What are the duties of an abbot in a monastery?

Answer 1

== == An abbot does everything in a monastery, unless the monastery is an abbey. A monastery must have been granted the status of an abbey by the Pope, and such monasteries are normally raised to this level after showing a degree of stability -- a certain number of monks in vows, a certain number of years of establishment, a certain firmness to the foundation in economic, vocational and legal aspects. Prior to this, the monastery would be a mere priory, headed by a prior who acts as superior but without the same degree of legal authority that an abbot has.

An abbot is the spiritual and administrative leader of the abbey. After a 'blessing' by the local bishop, he gains additional authorities, similar to a bishop, though not as complete.