Ok, be honest. Do you know what a ‘Vicar’ is or are you like Joey from Friends?
I was inspired recently to read Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop. Said to be the Great American Novel, I figured I should give it a whirl, although I quickly began questioning myself. “Wait, do I know what a ‘Vicar’ is? Where does an archbishop rank exactly?”
Since many people have told me they enjoy reading my blog because they learn something, how about I put on my teacher hat, and we brush up on a few things together?
What is a Vicar?
If you research ‘Vicar’ you will get differing definitions based on the sector of Christianity or even the country. You will even find a multitude of spinoff terms such as parochial vicar, vicar general, or vicar forane, but let’s keep it simple.
The pope is often referred to as the Vicar of Christ, so let’s start there. ‘Vicar’ stems from the word ‘vicarious.’
Vicarious: experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.
Oxford LAnguages
Essentially the pope (the bishop of Rome) is believed to be the earthly representative of God. If you really want to keep it simple think of a vicar like a vice-president. They are the person in charge when the person in charge is not there. There are a multitude of variations of vicars, but whatever the ranking, they are essentially second in command for whatever office they are serving.
Ok, now what about the archbishops?
What is an Archbishop?
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “An archbishop is the head of diocese that is considered to be particularly important for some reason (an archdiocese).” AKA an archbishop is more prestigious.
Lastly, let’s look at the administrative hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.
Extra Credit
Did you know?
- St. Peter is recognized as the first bishop of Rome appointed by Christ.
- A “Monsignor” is a priest given a special honorary title from the pope.
- Only cardinals under the age of 80 can sit in the Conclave that elects a new pope.