Why Bishops have so much of autonomy of power --control in the Roman Catholic church??

Question

There are so much to question about the structure of the Roman Catholic church. I agreed there must be a POPE overseeing the whole spiritual operation of the church.But WHY ARE BISHOPS GIVEN SO MUCH OF POWER over his people in each country??POWER IS SURE TO CORRUPT--- simply show that ABUSIVE OF POWER IS POSSIBLE when one is in such a high position. WHO CHECKS ON THE BISHOPS who might go astray?? The position of BISHOPS in the Roman Catholic church is LIKE EQUIVALENT TO A LEVEL OF A KING OF A COUNTRY!!!! He has so much power that he can get anything done--even the many wrongs that he might had committed. Being human--one makes mistakes and this applied to Bishops too!! Who to check on him in his role as Bishop?? Will he admit his mistakes to his congregation OR COVER IT ALL UP !!! After all,he is the most powerful man in the church-- will he used the power given to him and ABUSED it ????

Answer 1

This hierarchy is how Jesus and the Apostles set up the original Christian Church.

Bishops are the Apostles of today. Each one leads a diocese. Special types of bishop are archbishop, cardinal, and pope (who leads the whole Church).

Priests are co-workers of the bishops and can lead a parish. A special title for a priest is monsignor. Priests are called presbyters in the Bible.

Deacons assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

It is important to remember there are over ONE BILLION- with a B- Catholics in the world. The Pope (and the Vatican) simply cannot have immediate responsibility for each of them- so the responsibility is delegated to the Bishops.

Every square inch of the earth is part of a Diocese. Even in areas where there are no Catholics...this is where Auxiliary Bishops come in- they become the titular Bishop of one of the areas that doesn't need a 'real' Bishop.

It would be far too cumbersome a process if every transaction had to be cleared through the Vatican. So the Bishop, when he takes control of a Diocese, becomes the land owner for the properties held by the Church in that Diocese.

The Bishops have their governing bodies ( in the US it is the USCCB- The United States Council of Catholic Bishops), there is also a Papal Nuncio in Washington DC, as in other countries.

The Bishop has authority and responsibility for his Diocese, but it is NOT absolute. He is govererned by his Cardinal, and ultimately by the Pope.

Also, every Catholic has the right to take any grievance directly to the Vatican- completely bypassing any other level of Church authority.

Answer 3

The hierarchy of the Church on earth does start with the Pope. It then descends down to the bishops, then the priests, the deacons, and then the laity. Everyone in the Church must be in union with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope - who is in union with Christ - or they will have to answer for it, even a bishop.

Yes, there are abuses of power whenever a human being is in charge of something (welcome to people); there are abuses of power everywhere, not just with bishops. The beauty of the Church is that if anyone does abuse their authority, they are dealt with. The bishops answer to the pope; they are not supreme or outside of his authority.

God bless.

Answer 4

"The Bishops of the Church are given to us by Christ to act as our shepherds. Bishops are in charge of a "Diocese" which is (usually) a geographical area made of local communities (parishes) of the faithful. The Bishop is the superior of all the priests (except those belonging to religious orders) in his dioceses, as well as the local spiritual leader of all the faithful of his diocese." (see source below)

Answer 5

They represent the Pope in each country, that's why.

Answer 6

God knows that not all people have been great followers of Christ, and all fal short of the glory of God.