lunch or recess? Well, the Catholic Church also has rules about who gets to be in charge and make decisions.

This is called the order of precedence, and it's like a ladder of jobs in the church. At the top of the ladder is the Pope, who is the head of the Catholic Church. Everyone else is below him and has to follow his rules and decisions.

Below the Pope, there are different levels of important people in the church, called bishops and cardinals. Bishops are like the bosses of certain areas, called dioceses. They make decisions about what happens in their diocese, like which priests get to be in charge of which churches.

Cardinals are even more important than bishops. They help the Pope make decisions about really big things in the church, like what the church should believe and how it should celebrate important events.

There are also other important people in the church, like priests and deacons. They help with things like leading Mass and helping people in their communities.

So, in the Catholic Church, people have different jobs and levels of importance, and they all have to follow the rules set by the Pope at the top of the ladder.