Vedeks were high-ranking clerics of the Bajoran religion. The Vedek Assembly was a body on Bajor made up of selected vedeks. The vedeks of the Vedek Assembly were responsible for electing the kai from among their number. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets", "The Collaborator") In Christian terms, a vedek is closely equivalent to a bishop, with those sitting on the Assembly equivalent to Roman Catholic cardinals.