United Clergy of Ghost hierarchy idea:
I 100% can't believe that an organization that passes power down in one family lineage really only had like 4 middle aged guys at the top of it at one point, so I had a think about the structure of the clergy AND came up with a reason that Cardi was called Cardi for his whole life, apparently.
Namely, to become a Cardinal in the clergy you have to be an offshoot member of the Emeritus bloodline. They aren't in direct line for the papacy (unless something goes REALLY WRONG, like the acting Papa kills off all his brothers/sons/whatevers) but they are still of Emeritus blood and therefore important.
So here is Copia, with his white eye and obviously an Emeritus, but no one can (or will) say who his parent is. It sucks, but his Aunt Marika will always remind him that he IS an Emeritus, and he will be a Cardinal if he works for it, so he will be her Little Cardi.
Since I now have IDEAS about Cardinals, I then went down the rest of the Catholic church hierarchy and converted it to Ghost, because I have brain worms or something:
Nameless Ghouls (compare to Catholic Deacons)- Work within the clergy to recruit and then support the congregation and Clergy. Every member of the clergy had to start out as a Nameless Ghoul doing Nameless Ghoul work (be it performing on stage at a ritual or filing paperwork), it's like a right of passage thing. Some times there are 'special' ghouls, who are higher ranked members of the clergy that are going back to anonymous 'ghoul work' because SOMEONE has to talk to these reporters and it is NOT going be Primo! Not again!
And some times there are VERY special ghouls that were called up directly from the Pits, but maybe that's just a rumor...
Sibling of Sin (compare to Catholic Priests) - The next step up from a Ghoul, Siblings of Sin get a name and get to start doing more to actually preaching to and spiritually serving the congregation. They also act as ghoul ranglers if nobody higher up is around.
Bishops (compare to Catholic, well, Bishops) - A promotion up from a Sibling of Sin. I feel like this is position were the Emeritus's (Emeritii?) actually have to work up to in the Clergy on their own before the nepotism powers activate and they get promoted to Cardinal.
Archbishops (Guess what you would compare this one too) - The highest position in the Clergy hierarchy that someone who can't prove they are blood related to an Emeritus can go. I actually see them with the same rank as Cardinals in actual clergy politics, they just aren't as worried about comparing their 23andMe results with their partners. (In the very secret fanfic I am writing in my head, V was an Archbishop because no one wanted to point out that he was 100% of the Bloodline).
Special mention, Imperator: I believe that Imperator isn't a name but a title. It was originally set up as a regent type role for whenever the Papa was out doing other stuff but still needed things to get done. It generally doesn't get passed down from mother to son... But it's not unheard of for a Papa to retire from Papa-ing and take on the Imperator roll so the new Papa has time to figure his shit out.
