Clergy

Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. The term comes from greek χληρσς (fortune, or metaphorically, heritage).

In Christianity there is a wide range of formal and informal clergy positions, including priests, deacons, bishops, and ministers.

In ancient Judaism there was a formal priesthood known as the Kohanim. Since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Roman in 70 CE, their role has largely been rendered superfluous. Since then the clergy in rabbinic Judaism is the rabbinate; individual Jewish clergy are known as rabbis.

In most streams of Islam the religious leader is known as an Imam, and in the Shiite branch of Islam there are other leaders, such as an Ayatollah.

Depending on the religion, clergy usually take care of the ritual aspects of the religious life, teach or otherwise help in spreading the religion's doctrine. They often deal with life-cycle events such as childbirth, circumcision, coming of age ceremonies, marriage, and death. Clergy of most faiths work outside formal houses of worship, and can be found working in hospitals, nursing homes, missions, armies, etc.

There is a significant difference between clergy and theologians; clergy have the above-mentioned duties while theologians are scholars of religion and theology, and are not necessarily clergy. A lay-person can be a theologian. The two fields, of course, often overlap.

Clergy are protected by special laws in many countries.

In some cases clergy is financed (or co-financed) by the nation they work in, but usually they are financially supported by the donations of individual members of their religion.

Catholic clergy

The Catholic clergy includes priests, bishops, cardinals. The Pope is not commonly considered as part of the clergy, due to his special figure, even if he comes from it. Vatican supports the activity of its clergy by the "Congregation for the Clergy" ([1]), an organ of Roman curia.

Canon law indicates (canon 107) that "by divine institution, there are in the Church [Ecclesia] clergy [clerices] distinguished from laics". This distinction of a separate class was formed in the early times of Christianity.

Clergy's organisation is essentially hierarchic: after the tonsura (by which a man formally becomes a clericus), are the 4 minor orders (ostiary, lectorate, order of exorcists, order of acolytes), the 3 major orders (subdeaconry, deaconry, presbyterate) and finally the episcopacy (the full priesthood). Minor orders are today mainly a symbolic passage and a requirement for the major orders, and have no special power.

Stricto sensu are part of the clergy only those who have been consecrated to the holy ministry after the tonsura, but in time the term has been used with wider meanings; in common language it includes all the people consecrated to God. Questions regard monks and nuns as eventually part of clergy, after a consolidated habit of the same Roman Catholic Church (especially in recent times and even in formal acts) of simply sharing God's people in clergy and laics only, and certainly monks and nuns are not laics having being consecrated and having had their tonsura (for nuns there is an equivalent ceremony). The administration of sacraments seems to be the real distinguishing element, and in this sense monks should be considered part of clergy, while nuns would not.

During the Middle Ages however, the term was used to indicate all the people with an education (having education been an exclusive privilege of clergy for long epochs) and the term also survives in some students' organisations in some ancient universities (such as Goliardia, where they are often called clerici vagantes).

The term clerici vagantes comes indeed from the clerics that before 12th century were commanded at the service of a determined church (incardinatio); after that time, they were not forced any more to reside in the church (if they had no privileges or other related rights), and they could go living and residing wherever they liked (then vagantes, wandering). The Council of Trent vainly tried to abolish this use, and only in recent times the rule was restored that a clericus has a perpetual and absolute obligation to serve the diocese or the Order to which he is assigned; only with a special authorisation he can be accepted in the jurisdiction of another diocese or of another Order.

Current Canon law prescribes that to be ordained a priest, an education is required of two years of scholastical phylosophy study, and 4 years of theology; dogmatic and moral theology, Holy Scriptures, adn Canon law have to be studied inside a seminary.

Oaths of celibacy and obedience are required as a condition for admittance (and persistence) in the Latin rite Catholic clergy. Celibacy has taken many forms in different times and places. The Council in Trullo (Quinisextum Concilium) in 692 barred bishops from marrying, but did not prevent married men from becoming priests and excommunicated those deacons who would have divorced because ordained. This rule is still followed for ordained deacons in the Latin Rite, as well as for priests in the Eastern Rites. Married men are not ordained priests in the Latin Rite, although some married priests do exist who were ordained in the Anglican church and later recieved into the Roman Catholic Church.

Clergy has 4 classical rights:

1. Right of Canon: whoever commits real violence on the person of a clericus, commits a sacrilege. This decree was issued in a Lateran Council of 1097 (requested by Pope Urban II), then renewed in the Lateran Council II (1139).
2. Right of Forum: by this right clergy may be judged by ecclesiastical tribunals only. Constantin I granted this right for bishops, the it was extended to the rest of clergy by emperors.
3. Right of Immunity: clergy could not be called for military service or for duties or charges not compatible with his role.
4. Right of Competence: a certain part of the income of clergy, necessary for sustenance, cannot be sequestered by any action of creditors.

Obviously, these rights are not effectively granted in most countries.

The Roman Catholic Church admits deacons in clergy.

Judaism

The rabbi is not an occupation found in the Torah (Five books of Moses]]; the first time this word is mentioned is in the Mishnah. The modern form of the rabbi developed in the Talmudic era. Rabbis are given authority to make interpretations of Jewish law and custom.

Traditionally, a man obtains smicha (rabbinic ordination) after the completion of an arduous learning program in Torah, Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), Mishnah and Talmud, Midrash, Jewish ethics and lore, the codes of Jewish law and responsa, theology and philosophy.

Orthodox Judaism maintains all of these traditional requirements. Women are forbidden from becoming rabbis or cantors in Orthodoxy. One does not need a bachelor's degree to enter most Orthodox rabbinical seminaries.

Conservative Judaism maintains all of these traditional requirements. Women are allowed to become rabbis and cantors in the Conservative movement. Conservative Judaism differs with Orthodoxy in that it has somewhat less stringent study requirements for Talmud and responsa as compared to Orthodoxy. However, the academic requirements are just as rigorous, as Conservative Judaism adds the following subjects as requirements for rabbinic ordination: one must first earn a bachelor's degree before entering the rabbinate. In addition studies are mandated in pastoral care and psychology, the historical development of Judaism; and academic biblical criticism.

Reconstructionist Judaism and Reform Judaism do not maintain the traditional rquirements for study. Both men and women may be rabbis or cantors. The level of Jewish law, Talmud and responsa studied in four years of these denominations is similar to that learned in the first year of Orthodox Jewish seminaries. The rabbinical seminaries of these movements hold that one must first earn a bachelor's degree before entering the rabbinate. In addition studies are mandated in pastoral care and psychology, the historical development of Judaism; and academic biblical criticism. Emphasis is placed not on Jewish law, but rather on sociology and modern Jewish philosophy.

Unlike Christianity, rabbis are not an intermediary between God and man: the word "rabbi" means "teacher."

Add here info on the clergy of other faiths.