His Holiness Pope Shenouda explains that the main priesthood ranks mentioned in the Bible are: bishop, priest, and deacon, each with a specific role. The bishop is responsible for pastoral care, the priest for liturgical prayer, and the deacon for service. He emphasizes that the title “pastor” belongs only to the bishop, as he holds the pastoral staff of the Church, while the priest is called “priest of the church” or “its servant.”

Development of Priesthood Ranks

He explains how the ranks developed in church history — starting with the bishop as the sole pastor of a city, then came the archbishop, metropolitan, patriarch, and pope, all of which belong to the episcopal order and are granted through the laying on of hands by another bishop.

The Principle of Full-Time Service

His Holiness stresses that a clergyman or deacon must be fully dedicated to God’s service, not working in worldly professions. He cites church canons declaring that anyone mixing priestly and worldly work should be cut off. The deacon serving at the altar must live a consecrated life.

Deaconesses and the Role of Women

He clarifies that deaconesses are not part of the priestly order and do not serve at the altar. Their work involves social and educational service within the Church. He recounts that the first deaconesses he ordained were elderly women wholly consecrated to God.

Ordination and the Laying on of Hands

He explains that deacons, priests, and bishops are ordained through laying on of hands with a specific invocation for each rank. Promotions within a rank (like archpriest or metropolitan) do not require a new laying on of hands.

Humility in Service and Avoiding Titles

He warns against priests seeking promotions just for status, affirming that greatness lies in service, not titles. Many saints died as simple priests without losing their holiness or honor.

Apostolic Tradition in Handing Down the Priesthood

He explains that Christ, after His resurrection, taught His disciples during the forty days about the mysteries of the Kingdom, including the sacraments and liturgy. This is known as apostolic tradition, the transmission of faith and ritual from generation to generation.

The Church’s View on Women’s Ordination

He rejects women’s ordination to the priesthood as practiced in some Western churches, calling it contrary to Scripture, and recalls that even the Virgin Mary—though higher than angels—was never a priest but a spiritual mother to the apostles.

Summary

Priesthood in the Orthodox understanding is a holy service and spiritual responsibility practiced with humility and total dedication, not a position or title. The bishop is the shepherd, the priest serves the sacraments, and the deacon assists in ministry — all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and within the apostolic tradition.

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