
:''This entry is about the Catholic Pontiff. For other uses of the word, see Pope (disambiguation).'' The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Rite. The office of the Pope is informally called the Papacy and formally called the Pontificate; 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 495 to refer to Pope Gelasius I, an originator of papal supremacy among the patriarchs. In addition to this spiritual role, the Pope also serves as head of state of the independent, sovereign Vatican City, a city-state entirely surrounded by the city of Rome. Prior to 1870, the Pope's temporal authority extended over a large area of central Italy, a territory more familiar as the Papal States that was formally known as the "Patrimony of St Peter". Though the document on which the territorial powers of the Pontificate were based—the so-called Donation of Constantine—was proved a forgery in the 15th century, the Pope retained sovereign authority over the Papal States until the Italian Unification of 1870, and a final political settlement between the Italian government and the Pope was not reached until the Lateran Treaties of 1929. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. He succeeds the late Pope 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 Pope Adrian VI, who was briefly pope in 1522-1523, (Pope John Paul II (pope 1978-2005) was the first), and is also the first German to take the seat since the 11th century (although it can be argued that Pope Adrian VI, who is considered both Dutch and German - he lived in Holland but came from German ancestors - was the last German pope). In some quarters, it is felt that Benedict's election as pope is further evidence that the papacy is moving away from being an Italian-dominated institution. ==Office and nature== The title "Pope" is an informal one; the formal title of the pope is "Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Apostolic Succession of the Saint Peter, Pontifex Maximus of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate (religion) of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan bishop of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, Servus Servorum Dei," although this is rarely seen or used in full (by comparison, the formal title of the Eastern_Orthodoxy Patriarch of Alexandria is "Successor of Saint Mark the Apostle, Shepherd of Shepherds, Father of Fathers, Supreme Pontiff of All Metropolitans and Bishops, Judge of the World, and Beloved of Christ", often called the "Ecumenical Judge"; the Coptic_Christianity Coptic_Orthodox_Patriarch_of_Alexandria is styled "Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of All the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark"). In canon law, the Roman Catholic Pope is referred to as the "Roman Pontiff" (''Pontifex Romanus''). He is styled "Your Holiness" (''Sanctitas Vostra'') and is frequently referred to as "the Holy Father." The pope's signature is usually in the format "''NN. PP. x''" (''e.g.'', Pope Paul VI signed his name as "Paulus PP. VI"), the "PP." standing for ''Princeps Pastorum'' ("Prince of the Shepherds"), and his name is frequently accompanied in inscriptions by the abbreviation "Pont. Max." or "P.M." (abbreviation of the ancient title ''Pontifex Maximus'', literally "Greatest Bridge-maker", but usually translated "Supreme Pontiff"). The signature of Papal bulls is customarily ''NN. Episcopus Ecclesia Catholicae'' ("NN. Bishop of the Catholic Church"), while the heading is ''NN. Episcopus Servus Servorum Dei'' ("NN. Bishop and Servant of the Servants of God"), the latter title dating to the time of Pope Gregory I ''the Great''. Other titles used in some official capacity include ''Summus Pontifex'' ("Highest Pontiff"), ''Sanctissimus Pater'' and ''Beatissimus Pater'' ("Most Holy Father" and "Most Blessed Father"), ''Sanctissimus Dominus Noster'' ("Our Most Holy Lord"), and, in the Middle Ages, ''Dominus Apostolicus'' ("Apostolic Lord"). [[Image:Flag_of_Vatican_City.png|right|thumb|125px|Flag of the Vatican City of the Vatican City]] The pope's official seat is the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, and his official residence is the Palace of the Vatican. He also possesses a summer palace at Castel Gandolfo (situated on the site of the ancient city-state Alba Longa). Historically the official residence of the Pope was the Lateran Palace, donated by the Roman Emperor Constantine I of the Roman Empire. The former Papal summer palace, the Quirinal Palace, has subsequently been the official residence of the King of Italy and President of Italy. Contrary to popular belief, it is the pope's ecclesiastical jurisdiction (the Holy See) and not his secular jurisdiction (Vatican City) which conducts international relations; for hundreds of years, the Pope's court (the Roman Curia) has functioned as the government of the Catholic Church. The name "Holy See" (also "Apostolic See") is in ecclesiastical terminology the ordinary jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (including the Roman Curia); the pope's various honours, powers, and privileges within the Catholic Church and the international community derive from his Episcopate of Rome in lineal succession from the Apostle St. Peter (see Apostolic Succession). Consequently Rome has traditionally occupied a central position in the Catholic Church, although this is not necessarily so. The Pope derives his Pontificate from being Bishop of Rome but is not obligated to reside in Rome; according to the Latin formula ''ubi Papa, ibi Curia'', wherever the pope resides is the central government of the Church, provided that the pope is Bishop of Rome. As such, between 1309 and 1378 the Popes resided not in Rome but in Avignon, a period often called the Babylonian Captivity in allusion to the Bible exile of Israel (see Avignon Papacy). Catholic tradition maintains that the institution of the Pontificate can be found in the Bible, and cites certain key passages in support of this contention. Chief among these passages is Gospel of Matthew, wherein Jesus Christ says to St. Peter: :''"Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."'' Other important passages include Gospel of Luke, Gospel of John, and John 21:15-19. ==Regalia and insignia== ''Main article: Papal regalia and insignia.'' *The "Papal Tiara" also called the "tiara" or "triple crown"; recent popes have not, however, worn the ''triregnum'' though it remains the symbol of the papacy and has not been abolished. In liturgical ceremonies popes wear an episcopal mitre (an erect cloth hat). *Staff topped by an erect crucifix, a custom established before the 13th century. *The pallium (a circular band of fabric about two inches wide, worn over the chasuble about the neck, breast and shoulders and having two twelve-inch-long pendants hanging down in front and behind, ornamented with six small, black crosses distributed about the breast, back, shoulders, and pendants). *The "Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven", the image of two keys, one gold and one silver. The silver key symbolises the power to bind and loose on Earth, and the gold key the power to bind and loose in Heaven. *The Ring of the Fisherman, a gold ring decorated with a depiction of St. Peter in a boat casting his net, with the name of the reigning Pope around it. *The ''umbracullum'' (better known in the Italian form ''ombrellino'') is a canopy or umbrella (consisting of alternating red and gold stripes). *One of the most familiar (and now discontinued) trappings of the Papacy was the ''sedia gestatoria'', a mobile throne carried by twelve footmen (''palafrenieri'') in red uniforms, accompanied by two attendants bearing ''flabella'' (fans made of white ostrich-feathers). The use of the ''sedia gestatoria'' and of the ''flabella'' was discontinued by Pope John Paul II, with the former being replaced by the so-called Popemobile. In heraldry, each pope has his own Papal Coat of Arms. Though unique for each pope, the arms are always surmounted by the aforementioned two keys in saltire (i.e., crossed over one another so as to form an X) behind the escutcheon (one key silver and one key gold, tied with a red cord), and above them a silver ''triregnum'' with three gold crowns and red ''infulae'', or the red strips of fabric hanging from the back over the shoulders when worn ("two keys in saltire or and argent, interlacing in the rings or, beneath a tiara argent, crowned or"). The flag most frequently associated with the Pope is the yellow and white flag of Vatican City, with the arms of the Holy See ("Gules, two keys in saltire or and argent, interlacing in the rings or, beneath a tiara argent, crowned or") on the right hand side in the white half of the flag. This flag was first adopted in 1808, whereas the previous flag had been red and gold, the traditional colours of the Pontificate. ==Status and authority== [[Image:MilChapPope.jpg|thumb|250px|Pope Pope Benedict XVI was elected on April 19, 2005.]] The status and authority of the Pope in the Catholic Church was dogmatically dogmatic definition by the First Vatican Council in its ''Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of Christ'' (July 18, 1870). The first chapter of this document is entitled "On the institution of the apostolic primacy in blessed Peter", and states that (s.1) "according to the Gospel evidence, a primacy of jurisdiction over the whole church of God was immediately and directly promised to the blessed apostle Peter and conferred on him by Christ the Lord" and that (s.6) "if anyone says that blessed Peter the apostle was not appointed by Christ the Lord as prince of all the apostles and visible head of the whole church militant; or that it was a primacy of honour only and not one of true and proper jurisdiction that he directly and immediately received from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: let him be anathema." The Dogmatic Constitution's second chapter, "On the permanence of the primacy of blessed Peter in the Roman pontiffs", states that (s.1) "that which our Lord Jesus Christ [...] established in the blessed apostle Peter [...] must of necessity remain forever, by Christ's authority, in the church which, founded as it is upon a rock, will stand firm until the end of time," that (s.3) "whoever succeeds to the chair of Peter obtains by the institution of Christ Himself, the primacy of Peter over the whole church", and that (s.5) "if anyone says that it is not by the institution of Christ the Lord Himself (that is to say, by divine law) that blessed Peter should have perpetual successors in the primacy over the whole church; or that the Roman pontiff is not the successor of blessed Peter in this primacy: let him be anathema." The Dogmatic Constitution's third chapter, "On the power and character of the primacy of the Roman pontiff," states that (s.1) "the definition of the ecumenical council of Council of Florence, which must be believed by all faithful Christianitys, namely that the apostolic see and the Roman pontiff hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole church and father and teacher of all Christian people," that (s.2) "by divine ordinance, the Roman church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other church, and that the jurisdictional power of the Roman pontiff is both episcopal and immediate" and that "clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchy subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the church throughout the world." The powers of the Pope are defined by the Dogmatic Constitution (ch.3, s.8) such that "he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in all cases which fall under ecclesiastical jurisdiction recourse may be had to his judgement" and that "the sentence of the apostolic see (than which there is no higher authority) is not subject to revision by anyone, nor may anyone lawfully pass judgement thereupon" (can. 331 defines the power of the Pope as "supreme, full, immediate and universal ordinary power in the Church, and he can always freely exercise this power"). It also dogmatically defined (ch.4, s.9) the doctrine of papal infallibility, ''sc.'' such that :when the Roman Pontiff speaks ''ex cathedra'', that is, when in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed His church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. Therefore, such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the church, irreformable. The Catholic Church teaches that "it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff" (Boniface VIII). Therefore, all those that willingly separate themselves from the Catholic Church have no hopes of salvation (this dogma is summarized by the Latin phrase "extra Ecclesiam nullus salus", or "outside the Church exists no salvation"). See Donation of Constantine for discussion of the broader authority the papacy has argued the Catholic Church possesses in affairs of state. ==Political role== Though the progressive Christianization of the Roman Empire in the Fourth century did not confer upon bishops civil authority within the state, the gradual withdrawal of imperial authority during the 5th century left the Pope the senior Imperial civilian official in Rome, as bishops were increasingly directing civil affairs in other cities of the Western Empire. This status as a secular and civil leader was vividly displayed by Pope Leo I's confrontation with Attila in 452 and was substantially increased in 754, when the Franks ruler Pepin the Short donated to the Pope a strip of territory which formed the core of the so-called Papal States (properly the Patrimony of St. Peter). In 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish ruler Charlemagne as Roman Emperor, a major step toward establishing what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire; from that date it became the Pope's prerogative to crown the Emperor, a tradition which continued until Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope (subsequent Emperors never received coronation), and which was partially revived by Napoléon Bonaparte. As has been hitherto mentioned, the pope's sovereignty over the Papal States ended in 1870 with their annexation by Italy. In addition to the pope's position as a territorial ruler and foremost prince bishop of Christianity (especially prominent with the Renaissance popes like Pope Alexander VI, an ambitious if spectacularly corrupt politico, and Pope Julius II, a formidable general and statesman) and as the spiritual head of the Holy Roman Empire (especially prominent during periods of contention with the Emperors, such as during the Pontificates of Pope Gregory VII and Pope Alexander III), the pope also possessed a degree of political and temporal authority in his capacity as Supreme Pontiff. Some of the most striking examples of Papal political authority are the Bull ''Laudabiliter'' in 1155 (authorising Henry II of England to invade Ireland), the Bull ''Inter Caeteras'' in 1493 (leading to the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which divided the world into areas of Spain and Portugal rule) the Bull ''Regnans in Excelsis'' in 1570 (excommunication Elizabeth I of England and purporting to release all her subjects from their allegiance to her), the Bull ''Inter Gravissimas'' in 1582 (establishing the Gregorian Calendar). ==Death, abdication, and election== ===Death=== The current regulations regarding a papal interregnum — i.e., a ''sede vacante'' ("vacant seat") — were promulgated by John Paul II in his 1996 document ''Universi Dominici Gregis''. During the ''sede vacante'', the College of Cardinals, composed of the pope's principal advisors and assistants, is collectively responsible for the government of the Church and of the Vatican itself, under the direction of the Camerlengo; however, canon law specifically forbids the Cardinals from introducing any innovation in the government of the Church during