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by Paul Brian Campbell, SJ


10 Things Most Catholics Don’t Know

A few people here at the Press came to me with a rather abstruse question about the hierarchy and it has led me to ponder what other minutiae escape the vast majority of Catholics.

Most Catholics don’t know:

10. The distinctions among Monastic Orders, Mendicant Orders, Canons Regular, Clerks Regular, etc.

9. The difference between Diocesan clergy and Religious Order clergy.

8. What exactly a Monsignor is and does.

7. Why some Protestant clergy are given Pastor as their title, but pastors of Catholic parishes are never addressed as Pastor.

6. Why Catholic dioceses have Vicars. Isn’t that an Episcopalian term?

5. Why Catholics and Protestants tend to place different emphases on the role of Scripture.

4. Why we have both an Apostles Creed and a Nicene Creed.

3. Why bishops have pointy hats and staffs.

2. How opposed the Teaching Church is to war and to the death penalty.

1. Why the Pope wears “a dress”!

This is, obviously, a very subjective and partial list. What have I glaringly omitted?