Cryptic crossword clue
Acolyte‘s key opens entrances to archbishop’s residence, bishop’s office and back of vestry 5,3

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 3 letter word ALTAR BOY

A
L
T
A
R
B
O
Y

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Acolyte" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case acolyte = altar boy.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

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