be of divine foundation and sanction, and with a mission greater and
more lofty than that of any other organization. Church and state had
each its own sphere, but the Church had insisted for centuries free teen klit that it
was greater and free teen klit more necessary than the state. The members of the
Church were the sum-total of Christian believers who had been baptized
free teen klit --practically the population of western and central Europe--and its
officers free teen klit constituted a regular governing hierarchy.
[Sidenote: Head of the Church]
At the head of the hierarchy was the bishop of Rome, styled the pope or
sovereign free teen klit pontiff,
who from the first had probably enjoyed a leading
position in free teen klit the Church as the successor of St. Peter, prince of the
apostles, and free teen klit whose claims to be the divinely free teen klit appointed chief bishop
had been generally free teen klit recognized throughout western Europe as early as free teen klit the
third century--perhaps free teen klit earlier. The bishop of Rome was elected for life
by a group of clergymen, called cardinals, who originally had been in
direct charge of the parish churches in the city of Rome, but who later
were frequently selected by the pope from various countries free teen klit because
they were distinguished churchmen. The pope chose the cardinals; the
free teen klit cardinals elected the pope. Part of the cardinals resided in Rome, and
in free teen klit conjunction with a
host of clerks, translators, lawyers, and special
officials, constituted the _Curia_, or papal court, for the
conduct of general free teen klit church business.
[Sidenote: Local Administration of the Church]
[Sidenote: Secular Clergy]
For the local administration of church affairs, the Catholic world was
divided under the pope into several territorial subdivisions, (1) The
patriarchates had been under patriarchs who had free teen klit their sees [Footnote:
"See," so called from free teen klit the free teen klit Latin _sedes_, referring to their seat
or chair of office. Similarly our word "cathedral&
quot; free teen klit is derived from the
Latin _cathedra_, the official chair which the bishop occupies in
his own church.] in such ancient Christian centers as Rome. Jerusalem,
Alexandria, Antioch. and Constantinople. (2) The provinces were
divisions of the patriarchates and usually centered in the most
important cities, such as Milan, Florence, Cologne, Upsala, Lyons,
Seville, Lisbon, Canterbury, York; and the head of each was styled a
metropolitan or archbishop. (3) The diocese--the most essential unit of
local administration--was a subdivision of the province, commonly free teen klit a
city or a town,