the vacancy of the Holy See. Any decision that needs the assent of the pope has to wait until a new pope has been elected and takes office. It has long been claimed that a pope's death is officially determined by the Cardinal Chamberlain by gently tapping the late pope's head thrice with a silver hammer and calling his birth name three times, though this is disputed and has never been confirmed by the Vatican; there is general agreement that even if this procedure ever actually occurred, it was likely not employed upon the death of John Paul II. A medical doctor may or may not have already determined that the pope had passed away prior to this point. The Cardinal Chamberlain then retrieves the Ring of the Fisherman. Usually the ring is on the pope's right hand. But in the case of Paul VI, he had stopped wearing the ring during the last years of his reign, and left it in his desk. In other cases the ring might have been removed for medical reasons. The Chamberlain cuts the ring in two in the presence of the Cardinals. The deceased pope's seals are defaced, to keep this pope's seal from ever being used again, and his personal apartment is sealed. The body then lies in state for a number of days before being interred in the crypt of a leading church or cathedral; the popes of the 20th century were all interred in St. Peter's Basilica. A nine-day period of mourning (''novem dialis'') follows after the interment of the late pope. ===Papal abdication=== The Code of Canon law Law [http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P16.HTM 332 §2] states, ''If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.'' It was widely reported in June and July 2002 that the Pope John Paul II firmly refuted the speculation of his resignation using Canon 332, in a letter to the Milan daily newspaper ''Corriere della Sera''. Nevertheless, 332 §2 gave rise to speculation that either: * Pope John Paul II would have resigned as his health failed, or * a properly manifested legal instrument had already been drawn up that put into effect his resignation in the event of his incapacity to perform his duties. Pope John Paul II did not resign. He died on 2 April 2005 after suffering from many diseases and was buried on 8 April 2005. [http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Pope+Dead&btnG=Search+News Articles on the death of John Paul II] After his death it was revealed in his last will and testament that he considered abdicating in 2000 as he neared his 80th birthday. ===Papal election=== The pope was originally chosen by those senior clergymen resident in and near Rome. In 1059, the electorate was restricted to the Cardinal (Catholicism) of the Holy Roman Church, and the individual votes of all Cardinal Electors were made equal in 1179. The Pope is usually a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, but theoretically any male Catholic (including a layman) may be elected; Pope Urban VI, elected 1378, was the last pope who was not already a cardinal at the time of his election. Canon law requires that if a layman or non-bishop is elected, he receives episcopal consecration from the Dean of the College of Cardinals before assuming the Pontificate. Under present canon law, the pope is elected by the cardinal electors, comprising those cardinals who are under the age of 80. The Second Council of Lyons was convened on May 7, 1274, to regulate the election of the pope. This Council decreed that the cardinal electors must meet within ten days of the pope's death, and that they must remain in seclusion until a pope has been elected; this was prompted by the three-year ''Sede Vacante'' following the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268. By the mid-Sixteenth century, the electoral process had more or less evolved into its present form, allowing for alteration in the time between the death of the pope and the meeting of the cardinal electors. Traditionally the vote was conducted by acclamation, by selection, by committee, or by plenary vote. Acclamation was the simplest procedure, consisting entirely of a voice vote, and was last used in 1621. Pope John Paul II abolished vote by acclamation and by selection by committee, and henceforth all Popes will be elected by full vote of the College of Cardinals by ballot. The election of the pope almost always takes place in the Sistine Chapel, in a meeting called a "papal election" (so called because the cardinal electors are theoretically locked in, ''cum clavi'', until they elect a new Pope). Three cardinals are chosen by lot to collect the votes of absent cardinal electors (by reason of illness), three are chosen by lot to count the votes, and three are chosen by lot to review the count of the votes. The ballots are distributed and each cardinal elector writes the name of his choice on it and pledges aloud that he is voting for "one whom under God I think ought to be elected" before folding and depositing his vote on a plate atop a large chalice placed on the altar. The plate is then used to drop the ballot into the chalice, making it difficult for any elector to insert multiple ballots. Before being read, the number of ballots are counted while still folded; if the total number of ballots does not match the number of electors, the ballots are burned unopened and a new vote is held. Assuming the number of ballots matches the number of electors, each ballot is then read aloud by the presiding Cardinal, who pierces the ballot with a needle and thread, stringing all the ballots together and tying the ends of the thread to ensure accuracy and honesty. Balloting continues until a Pope is elected by a two-thirds majority (since the promulgation of ''Universi Dominici Gregis'' the rules allow for a simple majority after a deadlock of twelve days). [[Image:John23leo.jpg|left|thumb|216px|Pope John XXIII wearing the Papal Tiara following his coronation, a tradition which has now been discontinued.]] One of the most famous aspects of the papal-election process is the means by which the results of a ballot are announced to the world. Once the ballots are counted and bound together, they are burned in a special oven erected in the Sistine Chapel, with the smoke escaping through a small chimney visible from St Peter's Square. The ballots from an unsuccessful vote are burned along with a chemical compound in order to produce black smoke, or "fumata nera." (Traditionally wet straw was used to help create the black smoke, but a number of "false alarms" in past conclaves have brought about this concession to modern chemistry.) When a vote is successful, the ballots are burned alone, sending white smoke ("fumata bianca") through the chimney and announcing to the world the election of a new Pope. At the end of the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, church bells were also rung to signal that a new pope had been chosen. The Dean of the College of Cardinals then asks the successfully elected Cardinal two solemn questions. First he asks, "Do you freely accept your election?" If he replies with the word "Accepto," his reign as Pope begins at that instant, not at the coronation ceremony several days afterward. The Dean then asks, "By what name shall you be called?" The new Pope then announces the regnal name he has chosen for himself. The new pope is led through the "Door of Tears" to a dressing room in which three sets of white Papal vestments ("immantatio") await: small, medium, and large. Donning the appropriate vestments and re-emerging into the Sistine Chapel, the new Pope is given the "Ring of the Fisherman" by the Cardinal Camerlengo, whom he either reconfirms or reappoints. The Pope then assumes a place of honor as the rest of the Cardinals wait in turn to offer their first "obedience" ("adoratio"), and to receive his blessing. The senior Cardinal Deacon then announces from a balcony over St. Peter's Square the following Habemus Papam: ''Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum! Habemus Papam!'' ("I announce to you a great joy! We have a Pope!"). He then announces the new pope's Christian name along with the new name he has adopted as his regnal name. Until 1978, the Pope's election was followed in a few days by a procession in great pomp and circumstance from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's Basilica, with the newly-elected Pope borne in the ''sedia gestatoria''. There the Pope was crowned with the ''Papal Tiara'' and he gave his first blessing as Pope, the famous ''Urbi et Orbi'' ("to the City [Rome] and to the World"). Another famed part of the coronation was the lighting of a torch which would flare brightly and promptly extinguish, with the admonition ''Sic transit gloria mundi'' ("Thus fades worldly glory"). Traditionally, the new pope takes the Papal oath (the so-called "Oath against modernism") at his coronation, but Popes Pope John Paul I, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI have all refused to do so. The Latin term ''sede vacante'' ("vacant seat") refers to a papal interregnum, the period between the death of the Pope and the election of his successor. From this term is derived the name sedevacantism, which designates a category of dissident, schismatic Catholics who maintain that there is no canonically and legitimately elected Pope, and that there is therefore a ''Sede Vacante''; one of the most common reasons for holding this belief is the idea that the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and especially the replacement of the Tridentine Mass with the ''Novus Ordo Missae'' are heretical, and that, per the dogma of Papal infallibility (see above), it is impossible for a valid Pope to have done these things. ==Objections to the Papacy== The Pope's position as Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church is dogmatic and therefore not open to debate or dispute within the Catholic Church; the First Vatican Council anathema (term) all who dispute the Pope's primacy of honour and of jurisdiction (it is lawful to discuss the precise nature of that primacy, provided that such discussion does not violate the terms of the Council's Dogmatic Constitution). However, the Pope's authority is not undisputed outside the Catholic Church; these objections differ from denomination to denomination, but can roughly be outlined as (1.) objections to the extent of the primacy of the Pope; and (2.) objections to the institution of the Papacy itself. [[Image:J23paceminterris.jpg|frame|John XXIII signed his encyclical ''Pacem in Terris''.]] Some non-Catholic Christian communities, such as the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodoxy, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion, accept the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, and therefore accept (to varying extents) the papal claims to primacy of honour. However, these churches generally deny that the pope is the successor to St. Peter in any unique sense not true of any other bishop, or that St. Peter was ever bishop of Rome at all. The primacy is therefore regarded as a consequence of the pope's position as bishop of the original capital city of the Roman Empire, a definition explicitly spelled out in the 28th canon law of the Council of Chalcedon. In any event, these churches see no foundation at all to papal claims of universal jurisdiction. Because none of them recognise the First Vatican Council as ecumenical, they regard its definitions concerning jurisdiction and infallibility (and anathema (term) of those who do not accept them) as invalid. Other non-Catholic Christian denominations do not accept the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, or do not understand it in hierarchical terms, and therefore do not accept the claim that the Pope is heir either to Petrine primacy of honour or to Petrine primacy of jurisdiction or they reject both claims of honor or jurisdiction as unscriptural. The Papacy's complex relationship with the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empires, and other secular states, and the Papacy's territorial claims in Italy, are another focal point of these objections; as is the monarchical character of the office of Pope. In Western Christianity, these objections — and the vehement rhetoric they have at times been cast in — both contributed to, and are products of, the Protestant Reformation. These denominations vary from simply not accepting the pope's authority as legitimate and valid, to believing that the pope is the Antichrist or one of the beasts spoken of in the Book of Revelation. These denominations tend to be more heterogeneous amongst themselves than the aforementioned hierarchical churches, and their views regarding the Papacy and its institutional legitimacy (or lack thereof) vary considerably. Some objectors to the papacy use empirical arguments, pointing to the corrupt characters of some of the holders of that office. For instance, some argue that claimed successors to St. Peter, like Popes Pope Alexander VI and Callixtus III from the Borgia family, were so corrupt as to be unfit to wield power to bind and loose on Earth or in Heaven. An omniscient and omnibenevolent God, some argue, would not have given those people the powers claimed for them by the Catholic Church. Defenders of the papacy argue that the Bible shows God as willingly giving privileges even to corrupt men (citing examples like some of the kings of Israel, the apostle Judas Iscariot, and even St. Peter after he denied Jesus). They also argue that not even the worst of the corrupt popes used the office to try to rip the doctrine of the Church from its apostolic roots, and that this is evidence that the office is divinely protected. Some objectors to the papacy occasionally refer to the Catholic Church and its members by the pejorative term ''papist'' to point up what they believe to be an inappropriate focus of attention on the office and an improper attribution of certain divine favors ''ex officio''. ==Other Popes== An antipope is a person who claims the Pontificate without being canonically and properly elected to it. The existence of an antipope is usually due either to doctrinal controversy within the Church, or to confusion as to who is the legitimate pope at the time (see Western Schism). The head of the Jesuit Order of Priests has always been called the Black Pope due to that order of priests always wearing a long black robe, including its leader (compared to the Pope's always wearing white robes), and to the order's specific allegiance to the Roman pontiff. The heads of the Coptic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria are also called "Popes" for historical reasons, the former being called "Coptic Pope" or "Pope of Alexandria" and the latter called "Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa"; the parallel construction "Pope of Rome" is frequently used in the Eastern churches. In Islam, the former office of Caliph held similar meaning, as the leader of all Muslims, subordinate only to the prophet Muhammad. ==See also== *List of popes *Pope Benedict XVI *List of 10 longest-reigning Popes *List of 10 shortest-reigning Popes *Ages of Popes *Vestment *Immaculate Conception *Assumption of Mary *Ecumenical Council *College of Bishops *Pontifical University *Caesaropapism *Investiture Controversy *African popes *List of French popes *Myths and legends surrounding the Papacy *Pope Joan *Prophecy of the Popes *Regnal name *Papal Slippers *Papal Coronation *Papal Inauguration *List of sexually active popes ==External links== *[http://www.vatican.va/ The Holy See] *[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM Code of Canon Law] – Vatican site *[http://www.dailycatholic.org/history/20ecume3.htm The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ], Fourth Session of the First Vatican Council *[http://web.globalserve.net/~bumblebee/ecclesia/patriarchs.htm Eastern Church Defends Petrine Primacy and the Papacy] *[http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com/ The Pope Blog] – Unofficial weblog about the Pope *[http://popetribute.com/ Pope Tribute] – A tribute to the Pope, present and past *[http://www.papst-benedikt.be Pope Benedikt XVI and other Popes] (germ.) *[http://www.geocities.com/hashanayobel/papalinfo.htm Papal information] News about ongoing Papal Events *[http://www.punditguy.com/2005/04/german_pope.html Pope Election News Roundup] *[http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/benedictxvi/ Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez announcing Habemus Papam (We have a Pope!)] (Windows Media Player Video). *[http://www.americancatholic.org/news/BenedictXVI/ American Catholic - Pope Benedict XVI Starts His Papacy] *[http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,12272,1452750,00.html ''Swiss Watchers'' - article about the Papal Guards in THE GUARDIAN] ===Objections=== *[http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/endtimeissues Endtime Issues Newsletters by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi] The Papacy: Retrospect and Prospect: Part I Revelation 17 and the Papacy, The Future of the Papacy, The Legacy of Pope John Paul II *[http://www.biblelight.net/satan.htm The Last Pope] and Satan's Impersonation of Christ Predicted? Revelation 17 Expounded *[http://www.biblelight.net/pontifex.htm The High Priest in Hebrews] The Papacy Popes bn:পোপ als:Papst ka:რომის პაპი la:Papa li:Paus ms:Paus (Katholik) nds:Paapst th:พระสันตะปาปา
