Dictionary of Meaning
<<Back
Please select a letter:
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
0-9
Click here for Shopping
Ordinary
*** Shopping-Tip: Ordinary
:''For the heraldry meaning see
Ordinary (heraldry) Ordinary.''
Image:Alencastre_Window.jpg thumb|right|300px|Pope Pius XI, depicted in this window at [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace,
Honolulu, was ordinary of the universal Roman Catholic Church and local ordinary of
Rome. At the same time, Bishop
Stephen Alencastre,
vicar apostolic Apostolic Vicar of the
Sandwich Islands, was the local ordinary of
Hawaii]]
In hierarchical Western
Christianity, an '''ordinary''' (from the
Latin language Latin ''ordinarius'') is an ecclesiastical officer with both pastoral and governmental jurisdiction over a well-defined group of persons granted by
canon law. In the Eastern church, such an officer is called a '''hierarch''', which comes from the
Greek language Greek word 'ιεραρχης' meaning "high priest."
The term ''ordinary'' emphasizes that the power of the officer is not delegated from a higher governmental body but is granted directly from the law, whether that law be the codified 'canon' laws of the church or 'divine' laws which the church sees coming directly from God. Other ecclesiastical officers may exercise governmental or pastoral jurisdiction delegated from one of these officers, but since they are not mentioned in the law, they are not ordinaries.
The power to govern (termed external jurisdiction) is different from pastoral power (also called internal jurisdiction). Governing jurisdiction means
executive (government) executive,
legislative, and/or
judicial power, whereas pastoral jurisdiction means the power to teach or supervise. Thus, while a
pastor has pastoral power over the members of his
parish granted by virtue of the law, he is not an ordinary because he does not have governing power. A
vicar general is an ordinary, though, because he possesses both jurisdictions over a
diocese.
Roman Catholic usage
Local ordinaries/hierarchs
Local ordinaries are ordinaries over
particular churches. The following officers are local ordinaries:
*
diocese Diocesan/
eparchy eparchial bishops and all
prelates who head particular churches
*
Vicar capitular Vicars capitular, Administrators ''
sede vacante'', and temporary
Apostolic administrators
*
vicar general Vicars general and protosyncelli
* Episcopal vicars and syncelli
Other ordinaries/hierarchs
Other officers are also ordinaries, but not local ordinaries.
*
Patriarchs and
major archbishops over ''
sui juris'' churches
*
Abbots and major superiors over their respective
religious orders
* Prelates of
personal prelatures
The
pope is the local ordinary of Rome. He is also the ordinary, but not the local ordinary, of the
Latin rite church.
Roman Catholics also believe that he is also the ordinary of the universal Church.
See also
*
Military ordinariate
Category:Christian group structuring
Category:Canon law
de:Ordinariat
*** Shopping-Tip: Ordinary
