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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Organisation
==Organisation==
[[Image:The Ecclesiarchy.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Agents of the Ecclesiarchy.]]
The Ecclesiarchy is not part of the [[Adeptus Terra]], but a wholly separate organisation. At its head is the [[Ecclesiarch]], who, by tradition, is always one of the [[High Lords of Terra]]. Below him are the [[Cardinal]]s, of whom there are several thousand. Below the Cardinals are the [[Ministorum Priest]]s: [[Deacon]]s, [[Preacher|Pontifices]], [[Confessor]]s, [[Missionary|Missionaries]] and [[Preacher]]s. Other specialist ranks and duties include [[Cenobite]]s, [[Relic-Keeper]]s, and [[Chapel-Master]]s. A new senior rank, the [[Militant-Apostolic]], was recently created by [[Roboute Guilliman]].
The Ministorum's ruling body is the [[Holy Synod]], comprised of the organisation's Cardinals. The Ministorum in turn divides the Imperium into thousands of [[diocese]]s, each generally encompassing an entire Imperial world - an exception being Terra, which has several dioceses. A diocese is further divided into '''parishes''' centered around a '''shrine'''. Each diocese is headed by a Cardinal, while each parish is headed by a Preacher. Ranking between these individuals are Pontifices whose authority extends over several parishes and preachers within a single diocese.