==Question about the leading sentence:== The leading sentence appears rather unambiguously to refer to the Roman Pontiff as the head of the Orthodox church. This appears inconsistent with the Wikipedia entry on that church, and with the history of those two branches of Christianity. Would someone care to explain why this phraseology was chosen? It appears to assert a POV that is at minimum greatly in dispute. :I think the sentence says that the Pope is the leader of the Eastern ''Catholic'' church, which is different from the Eastern ''Orthodox'' church, if I'm reading that correctly. User:Evilphoenix 19:00, May 31, 2005 (UTC) ==Question about Orthodox/Coptic Popes== I had a bit of difficulty checking on this sentence from the article: "(by comparison, the formal title of the Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria is "Successor of Saint Mark the Apostle, Shepherd of Shepherds, Father of Fathers, Supreme Pontiff of All Metropolitans and Bishops, Judge of the World, and Beloved of Christ", often called the "Ecumenical Judge"; the Coptic Pope is styled "Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of All the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark")" Looking around on Wikipedia, I found references to the Patriarch of Alexandria, but I also found several instances where it seemed that the leader of Orthodoxy was in fact the Patriarch of Constantinople: Eastern_Orthodoxy: "The Patriarch of Constantinople currently enjoys the honorary title of "First Among Equals"; which simply means that in council, he occupies the position of president in what is otherwise a democratic organization. " as well as the Patriarch_of_Constantinople article itself. Any thoughts? I'm not sure it's accurate to describe the Patriarch of Alexandria as the "Pope" of Orthodoxy, but I'm certainly no expert. Any thoughts? User:Evilphoenix :My first thought is to ask you to please sign your posts to talk pages! ;) :The point of the "Other Popes" section is to point up others who bear that title. The Pope of Alexandria is simply an Orthodox pope, not ''the'' pope of Orthodoxy. Indeed there's nothing about the title itself that implies the overarching authority claimed by the Pope of Rome; it's just an affectionate diminutive for "Father". It might be worth adding that in the Russian Orthodox Church simple priests are often called "popes" as well. :The Ecumenical Patriarch (Patriarch of Constantinople, "EP") has never been addressed as a "Pope". Nor is he really the leader of Orthodoxy, his press releases to the contrary notwithstanding. The only bishops bound in obedience to him are the suffragans of his own diocese, at least in theory. In practice (as I understand it) his Holy Synod pretty much supports anything he wants to do, so via that instrument he can command the obedience of any bishop in his Patriarchate, even ruling bishops. No bishop outside his Patriarchate owes him anything but acknowledgement as ''primus inter pares''. But now I get into ecclesiastical politics, which I prefer to leave off discussing. User:Csernica 21:21, 10 May 2005 (UTC) ::Yes yes, I meant to go back and add my name, thanks for the reminder. :-). So then it would seem that the phrase used in the article should in fact say Alexandria, and not Constantinople. However, would it still be appropriate phrasing to refer to the Patriarch of Alexandria as the "Orthodox Pope", or should that wording be clarified? Thanks for your input. User:Evilphoenix 01:06, May 11, 2005 (UTC) :::I'll try to be more explicit. To call anyone ''the'' Orthodox Pope would simply be misleading. There is no office in the Orthodox Church that's equivalent to that held by the Pope of Rome. There is one Patriarch who customarily uses that title among many others -- but please don't be deceived by the titles! "Byzantine" Romans love titles, and applied them liberally wherever they wanted. They're not necessarily to be taken all that seriously, especially when we get to ones like "Judge of the World". :::Odd as it may seem, "Pope of Alexandria" is not among these inflated titles. In the Christian East it retains its more ancient meaning of a simple affectionate way of referring to a beloved pastor, and long usage has attached it more or less permanently to the Patriarch of Alexandria. This was also its original meaning in Rome from centuries before the bishop of that city pressed any claims of universal jurisdiction. :::It's true that there are no other Orthodox Patriarchs that customarily use the title, (although it's not entirely unknown to Antioch) but it's ''still'' incorrect to call the P of A ''the'' Pope of Orthodoxy because he's not the only personage so called! As I said, any Russian village priest is likely to be called a "pope" by his parishioners. :::In other words, the paragraph is correct as-is. (Its original purpose was to simply identify other offices with the title "Pope", but someone confused it by adding a reference to the caliphate. If anything, that's the part that should be cut.) User:Csernica 02:03, 11 May 2005 (UTC) ::::I appreciate you changing the wording of that first sentence in your previous edit to the talk page. Based on your advice, I am feeling like a slight edit to the section I was looking at would be appropriate. I may have confused you, I was referring to a sentence in the introduction of the article, not in the "other popes" section. Id be interested to hear your opinion of my imminent edit to the article page. Best regards. User:Evilphoenix 04:10, May 11, 2005 (UTC) :::Please don't edit my indents. This isn't email, and if each stage in a lengthy exchange is indented on position more each time, then half the page is blank space before long. Alternating indents are sufficient to clearly indicate replies. :::I see my confusion now. IMO that sentence shouldn't be there at all. I can see no reason to talk about any Orthodox Patriarchs at that point. It seems a non-sequitur. If the contributor who first added it had a point, I can't see it. User:Csernica 08:54, 11 May 2005 (UTC) ==Papist== I added a couple sentences about the perjorative term ''Papist'' to the Pope article in the ''Objections to the Papacy'' section.
User:Jesster79 18:46, May 19, 2005 (UTC) :So I see. However, lots of people, perhaps even most people, who use the word know very well that Roman Catholics don't worship the Pope. User:Csernica 23:35, 19 May 2005 (UTC) ==Did Pope John Paul II consider abdication ?== The article currently reads: :After his death it was revealed in his last will and testament that he considered abdicating in 2000 as he neared his 80th birthday. Yet it seems that the whole media bruhaha derives from an incorrect translation; the text of the testament cites in Latin the verse of Luke 2:29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace", where the Latin for "depart" may be also translated as "resign". ==Error?== I noticed that it said that on the subject of Pope stepping down that it couldn't be because the pope is viewed as infallable. I believe this to be incorrect, if my teachings from catholic highschool theology are correct. First - he is human and a sinner so he is fallable. Second - he is only infallable on matters of faith. Third - He has to inact Papal Infallability. So unless the 3rd is done, then technically, it is not infallable. If I'm not mistaken, Papal Infallability has only been done less than 10 times, maybe even less than 5. The correct theological view is simply that the Holy Spirit moves people to vote for the pope. --User:THollan 02:24, 9 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Why== This is nuts. It's not like he was a god himself or something. :Taking this perhaps more seriously than it deserves: Whether you're Roman Catholic or not (I'm not) whether you're even Christian or not, Pope John Paul II was unquestionably a giant in the history of the last decades of the 20th Century. The world will not be the same without him and his influence. His death is therefore a significant historical event and people everywhere, regardless of their religion, have reacted accordingly. User:Csernica 22:27, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC) :No one ''ever'' sais that John Paul II was a god. I wonder if whoever wrote that statement, "This is nuts" would say the same thing in the case of Bill Clinton, or another person that he or she admires. Because I strongly suspect that the "This is nuts..." statement was sour grapes on their part. :User:Jesster79 18:42, May 19, 2005 (UTC) == Catholic Basis for the Pope == I am interested in knowing how Catholics have come up with the Idea of the Pope, is their scheme found within some teach...etcetera etcetera...if anyone is knowledgeable on this subject...I'd encourage the addition of it to this article : Catholics believe that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome : Based on Gospel of Matthew 16:17-19, the Catholic church beleive in the primacy of Saint Peter: :: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." : Catholics beleive that Peter's successors as Bishop of Rome also succeed him as head of the Church. : See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia], specifically section "II. PRIMACY OF THE ROMAN SEE". : I'll add information coverering this if it is hasn't been added previously. User:Kenj0418 22:59, Apr 3, 2005 (UTC) :: This information is alreay in the article (Even the quote from Matthew) User:Kenj0418 23:01, Apr 3, 2005 (UTC) So what gives the Pope all this power, and why is he commonly viewed as "God-on-earth" for lack of better terms? - Scott : As a Catholic, my beliefs regarding any Pope are: :# He is a man, not "God-on-earth" :## As any other man, can be extremely flawed or even scandalously sinful (see Pornocracy) :## He can also be quite virtuous, but still human, and thus not perfect. I would put JPII in this category. :# He is the head of the Catholic Church, and as such: :## Speaks on behalf of the church on spiritual and temporal matters :## Appoints (or whatever the correct term is) Bishops, Cardinals, etc. of the Church :## With the aid of the Holy Spirit, can speak definitively on matters of faith (but rarely does so) :## Set, or delegate to others to set, various rules regarding the Church (see Canon Law) :## As Peter's successor, can exercies the powers and duties Jesus granted to Peter :# As he is a priest, and bishop, he can: :## minister (or assist in the ministry of) the Sacraments of the church :## (as a bishop), exercise the powers and duties Jesus granted to the Apostles : I would not say he is commonly viewed by Catholics, or anyone else, as "God-on-earth", or anything similar. User:Kenj0418 18:47, Apr 18, 2005 (UTC) ==Pope is head of which other Catholic Churches?== what other Catholic Church considers the Pope its head? :there is one Catholic Church, with many rites (Roman-Catholic, Greek-Catholic, recently maybe Trident-Catholic, but not officially yet). :But I seem to remember that there were Churches with "catholic" with name which didn't consider Pope as its head. So list is Roman and Greek Catholic. -- :Taw :See http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/eastcath.htm for a list of Eastern rites within the Catholic church. Other churches like the Old Catholic Church split from the Catholic after Vatican I and don't aknowledge the pope. -rmhermen :The eastern rites are not part of the Roman Catholic church -they are part of the Catholic church. The Roman Catholic church should call itself (and sometimes does) the Roman ritre of the Catholic church. See Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 1964. -rmhermen ::Are you sure about that? -- as far as I am aware the Eastern rites are part of the Roman Catholic Church; since they accept the Bishop of Rome as head of the church. The Roman Catholic Church has several rites, the Western ones (Roman or Latin, Ambrosian and Mozarabic) and the Eastern. -- User:SJK :::They're all part of the Catholic Church. Roman is, specifically, the Latin Rite, but 'Rite' is a tricky term. In the case of the Ambrosian and Mozarabic Rites it actually means only "approved variation in ritual scheme for certain dioceses only" - you can't have an authorized mass in the Ambrosian Rite anywhere outside the region of Milan. The Eastern Rites, on the other hand, not only have different liturgies, but have separate organizational structures, i.e., churches, often with separate patriarchs (at least the Melkites and the Maronites have 'em - the Ukrainians want one), but they are in "union" with the Pope as supreme Patriarch. Technically "Roman" refers only to the Latin rite, but it gets applied to everyone in union with the Pope by extension. Latin rite Catholics mainly don't notice, and Eastern rite Catholics fume about it. Can you tell I know a bunch of Eastern Rite folks? --MichaelTinkler ::::Having been raised Byzantine Catholic (an Eastern Rite church) I just wanted to confirm the above. The entire thing is often called Roman Catholic, but the analogy I often use is that it is like calling the former Soviet Union "Russia". Yes, it's the biggest by far, and yes, most people know what you mean, but it is still wrong. --User:John Kenneth Fisher 13:16, May 15, 2005 (UTC) ==Pope/Antipope== Removed: ''Whether someone was a Pope or Antipope is mostly a matter of a historian's personal opinion.'' No, it is not a 'personal' opinion of a (one) historian. It is the opinion of the Roman Catholic Church about itself (which certainly involved consulting historians), discussed at great length in many individual cases by individual historians. In many cases there is no detailed discussion by historians because the person was very obviously an antipope. There are remarkably few difficult cases. This is not true, and should have been on the 'antipope' entry anyway; I'm going to run check and see if I need to delete it from there, too. --MichaelTinkler :Just as a detail, there is also a sort of slang used by Vaticanists, and in this allusive speaking the chief of Jesuits (Compagnia di Gesu'), whose charge is so important and influent that he can put an effective veto on Pope's decisions, is called "Papa nero" (black pope) or, sometimes, "antipapa".
But who is primarily called an antipope is an Avignone's schism Pope. :In case this could help, the Church we are talking about describes itself as "Santa Romana Chiesa" (Holy Roman Church), so this should be an official point.
