“Catholic Christianity” means Christianity when viewed from a Catholic perspective (as opposed to a protestant or other perspective). Respected Catholic theologian Peter Kreeft choose “
Catholic Christianity” as the title for his
book based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The authority of the Church comes from Jesus Christ, and is transmitted through the Apostles and their successors, the Popes and Bishops. There is really nothing else.
Saints are not a source of Catholic authority (though they are a source of inspiration).
Councils have authority, but only because they are held by Bishops and ratified by Popes, so the council has no particular authority itself - it has authority only because the people who participate have authority. A group of Catholic laypeople could not hold an Ecumenical Council, and the Bishops do not need to hold an Ecumenical Council to teach. Indeed, an Ecumenical Council is considered an extraordinary (ie,
not ordinary) manner of teaching. It is sometimes useful (expedient) to hold an Ecumenical Council, but it is never necessary.
The Bible is a valuable resource for the Church, but it is not a source of authority except when interpreted by Popes and Bishops (which is actually very rare). Different people can read the Bible and not agree on what the true message is, so the Bible alone cannot be a reliable authority because it is subjective (this is the main error of protestant Christians).
Authority in the Catholic Church rests with Popes and Bishops. Anything else is merely an extension (or, more specifically, an application) of this authority.
So your chart would really look like this:
Jesus > Bishops (which would include Apostles and Popes, who are also Bishops)
