The Papacy

Recent Popes

256	1846-1878	Blessed Pius IX
257	1878-1903	Leo XIII
258	1903-1914	St. Pius X
259	1914-1922	Benedict XV
260	1922-1939	Pius XI
261	1939-1958	Pius XII
262	1958-1963	Blessed John XXIII
263	1963-1978	Paul VI
264	1978	John Paul I
265	1978-2005	Blessed John Paul II
266	2005 ..	Benedict XVI

Other Ancient Sees

• Wikipedia, "Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria." Descended from St. Mark?
• Assyrian Catholic Church of the East--from St. Thomas (but not where Thomas died, so not like Peter and Rome and Mark and Alexandria?).

Official Titles of the Pope

Wikipedia, "Official list of titles."

• Bishop of Rome
• Vicar of Jesus Christ
• Successor of the Prince of the Apostles
• Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church
• Primate of Italy
• Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province
• Sovereign of the State of Vatican City
• Servant of the Servants of God.[91]

"Pope" ... does not appear in the official list, but is commonly used in the titles of documents, and appears, in abbreviated form, in their signatures. Thus Pope Paul VI signed as "Paulus PP. VI", the "PP." standing for "Papa" ("Pope").

The title "Pope" was from the early 3rd century an honorific designation used for any bishop in the West.[97] In the East it was used only for the Bishop of Alexandria.[97] Pope Marcellinus (d. 304) is the first Bishop of Rome shown in sources to have had the title "Pope" used of him. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of Constantinople normally reserved this designation for the Bishop of Rome.[97] From the early 6th century, it began to be confined in the West to the Bishop of Rome, a practice that was firmly in place by the 11th century,[97] when Pope Gregory VII declared it reserved for the Bishop of Rome.

In Eastern Christianity, where the title "Pope" is used also of the Bishop of Alexandria, the Bishop of Rome is often referred to as the "Pope of Rome", regardless of whether the speaker or writer is in communion with Rome or not.

#936

The Lord made St. Peter the visible foundation of his Church. He entrusted the keys of the Church to him. The bishop of the Church of Rome, successor to St. Peter, is "head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and Pastor of the universal Church on earth" (CIC, can. 331).

#937

The Pope enjoys, by divine institution, "supreme, full, immediate, and universal power in the care of souls" (CD 2).

Links

• Wikipedia, "List of Popes."
• Bad Popes