Another official self-definition is "Chiesa Cattolica e Apostolica di Roma". ==Disambiguating reference== I've moved the disambiguating reference to Alexander Pope and others with the Pope surname to the head of the article. Surely a person who is looking for these others will want to know immediately that he is in the wrong place, and is unlikely to want to scroll through the long list of popes to find it at the end. user:Eclecticology ==Surname Pope== For notable persons with the surname Pope see *Albert Augustus Pope (1843-?) - American manufacturer *Alexander Pope (1688-1744) - English poet *Franklin Leonard Pope (1840-1895) - American electrician *John Pope - a disambiguation page *Sir Thomas Pope (1507-1559) - English administrator :It has been hashed out in numerous places that listing people who happen to have a certain last name is not at all what disambiguation is for. --user:maveric149 ==Papal eras== I removed this odd list of periods from the bottom of the page because it is idiosyncratic and very Italocentric. The list essentially conveys to the reader who was in 'secular' control of central Italy during the period and does NOT adequately convey what external political powers had influence on the papacy in a particular period. Please note that the Lombards are mentioned (though the Lombard kings and dukes were a threat there is little evidence of direct influence on policy or papal elections) but the Carolingians are not (for whom there is lots of evidence). Avignon might be useful. What about the Hapsbugs? I hope this came out of an Italian source or a book translated from Italian. User:MichaelTinkler ''The reigns of the Popes can be roughly divided into eras: * Imperial era 42-395, *Western Imperial Era 395-476, *Herulian era 476-491, *Ostrogothic era 491-553, *Byzantine Era 553-751, *Lombard Era 751-756, *1st Era of the Papal States 756-1309 (vacant 1268-71), *Avignon Era (the "Babylonian Captivity") 1309-1377, *2nd Era of the Papal States 1377-1798, *Napoleonic interruptions 1798-1814, *3rd Era of the Papal States 1814-1870, *Savoyard Era 1870-1929, *Vatican Era 1929-.'' ==ex cathedra & Camerlengo== Wasn't it John XXIII and not Paul VI (as stated) who declared that he would never speak ex cathedra? User:Someone else 22:17 Sep 11, 2002 (UTC) Yup. It was John XXIII. I've changed it. Also removed the following sentence: ''The Camerlengo officially pronounces the pope dead by tapping his head three times with a special hammer and calling his name; if there is no response the death is announced. '' Though ''always'' quoted, it ''never'' happens, or hasn't anyway for decades and decades. It is one of these ancient ceremonies long abolished which every journalist, when it comes to the time of the death of a pope, ''always'' quotes as ''fact'' except . . . its fiction. It may have happened sometime in the past, but no-one in the Vatican has any memory of it, any record of it, or any idea when it died out. They don't even know where the little 'silver hammer' is. The other part of this ceremony involved the relevant cardinal, as he tapped His Holiness on the forehead, saying, {name of pope} 'Art thou dead'? Apparently, every camerlingo (is that the correct spelling, BTW?) on appointment asks for this mythical silver hammer, and is disappointed to be told, 'Sorry, Cam. No such ceremony'. User:Jtdirl 05:35 Feb 13, 2003 (UTC) :I just returned an hour or so ago from the "[http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Patrons/MV_Patrons_03_03.html St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes]" exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and one of the items on display was a small golden hammer, labeled as the Cardinal Chamberlain's hammer; the description specifically described the hammer's use to determine the Pope's death and to smash the Fisherman's Ring. As this exhibit is put together by the Vatican, I have therefore restored reference to the hammer ceremony to the text, with the caveat that it does not appear to have been practised any time recently (I believe the exhibit dates its last use to 1903 or so). User:Publius 22:03, 8 Jan 2004 (UTC) Actually, the hammer was used in at least both with Paul VI and John Paul I. This was done after medical professionals had already determined that the pope had passed away. The hammer is usually kept by the Chamberlin. Also, a pair of shears is used to cut the ring.
User:Jesster79 16:02, Oct 15, 2004 (UTC) :That surprises me. Could you give me a source? User:Gugganij 14:44, 17 Oct 2004 (UTC) Not so, Jess. It was not used since 1903 AFAIK. The ceremony was never done again and was finally officially abolished in 1996. Yes, media reports ''said'' it was done for Paul VI and John Paul I, just as they said it was done on John Paul II. It wasn't. That was just lazy journalists who didn't do their homework and just rehashed some old cuttings file stuff from earlier journalists did who did the same in their day. But it has not been done since it was performed on Leo XXIII in 1903, to the best of my knowledge. It certainly was not done in 1922 and never done afterwards. Fear''ÉIREANN''">User:Jtdirl 01:56, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
What about that special chair the story says candidates have to sit in, so the Cardinals can say "...habet et bene..."? PML.
The one to prove they have testicles and so aren't a woman in disguise? Myth too, I'm afraid. Though some old chair like that was found in the Lateran Palace once. But if it was done, it was back in the days when Martin Luther was in short pants!!! User:Jtdirl
==Miscellaneous==
The election process is described in this article and in the conclave article, should one be folded into the other? User:²¹²
Does anybody know if there was a pope who was not a cardinal when he was elected
does the pope have to be a cardinal when he is elected?
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Why does the See Also link to Papacy wrap back to this article? Actually I was hoping for an article titled Papacy for the amusing reason that I'm trying to find a page of slurs, that I know I've seen once on wikipedia and can't find, and thought that Papacy might reference it. Ha, I can just look up some other, more obvious slur word (that has just occurred to me). Tried "Racism", tried "wop", gave up. Either I was drunk or imagining it, or I'm just not clever enough to find it.
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I removed ''His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II'' in the section describing who is the current pope, since afaics is not usual for an encylopedia to refer to the holder of an office with its style. User:Gugganij 08:30, 24 May 2004 (UTC)
==Ceremonial insignia==
I rewrote the article to provide a bit more logical structure and consistency of style; I also added a few details about ceremonial insignia and such associated with the Papacy, incorporated the information from Myths and legends surrounding the Papacy (which I intend to change to a redirect) and a brief summary of other Christian denominations' objections to the Pontificate. A History of the Papacy article would be an excellent addition to Wikipedia, and I plan to revise the Holy See and Roman Curia articles shortly, as well.
Incidentally, if anyone has any information about the mobile chair that the Popes used to use (I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called) and the Popemobile which has replaced it, it would be appropriate to include that information in the insignia section, as that is something popularly associated with the Popes, like the ''umbracullum''. User:Publius 18:13, 1 Jan 2004 (UTC)
:I have added the ''sedia gestatoria'' and mentioned that it has been replaced by the Popemobile, but I do not know enough about the Popemobile to give any details about it. User:Publius 22:03, 8 Jan 2004 (UTC)
==Extent of the article==
I strongly disagree with any idea of including information from Myths and legends surrounding the Papacy in this article and making the page a redirect. Many of the myths are cloud cuckooland garbage. They are justified for inclusion in an article explaining them in the context of conspiracy theories but they no more belong in the main article than allegations of jews drinking christian babies' blood deserve serious detailed inclusion in articles on Judiasm, or Lyndon Johnson's supposed role in having JFK killed deserves to feature in any detailed way in an article on LBJ. Wild ludicrous nonsense like these stories, if covered at all, should be put in the cultural context of the fact they are extremist opinions held by a small group, not made an important part of a credible main article. User:Jtdirl 22:38, 8 Jan 2004 (UTC)
::I agree with Jtdirl. User:GreenmountainboyUser_talk:greenmountainboy 23:05, 8 Jan 2004 (UTC)
::Absolutely! Sometimes Wikipedia's reach for NPOV embraces some preposterous fringe fancies. User:Wetman 00:21, 9 Jan 2004 (UTC)
:I concede the point, gentlemen (or ladies, as appropriate). Aside from the matter already settled, have you any other suggestions on how to improve this article? User:Publius 00:05, 9 Jan 2004 (UTC)
::The only thing I can think of to expand the article would be something about the Pope's political role (especially in medieval times). Perhaps that only belongs in the article about the church, though. I was specifically thinking about things such as the crowning of monarchs (sometimes done by the Pope, I believe) and certain papal bulls (such as about the colonization of America, for example - see Treaty of Tordesillas). - User:Vardion 09:25, 9 Jan 2004 (UTC)
Well, the Pope traditionally crowned the Holy Roman Emperor, starting with Charlemagne in 800 and ending with Charles V in the XVI Century. Other than that, I am not familiar with Papal coronations of other monarchs (excepting Napoleon Bonaparte, of course). I'm not sure where precisely that information would belong in the article as it is, or whether it belongs in a new (albeit short) section. What do you suggest? User:Publius 22:18, 9 Jan 2004 (UTC)
:I think a new section would probably be the best way to incorporate it. Perhaps after the current Status and Authority section. But since I don't know that much about it, I'm not the best person to judge - whatever works best, I guess. Thanks. -- User:Vardion 00:00, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC)
==Removed text in ==Objections to the Papacy== ==
Removed, from ==Objections to the Papacy== :
:''Freethought can argue that the idea of an omnibenevolent God giving power to corrupt men like for example, Pope Alexander VI, Pope Callixtus III, Judas Iscariot and some of the corrupt kings of Israel is illogical and contrary to the Scientific method.''
:''Liberal Christianity often argue that a loving God would not allow anyone to go to Hell. They would therefore reject concepts like, Anathema, excommunication and shunning.''
The first argument -- that an omnibenevolent God would not give power to the corrupt -- had already been addressed, without this vague and irrelevant allusion to the scientific method. This is a question of theology (theodicy, to be precise), not of inquiry into concrete natural phenomena.
The second argument is about anathematization, shunning, and excommunication, none of which are powers unique to the papacy. This argument, if it does represent the views of some liberal Christians (references are nice, of course), could be placed in excommunication; it might say something like "Liberal Christian group X does not believe in damnation, therefore it does not believe that excommunication and anathematization are necessary corrective measures; also [any other arguments]."
There have been, and still are, valid reasons to criticize popes and the papacy, but these don't cut it. --User:67.69.188.80 15:10, 22 Mar 2004 (UTC)
More removed text (bolded):
:''. . .the First Vatican Council anathema all who dispute the Pope's primacy of honour and of jurisdiction (it is lawful to discuss the precise nature of that primacy, provided that such discussion does not violate the terms of the Council's Dogmatic Constitution) or challenge the authority of those in charge.''
. . . for obvious reasons: it's a vague, opinionated restatement of already-explained facts. --User:67.71.76.77 07:32, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)
I removed section ''Jack Chick has in his Chick Tracts argued that being a Roman Catholic leads to damnation rather than salvation.'' for the following reason:
The article is dealing with the ''Pope'' and - in the relevant subsection - of objections to the papal primacy claimed by the Roman Catholic Church, therefore if Roman Catholics go to hell or not is simply not the question to be answered here. User:143.50.212.40 17:51, 25 Mar 2004 (UTC)
==Quasi-absolute monarch==
"Quasi-absolute monarch" is a concept that escapes me, somehow... User:Wetman 05:58, 3 May 2004 (UTC)
==Lateran palace & Castel Gandolfo part of the Vatican?==
I removed following sentence: ''the Lateran Palace and Castel Gandolfo are integral parts of Vatican City.'' Reason: The Lateran treaties explicitly state that they remain part of the Italian territory; but, as possessions of the Holy See (a subject of international law to be distinguished from the Vatican City), they enjoy the privileges of extraterritoriality (similar to the status of foreign embassies).
==Laudabiliter et Fructuose==
The papal bull authorizing the Donation of Ireland is known as "''Laudabiliter''" not "''Laudabiliter et Fructuose''"; it is the form used by the Encyclopædia Britannica, the Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01156c.htm), and the Oxford History of England (volume III); and the form to be found most commonly on google.
What is it's veracity. Is it mentioned in non English texts..... is there an extant copy.
== Ian Paisley? ==
OK, I'm not a Christian, but I wonder if Ian Paisley is worth the reference placed so centrally in this text - as an example of one who questions the Pope's authority. I can think of many, many other people who have done just that, who arguably have had more historical influence (Martin Luther comes to mind). Either additional examples should be added (though that may negatively affect the articles current high degree of readability), or the sentence should be removed. So, I ask for comment on this sentence:
''Ian Paisley is one of those who strongly rejects the idea of the authority of the Pope.''
If no one objects, I'll remove it 24 hours from now. I look forward to the debate! --User:NightMonkey 01:01, Aug 22, 2004 (UTC)
== Incapacitation ==
What are the rules if/when the Pope is incapacitated? Say, is in a health state that renders him incapable of attending to his duties? User:David.Monniaux 20:28, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)
:I presume that you are asking this AFTER having read the section Pope#Death_or_Resignation.2C_and_election, as I wrote the Resignation section to answer just this question. User:Peter Ellis 12:53, 15 Feb 2005 (UTC)
== Papal naming ==
This didn't seem to be covered anywhere else, so I included it in a parethetical comment where it seemed relevant. Source: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=357949 - User:Wfaulk 23:38, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
== Non-ordained Popes? ==
Hi. I was going to add a comment about Pope Adrian V being the only non-ordained Pope (he was never admitted to the priesthood; he died very soon after becoming Pope, which probably meant they intended to fix this, but hadn't). However, just because I can't think of any doesn't mean there weren't - have any other laymen been made Pope and then never ordained? User:Shimgray 18:57, 26 Feb 2005 (UTC)
AFAIK the cited Adrian V was the only one. Shortly thereafter, a papal bull stated that papacy was only possible for cardinals. All laymen becoming pope would automatically rise to the rank of cardinal. Also, the Cardinals retreating into the sistinme chapel to elect a new pope has been in use since the mid 16th century or so. User:Eptalon 21:51, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)
:The above is a gross misunderstanding. Becoming a cardinal is NOT an instance of ordination. There have been non-ordained cardinals, and being cardinals did not in any sense make them ordained. Being ordained means becoming a deacon, priest, or bishop, i.e., receiving the sacraments of Holy Orders; becoming a cardinal is another matter entirely; it is not a sacrament. User:Michael Hardy 23:26, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)]
::... and furthermore, you don't have to have ever been a cardinal to become pope. They can elect an un-ordained layman, and then, if he takes the job, he becomes pope only when he gets ordained a bishop. User:Michael Hardy 23:27, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)
==Donation of Constantine==
''"...a territory formally known as the "Patrimony of St Peter" under the terms of the Donation of Constantine"''. "Under the terms of the ''Donation of Constantine'' did we say? Good grief! There is some bad news about the ''Donation of Constantine'', which apparently hasn't penetrated denser Catholic circles... --User:Wetman 20:29, 29 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Please don't try to add unconfirmed reports of JPII's death. Wikipedia is not a news service. User:DJ Clayworth 19:13, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
== Re: JPII ==
To whomever took out the death message, thank you. Please do not modify this status until the Vatican has confirmed his death.--User:Txredcoat 19:20, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
===Photo of John Paul===
I put an image of John Paul II back in the article. I think that the image should stay there until the next Pope is elected. Then an image of the new Pope could replace John Paul's image, but I think there should still be an image of him somewhere in the Pope article just because of his major role in the Papacy.
