Priest tells senior clergy (8)
I believe the answer is:
prelates
'senior clergy' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'priest tells' is the wordplay.
'priest' becomes 'p' (ecclesiastical abbreviation).
'tells' becomes 'relates' (relating is a kind of telling).
'p'+'relates'='PRELATES'
(Other definitions for prelates that I've seen before include "Bishops" , "Senior clergy" , "Senior church dignitories" , "High-ranking clergymen" , "Church dignitaries" .)