High Priests -- who are they in the Catholic Church? In other churches?

[BartBurk]

I found the following quote attributed to St. Clement, Bishop of Rome in a letter to the Corinthians:

Since then these things are manifest to us, and we have looked into the depths of the divine knowledge, we ought to do in order all things which the Master commanded us to perform at appointed times. He commanded us to celebrate sacrifices and services, and that it should not be thoughtlessly or disorderly, but at fixed times and hours. He has Himself fixed by His supreme will the places and persons whom He desires for these celebrations, in order that all things may be done piously according to His good pleasure, and be acceptable to His will. So then those who offer their oblations at the appointed seasons are acceptable and blessed, but they follow the laws of the Master and do not sin. For to the high priest his proper ministrations are allotted, and to the priests the proper place has been appointed, and on Levites their proper services have been imposed. The layman is bound by the ordinances for the laity.

I know as a Latter-day Saint I would have understood the high priests to be one order of priesthood and the Levites to be another order of priesthood. Who are these high priests Clement is speaking about? They seem to be high priests within the Christian Church. Most Christian Churches I know say the only high priest currently existing is Jesus.

 

[Steadfast]

Clement is referencing the Old Testament ordering to make the point that each office has it’s proper role in the liturgy of the Church.

He is not saying that there is a one-to-one correspondence between these Old Covenant offices and offices in the New Covenant church.

His point is about order and role, not about continuation of office.

That being said, Christ is our High Priest ultimately, but there is a sense in which, as those who serve the church in a plenipotentiary sense, the Bishops and especially the Pope are high priests.