The Magisterium:

• The teaching authority of the Catholic Church

• Consists of the Pope and the bishops of the Church
• ‘Magister’ is Latin meaning ‘teacher’
The Pope:
• The head of the Catholic Church and leader of the bishops. He is also the Bishop of
the diocese of Rome.
The Pope and the Gift of Infallibility:
• The Pope has been given a special gift of ‘infallibility’. In other words, the Holy Spirit
(God) stops him from incorrectly teaching what Jesus taught.
• Infallibility is the inability to make an error when teaching on faith and morals:
– Faith = what Catholics need to believe about God
– Morals = how Catholics should behave
Bishops:
• These are leaders within the Catholic Church. Each bishop looks after a particular
diocese.
Archbishops:
• An archbishop is an ordinary bishop except he has a special role in leading a
metropolitan diocese (more populated diocese/region).
• Perth is a metropolitan diocese and the archbishop of Perth is Timothy Costelloe
Cardinals:
• These are the most important bishops (leaders) of the Catholic Church below the
Pope. They generally work at the Vatican serving the Pope.

Hierarchy:
• The hierarchy on the previous slide does not mean that the pope is the holiest
person, or that he is ‘powerful’ is some dominating, authoritarian way.
• The hierarchy shows the different roles that each person has in the Church.
• The pope is no better that any lay person, but he does have special spiritual gifts to
lead and teach the Church. These gifts help him to do his job as the vicar of Christ
(the one who represents Jesus on Earth).
Who were the first bishops?
• The first bishops of the Catholic Church were the 12 Apostles. They were given their
authority to lead and teach the Church by Jesus.
Who was the first pope?
• The first pope (the leader of the 12 Apostles) was St Peter.
Apostolic Succession:
• The bishops today have been given the power to lead and govern the Church. This
power was passed on over the last 2000+ years from:
 – Jesus to the 12 Apostles
– The 12 Apostles to new bishops
– These new bishops to more new bishops
– And so on down to the year 2019
• This passing on of the authority is called apostolic succession and is done through
the Sacrament of Holy Orders
Tradition:
• Jesus taught about the spiritual life
• This teaching was passed on to His 12 Apostles
• These bishops (12 Apostles) passed on the teaching of Jesus to new bishops who
passed it on to new bishops, and so on.
• The teaching of Jesus was and is passed on precisely as Jesus taught it because this
process is guided by the Holy Spirit (God)
• This process is called ‘Tradition’ – the handing on of the teachings of the Apostles
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit