Church dignitaries (8)
I believe the answer is:
prelates
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">church dignitaries</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(I've seen this before)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for prelates that I've seen before include "Church dignitaries" , "Senior church dignitories" , "Senior clergy" , "Bishops" , "High-ranking clergymen" .)