ORDERS, sacred, or major, we have already observed, are three: viz. those of deacon, priest, and bishop.
The council of Trent retrieving the ancient discipline, forbids any person being admitted to the major orders, unless he be in peaceable possession of a benefice sufficient for a decent subsistence; allowing no ordinations on patrimonies or pensions, except where the bishop judges it for the service of the church.
A person is said to be promoted to orders per saltum, when he has not before passed the inferior orders. The council of Constantinople forbids any bishop being ordained without passing all the degrees; yet church-history furnishes us with instances of bishops consecrated, without having passed the order of priesthood; and Panormus still thinks such an ordination valid.