User:Jesster79 03:16, Apr 3, 2005 (UTC) :Looks like someone took it out again. I think it should be put back, not because of anything special about JP2 but because an article about the Pope should have a picture, just to show his costume and stuff like that. If someone objects to a JP2 picture, then use some other historic Pope. User:63.202.80.51 05:45, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC) ::From the history it looks like the picture was removed by accident. I put it back. User:63.202.80.51 05:45, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Sealing of Papal Apartment== The article says that, upon a pope's death, his private apartment is sealed. Is this forever or does the new pope eventually move in? --User:Westendgirl 07:55, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC) :The apartment is sealed until the election of a new pope. -- User:KTC 21:21, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Objections to the Papacy == Eastern Christian objections to the modern Papacy are seriously misstated. It is not, as the article claims, that they recognize a "Petrine" primacy of honor for the bishop of Rome, it's that they recognize a canonical primacy based on the city's position as the old capital of the Empire. They in fact deny that the bishop of Rome is ''the'' successor to St. Peter in any kind of unique sense not shared by any other bishop. (They usually go even further and insist that Peter was never even bishop of Rome and therefore cannot have been the first Pope in any event.) As far as any kind of "Petrine primacy of jurisdiction" goes, they hold that it never existed in the first place. This is based the universal Holy Tradition of the Christian East, and supported by Acts 15 where it is manifestly evident that at the Council of Jerusalem it was the local bishop, St. James the Brother of the Lord, who presided and pronounced the decision of the council and not St. Peter who was certainly present (v. 7). It may be a side issue that, at least for Eastern Orthodoxy, the Apostolic Succession is an issue of faith at least as much as it is a physical succession of laying on of hands and that therefore, since in their view the Pope is an heresiarch, any Apostolic Succession he may claim is null and void as far as they're concerned. The only reason I'm not updating this paragraph myself is because as written it lumps Anglicanism together with the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Assyrian Churches and I know next to nothing about Anglican objections to the Papacy. For all I know it's accurate as far as they're concerned. User:Csernica 03:30, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Recent vandalism == Um, guys? When you revert some recent vandalism, could you please revert all of it? This partal reversion is a real PIA, especially when subsequent contributors don't notice and add more edits on top of it, necessitating a merge that otherwise wouldn't need to happen. User:Csernica 06:02, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Other Popes == Something needs to be written how there are other Popes living at the same time as the Catholic Pope, and how calling the Catholic Pope "THE POPE" holds with it tremendous POV. Furthermore, I am proposing that what is now written under Pope should be moved to Roman Catholic Pope, and what is now at Pope (disambiguation) should be moved to Pope. User:Kingturtle 08:17, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) == African Pope == I have heard that there has never been a black Pope, and I have heard that there was a black Pope. which is it? User:Kingturtle 08:17, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) :In the old days, "Africa" denoted the Roman Province of Africa which was ''only'' the northwestern coast of the continent. In that sense there have been Popes from Africa, three of them to be exact, but they were of a Mediterranean rather than a sub-Saharan African cast. That area had been heavily colonized first by Phoenicians and then by the Romans themselves. I know it's very tempting to equate "African" with "Black". But consider that in the same period "Asia" meant strictly that peninsula between the Agaean and the Black Seas, where Turkey now is and which we now call "Asia Minor". If we were to hear that someone back then was born in Asia, he wouldn't look Chinese, but Greek. This is the same kind of thing. User:Csernica 09:19, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==JPII's hypothetical abdication== :Nevertheless, 332 §2 gave rise to speculation that either: :* Pope John Paul II would have resigned as his health failed, or :* a properly manifested legal instrument had already been drawn up that put into effect his resignation in the event of his incapacity to perform his duties. The above, quoted from the article, does not make sense. "Properly manifested" means ''made public'', doesn't it? User:Michael Hardy 21:07, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC) :As I understand it, this is the specific terminology used in Catholic canon law when describing the how the wishes of the Pope to resign must be expressed in order for his resignation to be valid. The problem, if such a document existed, is that someone would have to decide when the Pope was sufficiently incapacitated for it to take effect. A document that "properly manifested" his desire to resign would therefore presumeably describe the conditions under which it should be used with some specificity, and would express his desire to resign under those conditions in unambiguous terms. [http://www.americancatholic.org/news/pope/popehospitalized/popeincapacity.asp This article] is among those discussing the situation. User:Csernica 01:34, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Objections to the papacy== Is this Bible passage a relevant objection to the papacy? Mat 23:9 - ''"And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."'' This seems acutely relevant to at least the etymology of the term. -- User:FirstPrinciples 07:48, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC) :That depends entirely on whether some group that objects to the Papacy actually uses it that way. The point of the section isn't to actually argue against the Papacy but to present the reasons why set forth by those groups that reject it. Similarly, the Roman Catholic arguments in support of the Papacy are there to present the reasons they believe the institution is one required by their faith, not so as to convert anyone. :I don't know of any such groups personally. Generally that passage is used by certain Protestant groups to object to addressing priests as "Father". If you can find the verse being used against the Papacy by some legitimate group, I invite you to go for it. User:Csernica 07:12, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC) Relevant to this section in the article: At some point, someone inserted a counterargument. ("Defenders of the papacy argue...") Does that really belong? To me, it looks like an invitation to hash out the entire argument in the body of the article. Do we want counterarguments to the Papal claims in the "Office and nature" or "Status and authority" sections? Do we want "Objections" to contain fully developed arguments from both sides? If not, then I strongly suggest that the "Objections" section be left for objections and let the earlier sections stand for themselves. (Besides, the counterargument offered is fallacious, as I pointed out in a comment there -- but not in the visible article, since I strongly feel that such argumentation is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. This is not a discussion forum.) User:Csernica 21:34, 26 May 2005 (UTC) ==Osiris?== The new section on Rites of Osiris is unclearly written and lacks links. Moreover, I rather wonder about it ..... User:Michael Hardy 04:43, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC) : I strongly suspect it's nonsense, and have removed it. Ah, the joys of a high-traffic article... User:Shimgray 08:35, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Age of Popes?== Shouldn't there be an article about the average and range of ages of Popes both at the time of selection and at death? User:NoSeptember(UTC) :If you mean an article simply reporting the data, if you can find it, write the article. If you want statistical analysis, that page could continue evolving for years. User:Michael Hardy 21:59, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC) :As many other articles on office-holders, it could easily include one or two sentences on this, including the average age of an office-holder. -- User:Docu == Naming == I wonder why this page shouldn't be moved this page to Pope (Roman Catholic), since as this article states, there are more than just Catholic popes. As this is a major article I wasn't about to do it myself without consensus, and I'm sure the issue has been brought up before. So, why's it here? (--User:Dmcdevit 03:34, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC) forgot to sign earlier) Because wikipedia policy dictates that where something is overwhelmingly identified with one reference, it takes priority with the others disambigulated. So Dublin refers to the capital of Ireland, not the many tens of other Dublins on the planet, London refers to the British capital, not the many other Londons on the planet. ''Pope'' is generally referred to and understood worldwide to mean the Roman Catholic pope, with only small minorities recognising other meanings. So ''it'' has the main page, the rest are disambigulated. It is standard wikipedia policy all over the place. Fear''ÉIREANN''">User:Jtdirl 01:50, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
PS - you forgot to sign. Type ~~~~ to sign a comment. (Just three of them for your name if you don't want the date and time. Fear''ÉIREANN''">User:Jtdirl 01:50, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
*Hey, I'm no newbie, just careless. :) I guess I wonder why we don't have a general article anywhere at all about popes(I don't think). I saw a note about coptic popes on a talk page, and so I went to "Pope" expecting to find a page about what a pope (general term, not sect-specific) is. It seems to me that a Roman Catholic pope is not what a pope ''is'', but an example, even if it is the most common example of a pope. It would be like having country take us to United States, because that's the most common example. Tell me where I'm wrong. --User:Dmcdevit 02:04, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
That is dealt with all over wikipedia by disambigulation. In any case moving this page is not a practical possibility, not unless you want to spend 24 hours a day for the next two weeks going through thousands of articles changing all the links. Otherwise you'd break the links and get torn to pieces by users. ''Not joking. Wikipedians love their links and declare war on anyone who breaks them!!! :-) '' The solution is simple. Keep the page. Create disambigulation pages - including a short definitionary one. But 90% of the world will cope to this page looking to see an article on the Bishop of Rome, just as 90% will go to Paris to see about the French capital, etc. That is the deciding factor in deciding which gets the main page and which gets links from it. Fear''ÉIREANN''">User:Jtdirl 02:15, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
:Right... I realize that, I guess I'm not really suggesting a move anymore, but there should be an explanatory page somewhere. Check out the disambig, no text to it. --User:Dmcdevit 02:17, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
:Wait, lemme clarify: While there is no point in moving this page as you say, this page could still be expanded to talk about Roman Catholic ''and'' Coptic, and any other variations all as subjects of the one article. --User:Dmcdevit 03:34, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
::There are other Popes living at the same time as the Catholic Pope, and how calling the Catholic Pope "THE POPE" holds with it tremendous POV, and it is quite offensive to millions of people. I need further clafication as to why what is now written under Pope should not be moved to Roman Catholic Pope, and why what is now at Pope (disambiguation) should not be moved to Pope. User:Kingturtle 18:18, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)
:Forget the ego and cultural luggage: please, always think of the Wikipedia ''reader''. When the average Wikipedia reader enters "Pope" (s)he should get the article commonly expected under "Pope". Wikipedia is a ''service'', not a vehicle for grandstanding. --User:Wetman 18:29, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)
::No you're taking it too far. When the common reader thinks of ''president'', they usually want ''American president'', but he/she finds a general article about the position as head of state. This is because the title has to correspond with the content. Here, the title, a general term, simply does not correspond to the content, specific information. So while we may not need to move the RC pope stuff, it should be along with general stuff about what any pope is and the information about other kinds of popes. --User:Dmcdevit 18:41, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)
:::Incorrect. When ''Americans'' think of 'president' they think of the US president. When ''French'' people think of ''President'' they think of the French president. Ditto in Ireland. In Spain the ''president'' is the prime minister of Spain. In the UK ''President'' could mean President of the Board of Trade. ''President'' is not identified ''worldwide'' with ''one'' officeholder with that title. ''Pope'' is. Over 2 billion Catholics, hundreds of millions of other Christians and billions of non-religious people ''worldwide'' think RC pontiff when they see ''pope''. A tiny fraction think Coptic pope, etc. The wikipedia standard is simple. If one name is overwhelmingly identified with one office/person, etc then it gets the page, hence Paris meaning French capital, not the numerous other places calls Paris worldwide. Smaller minority interpretations get links from that page. So ''pope'' clearly means Roman Catholic pope. Other popes get specific pages on their own. If that policy is changed here then tens of thousands of pages here would then have to be changed and that is unworkable and illogical. Wikipedia policy of putting the ''major international understanding'' of the term on the main page is standard encyclopaedic standard. Fear''ÉIREANN''\user_talk:Jtdirl 22:56, 10 May 2005 (UTC)
::::Right that's my point. I said the "common reader" thinks of American because most English Wikipedians are either American, or have a prime minister anyway (in which case you have to admit that people of the UK would most commonly think of US president). Now to apply your analogy, when ''Catholic'' people think of ''Pope'' they think of the Catholic pope. When ''Coptic'' people think of ''Pope'', they think of the Coptic pope. Besides, isn't there ever a limit? Again, the content just doesn't correspond to the title. --User:Dmcdevit 23:53, 10 May 2005 (UTC)
:::::You don't seem to have got it. People who live near Paris, New York probably think of that when you say "Paris" to them, but Paris is still at Paris because the ''vast majority'' of people think of the capital city of France when you say "Paris". The ''vast majority'' of people think of the head of the RCC when you say "the Pope". The ''vast majority'' of people do not think "US President" when you say "President" - I know I don't (and if you truly think they do, then you need some serious perspective). And it's supposed to work on "the vast majority of English speakers" (including English speakers in, say, India), not "pick a random Wikipedian and ask them". User:Proteus User_talk:Proteus 17:19, 11 May 2005 (UTC)
:::::''If'' Wikipedia was an ''American'' publication Dmcdevit might have some point. But it isn't. It is a ''world'' encyclopaedia read worldwide. So it is the concerns of readers worldwide that matter, not those in one country. Worldwide, 95% of people when they hear the word ''pope'' think of the Roman Catholic pope, just as worldwide 99% when the hear ''Paris'' think of the French capital. So the standard wikipedia practice here on this page as elsewhere is to put the major understanding on the main page, and a disambigulation link to other less widely known meanings, each of which have their own specialist meaning on their own pages. It is elementary, standard and correct wikipedia practice, and indeed standard encyclopaedia practice. Fear''ÉIREANN''\user_talk:Jtdirl 17:31, 11 May 2005 (UTC)
::::::With news organizations, when they speak of particuarly important places they assume that their auidence knows what they're talking about. Take for example New York. In addition to the Big Apple, there are at least six other places in the United States with that name that are nowhere near New York State. Or Moscow, for example. You don't hear of that city as much as we used to during the time of the USSR. But still, when the news media says Moscow, over 90% of the time they mean Moscow, Russia, not Moscow, Iowa or any of the other places here in the United States named Moscow.
