Jesus commissioned his Apostles to guide and lead his Church, and they passed on this authority to others. By the beginning of the second century, each local church was led and served by a single bishop and by a body of presbyters (priests) and deacons—the same ordained ministers in each diocese or eparchy of the Catholic Church today. Peter was set apart as leader among the Apostles, and the successor of St. Peter—the pope—still leads and serves the worldwide Catholic Church to this day. All this, Catholics believe, is a gift of God to his Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.