Prelate

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Prelate. A church official of high rank. In the Church of England the term is used only of bishops. In the Roman Catholic Church it is also applied to a variety of officers attached to the Roman curia. The evident delight of such dignitaries in hierarchy, authority, and self-adornment led to the adjective ‘prelatical’, a style which many bishops now try to avoid, not all with equal success.

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