ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the issue of the papacy itself, and its role within the Catholic Church. It first describes the structures of the Church and in the next, but it is important to remember that for Catholics, whichever 'model' most expresses their own understanding, the Church is both a structured society and at the same time a worshipping community. Whereas Catholics frequently distinguish between authority as such and the manner in which it is exercised, they have no doubt that it is necessary for the Church. There are some people who still assert the most basic view of Apostolic Succession, namely that the physical link between a bishop and one or other of the Apostles exists. The bishops of England and Wales meet regularly, for instance, and so do those of the United States and of most nations with a large enough group of bishops: the largest of these 'bishops' conferences' as they are known, is that of Brazil.
