The State of the Church

By Sue Washburn and Missy Adams

The Catholic clergy is organized in a strict, sometimes overlapping hierarchy

Pope Head of the church, he is based at the Vatican. The Pope is infallible in defining matters of faith and morals. He called the recent scandals a "dark shadow of suspicion...cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice"

Cardinal Appointed by the Pope, the 178 Cardinals worldwide, including 13 in the U.S., make up the College of Cardinals. As a body, it advises the Pope and, on his death, elects a new Pope

Archbishop An Archbishop is a Bishop of a main or metropolitan diocese, also called an archdiocese. A Cardinal can concurrently hold the title. The U.S. has 45 Archbishops

Bishop A Bishop, like a priest, is ordained to this station. He is a teacher of church doctrine, a priest of sacred worship and a minister of church government. The U.S. has 290 active Bishops, 194 head dioceses

Priest An ordained minister who can administer most of the sacraments, including Eucharist, baptism and marriage. He can be with a particular religious order or committed to serving a congregation

Deacon A transitional deacon is a seminarian studying for the priesthood. A permanent deacon can be married and assists a priest by performing some of the sacraments

A FULL CONFESSION? Allegations of sexual abuse committed by priests have multiplied in the wake of admissions that Boston church leaders ignored complaints of ongoing sexual abuse of children. In a ripple effect, dioceses across the country are disclosing names of abusers and apologizing as more victims go public

PHILADELPHIA Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua

After the archdiocese revealed that it had evidence 35 priests had abused about 50 children over the past several decades, Cardinal Bevilacqua apologized to the victims, calling sexual abuse by priests "among the most depraved of moral aberrations" and "an affront to the sanctity of the priesthood"

BOSTON Bernard Cardinal Law

The archdiocese agreed to pay up to $30 million to 86 people who accused defrocked priest John J. Geoghan of child molestation. In a written statement, Cardinal Law called the settlement an "important closure for those victims who have long endured the damage done to them"

LOS ANGELES Roger Cardinal Mahony

The archdiocese recently removed up to 12 priests involved in past sexual-abuse cases. Cardinal Mahony, in a statement read at area Masses, denounced the "scandalous evil of child abuse" by priests, calling it "seriously sinful"

ST. LOUIS Archbishop Justin Rigali

Responding to cases of abuse by the Rev. Joseph Lessard that have recently become public, Rigali said in a statement, "I deplore this grave evil of sexual abuse and extend my deep apologies to those who suffered abuse from Father Lessard and to their families"

NEW YORK Edward Cardinal Egan

The Hartford Courant claimed that Cardinal Egan, while Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., allowed some accused priests to stay on the job. He called the sexual abuse of children "an abomination" and promised to "thoroughly investigate all allegations and respond appropriately"