Monsignor is an honorific title conferred by the pope on certain priests in recognition of service, carrying distinctive dress and precedence but, in itself, no new powers.
Honour without new authority
The title is granted by the pope to priests as a mark of honour, recognising service to the church, and it brings with it distinctive dress and a certain precedence, but it confers no additional jurisdiction or sacramental power, so the monsignor remains a priest and does the work of a priest, the title being an honour attached to the person rather than an office with functions of its own. There are several grades of the honour, marked by differences of dress and title.
Use and standing
The title is used in the Roman Catholic Church and is borne by priests who hold certain offices in the papal household or the church administration, and by others simply honoured for their service, so its bearers range widely in actual role. Because the honour is granted at the discretion of the pope, its use has varied over time and between places, and it has been conferred more sparingly in some periods than others. Entry is by papal grant. The monsignor thus represents an honorific rank within the Catholic priesthood, a distinction that marks esteem and grants precedence and dress while adding nothing to the priestly office itself, and understanding it rightly means seeing that it is a title of honour rather than a step in the hierarchy of orders or jurisdiction.