Priests have received the grace to make Christ truly present in the Eucharist through the consecration of bread and wine. They have at the same time the power to forgive sins in the name of God.
The Catholic Church has maintained throughout the centuries what is known as “apostolic succession,” a hierarchical line that comes from the Apostles of Christ and is maintained to this day. The degrees of the ministerial priesthood are three (from highest to lowest): the episcopate (proper to the bishops, successors of the apostles); the presbyterate (proper to the priests, who collaborate with the bishop) and the diaconate (proper to the servants or deacons, who assist the priests). Only bishops can ordain priests and each of them owes direct obedience to the Pope, Bishop of Rome, successor of Peter and Vicar of Christ on earth.
The life of a priest is not simple: to begin with, he must leave his parents’ home and deprive himself of having a family of his own. Each priest forms and spiritually accompanies hundreds or thousands of people. It is true that they often receive love and respect from people, but they can also be the target of misunderstanding, if not slanderous attacks or persecution.