ubservience is ever ancient, ever new. In that respect, the hierarchy of the Church is not much different than the hierarchies of business and government. But servile obedience can foster a culture of self-destructive tyranny even within the institutional Church.
By God’s design, the Church is a hierarchy, not a democracy. The successor of Saint Peter is at the top of the pyramid – or, from another point of view, at the bottom of an inverted pyramid. The office of the papacy identifies the pope as the “servant of the servants.” The pope rules the entire Church and enjoys, by divine institution, the “supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls.” (CCC 937)
The bishops are the successors of the twelve apostles. Jesus, through His Church, confers authority on the bishops (by the “laying on of the hands”) as “priests, prophets, and kings.” Their role is conservative – in the proper, non-political sense. They are dutybound to conserve, proclaim, and hand on the apostolic truths. They abide by the truths of Sacred Tradition – G.K. Chesterton’s “democracy of the dead.”
The authority of a priest is inextricably bound to the authority of his lawful bishop (or sometimes through a religious superior). During ordination, a priest solemnly promises to respect and obey his bishop and his successors. Bishops are also bound in obedience to the Deposit of Faith.
Church bureaucracies cannot substitute for the inherent religious authority of bishops and priests. A parish council is advisory and has no authority over the pastor. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has its delegated administrative duties but does not have doctrinal authority over individual bishops. USCCB policy positions do not carry authoritative doctrinal weight unless individual bishops ratify the statements as their own. Even then, the faithful have a right to distinguish between the principles of Catholic doctrine and the prudential judgments of the bishop.
A bishop or a pope may have varying opinions on, say, immigration policy. The first principles of the faith bind in conscience. We insist upon the inestimable dignity of every human being and the tenets of the Decalogue. Summary execution of illegal immigrants – to take an outlandish example that no one has suggested – would clearly be immoral. A country has a right, however, to secure borders and the rule of law. Furthermore, violating immigration laws may be an infraction against the secular law, but not necessarily a violation of God’s law.