::::::User:Jesster79 18:33, May 19, 2005 (UTC) == PP stands for what? == Where does the information come from that ''PP'' stands for ''princeps pastorum''? As far as I know it stands just for ''papa'' (pope). See also [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01022a.htm] User:Gugganij 09:25, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)
{{succession box | before={} | title=List of popes | years={}| after={} }}
I don't think there's a reason for omitting the two lists, therefor I reinserted the links. --User:Denny 19:30, Jun 24, 2004 (UTC) :The links seem to clutter up the table, and add to its width. -- User:Lord Emsworth 00:51, 18 Sep 2004 (UTC) Could we, perhaps, include years on this table? It would be useful and convenient. User:John Kenney User_talk:John Kenney 17:23, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC) : lot of work. If you're willing to do it - for all popes, mind you :) - go ahead... --User:Denny [http://www.nodix.de/ (hp)] User_talk:Denny 12:38, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
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User:Sj+">User Talk:Sj 14:59, 23 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Hello I am pope, and new to wikipedia. go easy on me.
Popé (died 1692) was a Tewa religious leader from San Juan Pueblo who lead the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish colonial rule in 1680. Popé's followers successfully drove out the Spanish and the traditional Pueblo way of life was restored. In 1692, shortly after Popé's death, Spanish control was reasserted, but under much more lenient terms. Native American leaders Native American religious figures
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Pope:
Pope
Pope
Pope
Pope
Pope
Pope
Popé
Pope's_bull
Pope's_hat
Pope,_John_Russell
Pope,_Mississippi
Pope,_MS
Pope-Robinson
Pope-Toledo
Pope-Vannoy_Landing,_AK
Pope-Vannoy_Landing,_Alaska
Pope-Vannoy_Landing,_Alaska
Pope-Waverly
Popeable
Popebrak
Popebrak
Popeccola
Popeccola
Popefauvexxiii
Popefauvexxiii
Popefelix
Popefelix
Popeguilty
Popehat
Popejoy,_IA
Popejoy,_Iowa
PopeJP2
Popek_and_Goldberg_virtualization_requirements
Popek_and_Goldberg_virtualization_requirements
Popelairia_popelairii
Popeman
Popemobile
Popemobile
Popemobile
Popemobile_(band)
Popepiusvi.jpeg
Poperinge
Popery
Popery_Act
Popes
Popes
Popes
Popess
Popess_Joan
Popesti-Leordeni
Popes_(gang)
Popes_(gang)
Popes_by_nationality
Popes_in_Avignon
Popes_in_Avignon
Popes_named_Benedict
Popes_named_Clement
Popetown
Popevaderii
Popex
Popeye
Popeye
Popeye's
Popeye's_Chicken_&_Biscuits
Popeye's_Chicken_&_Biscuits
Popeye's_Chicken_and_Biscuits
Popeye's_Fried_Chicken
Popeye_(movie)
Popeye_(video_game)
Popeye_the_Sailor
Popeye_the_Sailorman
Popeye_the_Sailor_Man
Popeye_the_Sailor_Meets_Ali_Baba's_Forty_Thieves
Popeye_the_Sailor_Meets_Sinbad_the_Sailor
Popeye_the_Sailor_Meets_Sindbad_the_Sailor
Popeye_the_Sailor_theatrical_cartoons
Pope_(disambiguation)
Pope_(disambiguation)
Pope_(music)
Pope_2005
Pope_Abraham_of_Alexandria
Pope_Abraham_of_Alexandria
Pope_Adeodatus
Pope_Adeodatus_I
Pope_Adeodatus_II
Pope_Adrian
Pope_Adrian_I
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Pope_Adrian_III
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Pope_Adrian_IV
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Pope_Adrian_VI
Pope_AFB
Pope_AFB,_NC
Pope_AFB,_North_Carolina
Pope_Agapetus
Pope_Agapetus_I
Pope_Agapetus_II
Pope_Agapitus
Pope_Agapitus_I
Pope_Agatho
Pope_Agatho_of_Alexandria
Pope_Air_Force_Base
Pope_Alexander
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Pope_Alexander_I
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Pope_Alexander_II_of_Alexandria
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Pope
:''This entry is about the Catholic Pontiff. For other uses of the word, see Pope (disambiguation).'' The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Rite. The office of the Pope is informally called the Papacy and formally called the Pontificate; 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 495 to refer to Pope Gelasius I, an originator of papal supremacy among the patriarchs. In addition to this spiritual role, the Pope also serves as head of state of the independent, sovereign Vatican City, a city-state entirely surrounded by the city of Rome. Prior to 1870, the Pope's temporal authority extended over a large area of central Italy, a territory more familiar as the Papal States that was formally known as the "Patrimony of St Peter". Though the document on which the territorial powers of the Pontificate were based—the so-called Donation of Constantine—was proved a forgery in the 15th century, the Pope retained sovereign authority over the Papal States until the Italian Unification of 1870, and a final political settlement between the Italian government and the Pope was not reached until the Lateran Treaties of 1929. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. He succeeds the late Pope 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 Pope Adrian VI, who was briefly pope in 1522-1523, (Pope John Paul II (pope 1978-2005) was the first), and is also the first German to take the seat since the 11th century (although it can be argued that Pope Adrian VI, who is considered both Dutch and German - he lived in Holland but came from German ancestors - was the last German pope). In some quarters, it is felt that Benedict's election as pope is further evidence that the papacy is moving away from being an Italian-dominated institution. ==Office and nature== The title "Pope" is an informal one; the formal title of the pope is "Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Apostolic Succession of the Saint Peter, Pontifex Maximus of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate (religion) of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan bishop of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, Servus Servorum Dei," although this is rarely seen or used in full (by comparison, the formal title of the Eastern_Orthodoxy Patriarch of Alexandria is "Successor of Saint Mark the Apostle, Shepherd of Shepherds, Father of Fathers, Supreme Pontiff of All Metropolitans and Bishops, Judge of the World, and Beloved of Christ", often called the "Ecumenical Judge"; the Coptic_Christianity Coptic_Orthodox_Patriarch_of_Alexandria is styled "Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of All the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark"). In canon law, the Roman Catholic Pope is referred to as the "Roman Pontiff" (''Pontifex Romanus''). He is styled "Your Holiness" (''Sanctitas Vostra'') and is frequently referred to as "the Holy Father." The pope's signature is usually in the format "''NN. PP. x''" (''e.g.'', Pope Paul VI signed his name as "Paulus PP. VI"), the "PP." standing for ''Princeps Pastorum'' ("Prince of the Shepherds"), and his name is frequently accompanied in inscriptions by the abbreviation "Pont. Max." or "P.M." (abbreviation of the ancient title ''Pontifex Maximus'', literally "Greatest Bridge-maker", but usually translated "Supreme Pontiff"). The signature of Papal bulls is customarily ''NN. Episcopus Ecclesia Catholicae'' ("NN. Bishop of the Catholic Church"), while the heading is ''NN. Episcopus Servus Servorum Dei'' ("NN. Bishop and Servant of the Servants of God"), the latter title dating to the time of Pope Gregory I ''the Great''. Other titles used in some official capacity include ''Summus Pontifex'' ("Highest Pontiff"), ''Sanctissimus Pater'' and ''Beatissimus Pater'' ("Most Holy Father" and "Most Blessed Father"), ''Sanctissimus Dominus Noster'' ("Our Most Holy Lord"), and, in the Middle Ages, ''Dominus Apostolicus'' ("Apostolic Lord"). [[Image:Flag_of_Vatican_City.png|right|thumb|125px|Flag of the Vatican City of the Vatican City]] The pope's official seat is the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, and his official residence is the Palace of the Vatican. He also possesses a summer palace at Castel Gandolfo (situated on the site of the ancient city-state Alba Longa). Historically the official residence of the Pope was the Lateran Palace, donated by the Roman Emperor Constantine I of the Roman Empire. The former Papal summer palace, the Quirinal Palace, has subsequently been the official residence of the King of Italy and President of Italy. Contrary to popular belief, it is the pope's ecclesiastical jurisdiction (the Holy See) and not his secular jurisdiction (Vatican City) which conducts international relations; for hundreds of years, the Pope's court (the Roman Curia) has functioned as the government of the Catholic Church. The name "Holy See" (also "Apostolic See") is in ecclesiastical terminology the ordinary jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (including the Roman Curia); the pope's various honours, powers, and privileges within the Catholic Church and the international community derive from his Episcopate of Rome in lineal succession from the Apostle St. Peter (see Apostolic Succession). Consequently Rome has traditionally occupied a central position in the Catholic Church, although this is not necessarily so. The Pope derives his Pontificate from being Bishop of Rome but is not obligated to reside in Rome; according to the Latin formula ''ubi Papa, ibi Curia'', wherever the pope resides is the central government of the Church, provided that the pope is Bishop of Rome. As such, between 1309 and 1378 the Popes resided not in Rome but in Avignon, a period often called the Babylonian Captivity in allusion to the Bible exile of Israel (see Avignon Papacy). Catholic tradition maintains that the institution of the Pontificate can be found in the Bible, and cites certain key passages in support of this contention. Chief among these passages is Gospel of Matthew, wherein Jesus Christ says to St. Peter: :''"Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."'' Other important passages include Gospel of Luke, Gospel of John, and John 21:15-19. ==Regalia and insignia== ''Main article: Papal regalia and insignia.'' *The "Papal Tiara" also called the "tiara" or "triple crown"; recent popes have not, however, worn the ''triregnum'' though it remains the symbol of the papacy and has not been abolished. In liturgical ceremonies popes wear an episcopal mitre (an erect cloth hat). *Staff topped by an erect crucifix, a custom established before the 13th century. *The pallium (a circular band of fabric about two inches wide, worn over the chasuble about the neck, breast and shoulders and having two twelve-inch-long pendants hanging down in front and behind, ornamented with six small, black crosses distributed about the breast, back, shoulders, and pendants). *The "Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven", the image of two keys, one gold and one silver. The silver key symbolises the power to bind and loose on Earth, and the gold key the power to bind and loose in Heaven. *The Ring of the Fisherman, a gold ring decorated with a depiction of St. Peter in a boat casting his net, with the name of the reigning Pope around it. *The ''umbracullum'' (better known in the Italian form ''ombrellino'') is a canopy or umbrella (consisting of alternating red and gold stripes). *One of the most familiar (and now discontinued) trappings of the Papacy was the ''sedia gestatoria'', a mobile throne carried by twelve footmen (''palafrenieri'') in red uniforms, accompanied by two attendants bearing ''flabella'' (fans made of white ostrich-feathers). The use of the ''sedia gestatoria'' and of the ''flabella'' was discontinued by Pope John Paul II, with the former being replaced by the so-called Popemobile. In heraldry, each pope has his own Papal Coat of Arms. Though unique for each pope, the arms are always surmounted by the aforementioned two keys in saltire (i.e., crossed over one another so as to form an X) behind the escutcheon (one key silver and one key gold, tied with a red cord), and above them a silver ''triregnum'' with three gold crowns and red ''infulae'', or the red strips of fabric hanging from the back over the shoulders when worn ("two keys in saltire or and argent, interlacing in the rings or, beneath a tiara argent, crowned or"). The flag most frequently associated with the Pope is the yellow and white flag of Vatican City, with the arms of the Holy See ("Gules, two keys in saltire or and argent, interlacing in the rings or, beneath a tiara argent, crowned or") on the right hand side in the white half of the flag. This flag was first adopted in 1808, whereas the previous flag had been red and gold, the traditional colours of the Pontificate. ==Status and authority== [[Image:MilChapPope.jpg|thumb|250px|Pope Pope Benedict XVI was elected on April 19, 2005.]] The status and authority of the Pope in the Catholic Church was dogmatically dogmatic definition by the First Vatican Council in its ''Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of Christ'' (July 18, 1870). The first chapter of this document is entitled "On the institution of the apostolic primacy in blessed Peter", and states that (s.1) "according to the Gospel evidence, a primacy of jurisdiction over the whole church of God was immediately and directly promised to the blessed apostle Peter and conferred on him by Christ the Lord" and that (s.6) "if anyone says that blessed Peter the apostle was not appointed by Christ the Lord as prince of all the apostles and visible head of the whole church militant; or that it was a primacy of honour only and not one of true and proper jurisdiction that he directly and immediately received from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself: let him be anathema." The Dogmatic Constitution's second chapter, "On the permanence of the primacy of blessed Peter in the Roman pontiffs", states that (s.1) "that which our Lord Jesus Christ [...] established in the blessed apostle Peter [...] must of necessity remain forever, by Christ's authority, in the church which, founded as it is upon a rock, will stand firm until the end of time," that (s.3) "whoever succeeds to the chair of Peter obtains by the institution of Christ Himself, the primacy of Peter over the whole church", and that (s.5) "if anyone says that it is not by the institution of Christ the Lord Himself (that is to say, by divine law) that blessed Peter should have perpetual successors in the primacy over the whole church; or that the Roman pontiff is not the successor of blessed Peter in this primacy: let him be anathema." The Dogmatic Constitution's third chapter, "On the power and character of the primacy of the Roman pontiff," states that (s.1) "the definition of the ecumenical council of Council of Florence, which must be believed by all faithful Christianitys, namely that the apostolic see and the Roman pontiff hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole church and father and teacher of all Christian people," that (s.2) "by divine ordinance, the Roman church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other church, and that the jurisdictional power of the Roman pontiff is both episcopal and immediate" and that "clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchy subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the church throughout the world." The powers of the Pope are defined by the Dogmatic Constitution (ch.3, s.8) such that "he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in all cases which fall under ecclesiastical jurisdiction recourse may be had to his judgement" and that "the sentence of the apostolic see (than which there is no higher authority) is not subject to revision by anyone, nor may anyone lawfully pass judgement thereupon" (can. 331 defines the power of the Pope as "supreme, full, immediate and universal ordinary power in the Church, and he can always freely exercise this power"). It also dogmatically defined (ch.4, s.9) the doctrine of papal infallibility, ''sc.'' such that :when the Roman Pontiff speaks ''ex cathedra'', that is, when in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole