Editing Church of Satan (section)

===Priesthood of Mendes and Council of Nine===
Members of the Priesthood make up the Council of Nine, which is the ruling body of the Church of Satan, of which Magistra Templi Rex [[Blanche Barton]] is the chair-mistress. Individuals who are part of the priesthood are those who act as spokespersons of the Church of Satan. The priesthood is exclusive to third-, fourth-, and fifth-degree members. Members of the priesthood may be referred to as "reverend".<ref name="hierarchy" /> The [[High priest|High Priest]] and Priestess act as administrative chiefs and primary public representatives; each position (High Priest and High Priestess) is held by a single individual at a time. The current High Priest is [[Peter H. Gilmore]],<ref name="PeterG">{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/history-peter-h-gilmore.php|title=Peter H. Gilmore|website=Church of Satan|access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref> the current High Priestess is [[Peggy Nadramia]].<ref name="PeggyN">{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/history-peggy-nadramia.php|title=Peggy Nadramia|website=Church of Satan|access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref>

The Church of Satan evaluates active members for the Priesthood by their accomplishment in society—mastered skills and peer recognition within a profession—rather than by mastery of irrelevant occult trivia. While expected to be experts in communicating the Satanic philosophy, members of the Priesthood are not required to speak on behalf of the Church of Satan and may even choose to keep their affiliation and rank secret in order to better serve their personal goals, as well as those of the organization. Membership in the Priesthood is by invitation only.