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Which three levels of ministry are conferred through Roman Catholic holy orders?
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In the Roman Catholic Church, the sacrament of holy orders confers three levels of ordained ministry, which constitute a tripartite hierarchy:12
While the Roman Catholic Church formerly recognized additional major and minor orders, Pope Paul VI abolished these in 1972, leaving only these three as the sacramental orders of the church. These offices are conferred through ordination by a bishop, a rite that includes the imposition of hands.12