church, he possesses, by the divine assistance promised to him in blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed His church to enjoy in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals. Therefore, such definitions of the Roman pontiff are of themselves, and not by the consent of the church, irreformable. The Catholic Church teaches that "it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff" (Boniface VIII). Therefore, all those that willingly separate themselves from the Catholic Church have no hopes of salvation (this dogma is summarized by the Latin phrase "extra Ecclesiam nullus salus", or "outside the Church exists no salvation"). See Donation of Constantine for discussion of the broader authority the papacy has argued the Catholic Church possesses in affairs of state. ==Political role== Though the progressive Christianization of the Roman Empire in the Fourth century did not confer upon bishops civil authority within the state, the gradual withdrawal of imperial authority during the 5th century left the Pope the senior Imperial civilian official in Rome, as bishops were increasingly directing civil affairs in other cities of the Western Empire. This status as a secular and civil leader was vividly displayed by Pope Leo I's confrontation with Attila in 452 and was substantially increased in 754, when the Franks ruler Pepin the Short donated to the Pope a strip of territory which formed the core of the so-called Papal States (properly the Patrimony of St. Peter). In 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish ruler Charlemagne as Roman Emperor, a major step toward establishing what later became known as the Holy Roman Empire; from that date it became the Pope's prerogative to crown the Emperor, a tradition which continued until Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope (subsequent Emperors never received coronation), and which was partially revived by Napoléon Bonaparte. As has been hitherto mentioned, the pope's sovereignty over the Papal States ended in 1870 with their annexation by Italy. In addition to the pope's position as a territorial ruler and foremost prince bishop of Christianity (especially prominent with the Renaissance popes like Pope Alexander VI, an ambitious if spectacularly corrupt politico, and Pope Julius II, a formidable general and statesman) and as the spiritual head of the Holy Roman Empire (especially prominent during periods of contention with the Emperors, such as during the Pontificates of Pope Gregory VII and Pope Alexander III), the pope also possessed a degree of political and temporal authority in his capacity as Supreme Pontiff. Some of the most striking examples of Papal political authority are the Bull ''Laudabiliter'' in 1155 (authorising Henry II of England to invade Ireland), the Bull ''Inter Caeteras'' in 1493 (leading to the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, which divided the world into areas of Spain and Portugal rule) the Bull ''Regnans in Excelsis'' in 1570 (excommunication Elizabeth I of England and purporting to release all her subjects from their allegiance to her), the Bull ''Inter Gravissimas'' in 1582 (establishing the Gregorian Calendar). ==Death, abdication, and election== ===Death=== The current regulations regarding a papal interregnum — i.e., a ''sede vacante'' ("vacant seat") — were promulgated by John Paul II in his 1996 document ''Universi Dominici Gregis''. During the ''sede vacante'', the College of Cardinals, composed of the pope's principal advisors and assistants, is collectively responsible for the government of the Church and of the Vatican itself, under the direction of the Camerlengo; however, canon law specifically forbids the Cardinals from introducing any innovation in the government of the Church during the vacancy of the Holy See. Any decision that needs the assent of the pope has to wait until a new pope has been elected and takes office. It has long been claimed that a pope's death is officially determined by the Cardinal Chamberlain by gently tapping the late pope's head thrice with a silver hammer and calling his birth name three times, though this is disputed and has never been confirmed by the Vatican; there is general agreement that even if this procedure ever actually occurred, it was likely not employed upon the death of John Paul II. A medical doctor may or may not have already determined that the pope had passed away prior to this point. The Cardinal Chamberlain then retrieves the Ring of the Fisherman. Usually the ring is on the pope's right hand. But in the case of Paul VI, he had stopped wearing the ring during the last years of his reign, and left it in his desk. In other cases the ring might have been removed for medical reasons. The Chamberlain cuts the ring in two in the presence of the Cardinals. The deceased pope's seals are defaced, to keep this pope's seal from ever being used again, and his personal apartment is sealed. The body then lies in state for a number of days before being interred in the crypt of a leading church or cathedral; the popes of the 20th century were all interred in St. Peter's Basilica. A nine-day period of mourning (''novem dialis'') follows after the interment of the late pope. ===Papal abdication=== The Code of Canon law Law [http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P16.HTM 332 §2] states, ''If it happens that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that the resignation is made freely and properly manifested but not that it is accepted by anyone.'' It was widely reported in June and July 2002 that the Pope John Paul II firmly refuted the speculation of his resignation using Canon 332, in a letter to the Milan daily newspaper ''Corriere della Sera''. Nevertheless, 332 §2 gave rise to speculation that either: * Pope John Paul II would have resigned as his health failed, or * a properly manifested legal instrument had already been drawn up that put into effect his resignation in the event of his incapacity to perform his duties. Pope John Paul II did not resign. He died on 2 April 2005 after suffering from many diseases and was buried on 8 April 2005. [http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=Pope+Dead&btnG=Search+News Articles on the death of John Paul II] After his death it was revealed in his last will and testament that he considered abdicating in 2000 as he neared his 80th birthday. ===Papal election=== The pope was originally chosen by those senior clergymen resident in and near Rome. In 1059, the electorate was restricted to the Cardinal (Catholicism) of the Holy Roman Church, and the individual votes of all Cardinal Electors were made equal in 1179. The Pope is usually a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, but theoretically any male Catholic (including a layman) may be elected; Pope Urban VI, elected 1378, was the last pope who was not already a cardinal at the time of his election. Canon law requires that if a layman or non-bishop is elected, he receives episcopal consecration from the Dean of the College of Cardinals before assuming the Pontificate. Under present canon law, the pope is elected by the cardinal electors, comprising those cardinals who are under the age of 80. The Second Council of Lyons was convened on May 7, 1274, to regulate the election of the pope. This Council decreed that the cardinal electors must meet within ten days of the pope's death, and that they must remain in seclusion until a pope has been elected; this was prompted by the three-year ''Sede Vacante'' following the death of Pope Clement IV in 1268. By the mid-Sixteenth century, the electoral process had more or less evolved into its present form, allowing for alteration in the time between the death of the pope and the meeting of the cardinal electors. Traditionally the vote was conducted by acclamation, by selection, by committee, or by plenary vote. Acclamation was the simplest procedure, consisting entirely of a voice vote, and was last used in 1621. Pope John Paul II abolished vote by acclamation and by selection by committee, and henceforth all Popes will be elected by full vote of the College of Cardinals by ballot. The election of the pope almost always takes place in the Sistine Chapel, in a meeting called a "papal election" (so called because the cardinal electors are theoretically locked in, ''cum clavi'', until they elect a new Pope). Three cardinals are chosen by lot to collect the votes of absent cardinal electors (by reason of illness), three are chosen by lot to count the votes, and three are chosen by lot to review the count of the votes. The ballots are distributed and each cardinal elector writes the name of his choice on it and pledges aloud that he is voting for "one whom under God I think ought to be elected" before folding and depositing his vote on a plate atop a large chalice placed on the altar. The plate is then used to drop the ballot into the chalice, making it difficult for any elector to insert multiple ballots. Before being read, the number of ballots are counted while still folded; if the total number of ballots does not match the number of electors, the ballots are burned unopened and a new vote is held. Assuming the number of ballots matches the number of electors, each ballot is then read aloud by the presiding Cardinal, who pierces the ballot with a needle and thread, stringing all the ballots together and tying the ends of the thread to ensure accuracy and honesty. Balloting continues until a Pope is elected by a two-thirds majority (since the promulgation of ''Universi Dominici Gregis'' the rules allow for a simple majority after a deadlock of twelve days). [[Image:John23leo.jpg|left|thumb|216px|Pope John XXIII wearing the Papal Tiara following his coronation, a tradition which has now been discontinued.]] One of the most famous aspects of the papal-election process is the means by which the results of a ballot are announced to the world. Once the ballots are counted and bound together, they are burned in a special oven erected in the Sistine Chapel, with the smoke escaping through a small chimney visible from St Peter's Square. The ballots from an unsuccessful vote are burned along with a chemical compound in order to produce black smoke, or "fumata nera." (Traditionally wet straw was used to help create the black smoke, but a number of "false alarms" in past conclaves have brought about this concession to modern chemistry.) When a vote is successful, the ballots are burned alone, sending white smoke ("fumata bianca") through the chimney and announcing to the world the election of a new Pope. At the end of the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, church bells were also rung to signal that a new pope had been chosen. The Dean of the College of Cardinals then asks the successfully elected Cardinal two solemn questions. First he asks, "Do you freely accept your election?" If he replies with the word "Accepto," his reign as Pope begins at that instant, not at the coronation ceremony several days afterward. The Dean then asks, "By what name shall you be called?" The new Pope then announces the regnal name he has chosen for himself. The new pope is led through the "Door of Tears" to a dressing room in which three sets of white Papal vestments ("immantatio") await: small, medium, and large. Donning the appropriate vestments and re-emerging into the Sistine Chapel, the new Pope is given the "Ring of the Fisherman" by the Cardinal Camerlengo, whom he either reconfirms or reappoints. The Pope then assumes a place of honor as the rest of the Cardinals wait in turn to offer their first "obedience" ("adoratio"), and to receive his blessing. The senior Cardinal Deacon then announces from a balcony over St. Peter's Square the following Habemus Papam: ''Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum! Habemus Papam!'' ("I announce to you a great joy! We have a Pope!"). He then announces the new pope's Christian name along with the new name he has adopted as his regnal name. Until 1978, the Pope's election was followed in a few days by a procession in great pomp and circumstance from the Sistine Chapel to St. Peter's Basilica, with the newly-elected Pope borne in the ''sedia gestatoria''. There the Pope was crowned with the ''Papal Tiara'' and he gave his first blessing as Pope, the famous ''Urbi et Orbi'' ("to the City [Rome] and to the World"). Another famed part of the coronation was the lighting of a torch which would flare brightly and promptly extinguish, with the admonition ''Sic transit gloria mundi'' ("Thus fades worldly glory"). Traditionally, the new pope takes the Papal oath (the so-called "Oath against modernism") at his coronation, but Popes Pope John Paul I, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI have all refused to do so. The Latin term ''sede vacante'' ("vacant seat") refers to a papal interregnum, the period between the death of the Pope and the election of his successor. From this term is derived the name sedevacantism, which designates a category of dissident, schismatic Catholics who maintain that there is no canonically and legitimately elected Pope, and that there is therefore a ''Sede Vacante''; one of the most common reasons for holding this belief is the idea that the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and especially the replacement of the Tridentine Mass with the ''Novus Ordo Missae'' are heretical, and that, per the dogma of Papal infallibility (see above), it is impossible for a valid Pope to have done these things. ==Objections to the Papacy== The Pope's position as Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church is dogmatic and therefore not open to debate or dispute within the Catholic Church; the First Vatican Council anathema (term) all who dispute the Pope's primacy of honour and of jurisdiction (it is lawful to discuss the precise nature of that primacy, provided that such discussion does not violate the terms of the Council's Dogmatic Constitution). However, the Pope's authority is not undisputed outside the Catholic Church; these objections differ from denomination to denomination, but can roughly be outlined as (1.) objections to the extent of the primacy of the Pope; and (2.) objections to the institution of the Papacy itself. [[Image:J23paceminterris.jpg|frame|John XXIII signed his encyclical ''Pacem in Terris''.]] Some non-Catholic Christian communities, such as the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodoxy, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion, accept the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, and therefore accept (to varying extents) the papal claims to primacy of honour. However, these churches generally deny that the pope is the successor to St. Peter in any unique sense not true of any other bishop, or that St. Peter was ever bishop of Rome at all. The primacy is therefore regarded as a consequence of the pope's position as bishop of the original capital city of the Roman Empire, a definition explicitly spelled out in the 28th canon law of the Council of Chalcedon. In any event, these churches see no foundation at all to papal claims of universal jurisdiction. Because none of them recognise the First Vatican Council as ecumenical, they regard its definitions concerning jurisdiction and infallibility (and anathema (term) of those who do not accept them) as invalid. Other non-Catholic Christian denominations do not accept the doctrine of Apostolic Succession, or do not understand it in hierarchical terms, and therefore do not accept the claim that the Pope is heir either to Petrine primacy of honour or to Petrine primacy of jurisdiction or they reject both claims of honor or jurisdiction as unscriptural. The Papacy's complex relationship with the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empires, and other secular states, and the Papacy's territorial claims in Italy, are another focal point of these objections; as is the monarchical character of the office of Pope. In Western