Editing Minor orders (section)

{{Short description|Ranks of ministry in Christianity}}
In [[Christianity]], '''minor orders''' are ranks of [[Minister (Christianity)|church ministry]].<ref name="CE">{{Cite web|title= CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Minor Orders|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10332b.htm|access-date=2020-06-25 |website= www.newadvent.org}}</ref> In the [[Catholic Church]], the predominating [[Latin Church]] formerly distinguished between the [[major orders]]—[[priesthood (Catholic Church)|priest]] (including [[bishop]]), [[deacon]] and [[subdeacon]]—and four minor orders—[[acolyte]], [[exorcist]], [[Reader (liturgy)|lector]], and [[porter (doorkeeper)|porter]] (in descending order of seniority).<ref name="ConciseODCC">[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-MinorOrders.html The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=1829 catechism council trent "greater or holy orders" - Google Search|url= https://www.google.com/search?q=1829+catechism+council+trent+%22greater+or+holy+orders%22&btnG=Search+Books&tbm=bks|access-date=2020-06-25 |website= www.google.com}}</ref> In 1972, the [[Holy See|Vatican]] re-titled the minor orders as "ministries", with those of lector and acolyte being kept throughout the Latin Church.<ref>[https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19720815_ministeria-quaedam_lt.html ''Ministeria quaedam''], II: "The orders hitherto called minor are henceforth to be spoken of as 'ministries'."</ref>
In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the three minor orders in use are those of subdeacon, reader and [[cantor (church)|chanter]].<ref name="ConciseODCC" />

The rites by which all four minor orders were conferred, but not the actual conferral of the order, are still employed for members of some Catholic [[religious institute]]s and [[society of apostolic life|societies of apostolic life]] authorized to observe the [[Tridentine Mass|1962 form of the Roman Rite]].{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Some [[traditionalist Catholics]] continue to use minor orders, as do [[Old Catholics]], the [[Polish National Catholic Church]] and the [[Liberal Catholic Church]].