SUPERIOR (HIERARCHY)

(Redirected from Religious superior)
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a 'superior' is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another (a "subordinate"), and thus closer to the apex. It is often used in businness terminology to refer to people who are supervisors and in the military to people who are higher in the chain of command.
A ''Religious Superior'' is the person to whom a cleric is immediately responsible under canon law. For monks it would be the Abbot (or the Abbess for nuns); for Friars it would be the Prior; for diocesan priests, it would be the local Bishop.
See also parent node.