A prelate refers to a high-ranking clergy member in certain religious organizations, such as the Catholic Church. They usually hold authority and oversee the administration and spiritual affairs of a specific area, like a diocese. Full definition
In 1979, a high - ranking prelate in the Roman curia asked Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, then Archbishop of Boston, about reports of widespread homosexuality among clergy and seminarians. (firstthings.com)
No one is clamoring for prelates to praise divorce. (firstthings.com)
The second work which helps balance the deficiencies of Ericksen's otherwise valuable volume is The Catholic Bishops of Europe and the Nazi Persecutions of Catholics and Jews by Vincent Lapomarda, S.J., which recounts the courage and compassion of prominent Catholic prelates who resisted Nazism. (firstthings.com)