(Latin papa, from Greek pappas, "father"), an ecclesiastical title expressing affectionate respect, formerly given, especially from the 3rd to the 5th century, to any bishop and sometimes to simple priests. The title is still used in the East for the Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria and for Orthodox priests, but, since about the 9th century, it has been reserved in the West exclusively for the bishop of Rome.
The Annuario Pontificio describes the office of the pope by the following titles: Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Western Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Province of Rome, Sovereign of the State of Vatican City. The title pope or papa (abbreviated PP.) isofficially used only as a less solemn style.
Doctrinally, in Catholic churches, the pope is regarded as the successor of St. Peter, who was head of the Apostles. The pope, as bishop of Rome, thus is seen to have full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the universal church in matters of faith and morals, as well as in church discipline and government.
The twofold basis of this doctrine of papal primacy is the place of Peter in the New Testament (in which there are various metaphors expressing his prerogatives) and the place of the Roman church in history. The understanding of papal primacy developed as the church developed, two notable factors being the role of Rome as the imperial city until the 5th century and the religious and political role of the bishop of Rome afterward.
The teaching of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) on the role of bishops counterbalanced the emphasis on papal prerogatives while maintaining the view that the authority of the bishops as a body cannot be separated from that of the pope as its head. Although the Eastern Orthodox have long been willing to give the bishop of Rome the primacy of honour accorded to patriarchs, and, although many Protestants have appreciated the moral leadership shown by some recent popes, the Catholic doctrine was still a major obstacle to ecumenical efforts in the 20th century.
The religious head of the Roman Catholic Church is known as the Pope or the bishop of Rome. He is elected by the College of Cardinals, who as a group rank next to the Pope in ecclesiastical authority. New Popes are elected on the death or retirement of a current Pope. To be elected, a new Pope must be named on two - thirds of the ballots cast, and each member of the College of Cardinals must vote. Once elected, a Pope must be asked by the dean of cardinals if he accepts the post. If he does, he is then asked to choose a name. The custom of a Pope changing his name upon election originated shortly before the year 1000.
- Encyclopedia Britannica
List of Popes Wikipedia
While the term "Pope" (Latin: papa "father'") is used in several churches to denote their high spiritual leaders, this title in English usage generally refers to the supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. The title itself has been used officially by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since the tenure of Pope Siricius.
There is no official list of popes, but the Annuario pontificio, published every year by the Vatican, contain a list that is generally considered to be the most authoritative. There have been 265 according to the list of the Annuario pontificio. A man elected in 752 and dead three days after was listed on this list as Stephen II, but he has been erased since the 1961 edition. Some lists still consider him valid, with no justification. That would make a list of 266 popes, but other choices of the Annuario pontificio are far most questionable.
The pope also bears the spiritual titles Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province and Servant of the Servants of God. Since 1929, the pope's temporal title has been Sovereign in the State of the Vatican City (the Holy See).
Popes Wikipedia
The pope is the Catholic Patriarch and Bishop of Rome, and leader of the Catholic Church. The office of the pope is called the Papacy; his ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called the Holy See (Sancta Sedes). Early bishops of Rome were designated vicar (representative) of Peter; for later popes the more authoritative vicar of Christ was substituted; this designation was first used by the Roman Synod of AD 495 to refer to Pope Gelasius I, an originator of papal supremacy among the patriarchs.
In addition to his service in this spiritual role, the pope is also head of state of the independent sovereign State of the Vatican City, a city-state and nation entirely enclaved by the city of Rome. Prior to 1870, the pope's temporal authority extended over a large area of central Italy, the territory of the Papal States that was formally known as the "Patrimony of St Peter". Although the document on which the territorial powers of the Pontificate was based - the so-called Donation of Constantine - was proved a forgery in the 15th century, the papacy retained sovereign authority over the Papal States until the Italian Unification of 1870; a final political settlement with the Italian government was not reached until the Lateran Treaties of 1929.The incumbent pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. He succeeds the late John Paul II, who was elected at the age of 58 in 1978.
Pope Benedict XVI is the second non-Italian to be elected to the pontificate since Adrian VI, who was briefly pope in 1522-23 - John Paul II was the first - and is the first German to take the seat since the eleventh century (unless Adrian VI, who lived in Holland but came from German ancestors before Holland was separated from Germany, is counted as German rather than Dutch).
ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF ALL FILES
CRYSTALINKS MAILING LIST, NEWSLETTER, UPDATES