Christianity, these objections — and the vehement rhetoric they have at times been cast in — both contributed to, and are products of, the Protestant Reformation. These denominations vary from simply not accepting the pope's authority as legitimate and valid, to believing that the pope is the Antichrist or one of the beasts spoken of in the Book of Revelation. These denominations tend to be more heterogeneous amongst themselves than the aforementioned hierarchical churches, and their views regarding the Papacy and its institutional legitimacy (or lack thereof) vary considerably. Some objectors to the papacy use empirical arguments, pointing to the corrupt characters of some of the holders of that office. For instance, some argue that claimed successors to St. Peter, like Popes Pope Alexander VI and Callixtus III from the Borgia family, were so corrupt as to be unfit to wield power to bind and loose on Earth or in Heaven. An omniscient and omnibenevolent God, some argue, would not have given those people the powers claimed for them by the Catholic Church. Defenders of the papacy argue that the Bible shows God as willingly giving privileges even to corrupt men (citing examples like some of the kings of Israel, the apostle Judas Iscariot, and even St. Peter after he denied Jesus). They also argue that not even the worst of the corrupt popes used the office to try to rip the doctrine of the Church from its apostolic roots, and that this is evidence that the office is divinely protected. Some objectors to the papacy occasionally refer to the Catholic Church and its members by the pejorative term ''papist'' to point up what they believe to be an inappropriate focus of attention on the office and an improper attribution of certain divine favors ''ex officio''. ==Other Popes== An antipope is a person who claims the Pontificate without being canonically and properly elected to it. The existence of an antipope is usually due either to doctrinal controversy within the Church, or to confusion as to who is the legitimate pope at the time (see Western Schism). The head of the Jesuit Order of Priests has always been called the Black Pope due to that order of priests always wearing a long black robe, including its leader (compared to the Pope's always wearing white robes), and to the order's specific allegiance to the Roman pontiff. The heads of the Coptic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church of Alexandria are also called "Popes" for historical reasons, the former being called "Coptic Pope" or "Pope of Alexandria" and the latter called "Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa"; the parallel construction "Pope of Rome" is frequently used in the Eastern churches. In Islam, the former office of Caliph held similar meaning, as the leader of all Muslims, subordinate only to the prophet Muhammad. ==See also== *List of popes *Pope Benedict XVI *List of 10 longest-reigning Popes *List of 10 shortest-reigning Popes *Ages of Popes *Vestment *Immaculate Conception *Assumption of Mary *Ecumenical Council *College of Bishops *Pontifical University *Caesaropapism *Investiture Controversy *African popes *List of French popes *Myths and legends surrounding the Papacy *Pope Joan *Prophecy of the Popes *Regnal name *Papal Slippers *Papal Coronation *Papal Inauguration *List of sexually active popes ==External links== *[http://www.vatican.va/ The Holy See] *[http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM Code of Canon Law] – Vatican site *[http://www.dailycatholic.org/history/20ecume3.htm The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ], Fourth Session of the First Vatican Council *[http://web.globalserve.net/~bumblebee/ecclesia/patriarchs.htm Eastern Church Defends Petrine Primacy and the Papacy] *[http://thepopeblog.blogspot.com/ The Pope Blog] – Unofficial weblog about the Pope *[http://popetribute.com/ Pope Tribute] – A tribute to the Pope, present and past *[http://www.papst-benedikt.be Pope Benedikt XVI and other Popes] (germ.) *[http://www.geocities.com/hashanayobel/papalinfo.htm Papal information] News about ongoing Papal Events *[http://www.punditguy.com/2005/04/german_pope.html Pope Election News Roundup] *[http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/benedictxvi/ Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez announcing Habemus Papam (We have a Pope!)] (Windows Media Player Video). *[http://www.americancatholic.org/news/BenedictXVI/ American Catholic - Pope Benedict XVI Starts His Papacy] *[http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,12272,1452750,00.html ''Swiss Watchers'' - article about the Papal Guards in THE GUARDIAN] ===Objections=== *[http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/endtimeissues Endtime Issues Newsletters by Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi] The Papacy: Retrospect and Prospect: Part I Revelation 17 and the Papacy, The Future of the Papacy, The Legacy of Pope John Paul II *[http://www.biblelight.net/satan.htm The Last Pope] and Satan's Impersonation of Christ Predicted? Revelation 17 Expounded *[http://www.biblelight.net/pontifex.htm The High Priest in Hebrews] The Papacy Popes bn:পোপ als:Papst ka:რომის პაპი la:Papa li:Paus ms:Paus (Katholik) nds:Paapst th:พระสันตะปาปา
Pope
==Question about the leading sentence:== The leading sentence appears rather unambiguously to refer to the Roman Pontiff as the head of the Orthodox church. This appears inconsistent with the Wikipedia entry on that church, and with the history of those two branches of Christianity. Would someone care to explain why this phraseology was chosen? It appears to assert a POV that is at minimum greatly in dispute. :I think the sentence says that the Pope is the leader of the Eastern ''Catholic'' church, which is different from the Eastern ''Orthodox'' church, if I'm reading that correctly. User:Evilphoenix 19:00, May 31, 2005 (UTC) ==Question about Orthodox/Coptic Popes== I had a bit of difficulty checking on this sentence from the article: "(by comparison, the formal title of the Orthodox Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria is "Successor of Saint Mark the Apostle, Shepherd of Shepherds, Father of Fathers, Supreme Pontiff of All Metropolitans and Bishops, Judge of the World, and Beloved of Christ", often called the "Ecumenical Judge"; the Coptic Pope is styled "Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of All the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark")" Looking around on Wikipedia, I found references to the Patriarch of Alexandria, but I also found several instances where it seemed that the leader of Orthodoxy was in fact the Patriarch of Constantinople: Eastern_Orthodoxy: "The Patriarch of Constantinople currently enjoys the honorary title of "First Among Equals"; which simply means that in council, he occupies the position of president in what is otherwise a democratic organization. " as well as the Patriarch_of_Constantinople article itself. Any thoughts? I'm not sure it's accurate to describe the Patriarch of Alexandria as the "Pope" of Orthodoxy, but I'm certainly no expert. Any thoughts? User:Evilphoenix :My first thought is to ask you to please sign your posts to talk pages! ;) :The point of the "Other Popes" section is to point up others who bear that title. The Pope of Alexandria is simply an Orthodox pope, not ''the'' pope of Orthodoxy. Indeed there's nothing about the title itself that implies the overarching authority claimed by the Pope of Rome; it's just an affectionate diminutive for "Father". It might be worth adding that in the Russian Orthodox Church simple priests are often called "popes" as well. :The Ecumenical Patriarch (Patriarch of Constantinople, "EP") has never been addressed as a "Pope". Nor is he really the leader of Orthodoxy, his press releases to the contrary notwithstanding. The only bishops bound in obedience to him are the suffragans of his own diocese, at least in theory. In practice (as I understand it) his Holy Synod pretty much supports anything he wants to do, so via that instrument he can command the obedience of any bishop in his Patriarchate, even ruling bishops. No bishop outside his Patriarchate owes him anything but acknowledgement as ''primus inter pares''. But now I get into ecclesiastical politics, which I prefer to leave off discussing. User:Csernica 21:21, 10 May 2005 (UTC) ::Yes yes, I meant to go back and add my name, thanks for the reminder. :-). So then it would seem that the phrase used in the article should in fact say Alexandria, and not Constantinople. However, would it still be appropriate phrasing to refer to the Patriarch of Alexandria as the "Orthodox Pope", or should that wording be clarified? Thanks for your input. User:Evilphoenix 01:06, May 11, 2005 (UTC) :::I'll try to be more explicit. To call anyone ''the'' Orthodox Pope would simply be misleading. There is no office in the Orthodox Church that's equivalent to that held by the Pope of Rome. There is one Patriarch who customarily uses that title among many others -- but please don't be deceived by the titles! "Byzantine" Romans love titles, and applied them liberally wherever they wanted. They're not necessarily to be taken all that seriously, especially when we get to ones like "Judge of the World". :::Odd as it may seem, "Pope of Alexandria" is not among these inflated titles. In the Christian East it retains its more ancient meaning of a simple affectionate way of referring to a beloved pastor, and long usage has attached it more or less permanently to the Patriarch of Alexandria. This was also its original meaning in Rome from centuries before the bishop of that city pressed any claims of universal jurisdiction. :::It's true that there are no other Orthodox Patriarchs that customarily use the title, (although it's not entirely unknown to Antioch) but it's ''still'' incorrect to call the P of A ''the'' Pope of Orthodoxy because he's not the only personage so called! As I said, any Russian village priest is likely to be called a "pope" by his parishioners. :::In other words, the paragraph is correct as-is. (Its original purpose was to simply identify other offices with the title "Pope", but someone confused it by adding a reference to the caliphate. If anything, that's the part that should be cut.) User:Csernica 02:03, 11 May 2005 (UTC) ::::I appreciate you changing the wording of that first sentence in your previous edit to the talk page. Based on your advice, I am feeling like a slight edit to the section I was looking at would be appropriate. I may have confused you, I was referring to a sentence in the introduction of the article, not in the "other popes" section. Id be interested to hear your opinion of my imminent edit to the article page. Best regards. User:Evilphoenix 04:10, May 11, 2005 (UTC) :::Please don't edit my indents. This isn't email, and if each stage in a lengthy exchange is indented on position more each time, then half the page is blank space before long. Alternating indents are sufficient to clearly indicate replies. :::I see my confusion now. IMO that sentence shouldn't be there at all. I can see no reason to talk about any Orthodox Patriarchs at that point. It seems a non-sequitur. If the contributor who first added it had a point, I can't see it. User:Csernica 08:54, 11 May 2005 (UTC) ==Papist== I added a couple sentences about the perjorative term ''Papist'' to the Pope article in the ''Objections to the Papacy'' section.
User:Jesster79 18:46, May 19, 2005 (UTC) :So I see. However, lots of people, perhaps even most people, who use the word know very well that Roman Catholics don't worship the Pope. User:Csernica 23:35, 19 May 2005 (UTC) ==Did Pope John Paul II consider abdication ?== The article currently reads: :After his death it was revealed in his last will and testament that he considered abdicating in 2000 as he neared his 80th birthday. Yet it seems that the whole media bruhaha derives from an incorrect translation; the text of the testament cites in Latin the verse of Luke 2:29 "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace", where the Latin for "depart" may be also translated as "resign". ==Error?== I noticed that it said that on the subject of Pope stepping down that it couldn't be because the pope is viewed as infallable. I believe this to be incorrect, if my teachings from catholic highschool theology are correct. First - he is human and a sinner so he is fallable. Second - he is only infallable on matters of faith. Third - He has to inact Papal Infallability. So unless the 3rd is done, then technically, it is not infallable. If I'm not mistaken, Papal Infallability has only been done less than 10 times, maybe even less than 5. The correct theological view is simply that the Holy Spirit moves people to vote for the pope. --User:THollan 02:24, 9 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Why== This is nuts. It's not like he was a god himself or something. :Taking this perhaps more seriously than it deserves: Whether you're Roman Catholic or not (I'm not) whether you're even Christian or not, Pope John Paul II was unquestionably a giant in the history of the last decades of the 20th Century. The world will not be the same without him and his influence. His death is therefore a significant historical event and people everywhere, regardless of their religion, have reacted accordingly. User:Csernica 22:27, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC) :No one ''ever'' sais that John Paul II was a god. I wonder if whoever wrote that statement, "This is nuts" would say the same thing in the case of Bill Clinton, or another person that he or she admires. Because I strongly suspect that the "This is nuts..." statement was sour grapes on their part. :User:Jesster79 18:42, May 19, 2005 (UTC) == Catholic Basis for the Pope == I am interested in knowing how Catholics have come up with the Idea of the Pope, is their scheme found within some teach...etcetera etcetera...if anyone is knowledgeable on this subject...I'd encourage the addition of it to this article : Catholics believe that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome : Based on Gospel of Matthew 16:17-19, the Catholic church beleive in the primacy of Saint Peter: :: "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." : Catholics beleive that Peter's successors as Bishop of Rome also succeed him as head of the Church. : See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12260a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia], specifically section "II. PRIMACY OF THE ROMAN SEE". : I'll add information coverering this if it is hasn't been added previously. User:Kenj0418 22:59, Apr 3, 2005 (UTC) :: This information is alreay in the article (Even the quote from Matthew) User:Kenj0418 23:01, Apr 3, 2005 (UTC) So what gives the Pope all this power, and why is he commonly viewed as "God-on-earth" for lack of better terms? - Scott : As a Catholic, my beliefs regarding any Pope are: :# He is a man, not "God-on-earth" :## As any other man, can be extremely flawed or even scandalously sinful (see Pornocracy) :## He can also be quite virtuous, but still human, and thus not perfect. I would put JPII in this category. :# He is the head of the Catholic Church, and as such: :## Speaks on behalf of the church on spiritual and temporal matters :## Appoints (or whatever the correct term is) Bishops, Cardinals, etc. of the Church :## With the aid of the Holy Spirit, can speak definitively on matters of faith (but rarely does so) :## Set, or delegate to others to set, various rules regarding the Church (see Canon Law) :## As Peter's successor, can exercies the powers and duties Jesus granted to Peter :# As he is a priest, and bishop, he can: :## minister (or assist in the ministry of) the Sacraments of the church :## (as a bishop), exercise the powers and duties Jesus granted to the Apostles : I would not say he is commonly viewed by Catholics, or anyone else, as "God-on-earth", or anything similar. User:Kenj0418 18:47, Apr 18, 2005 (UTC) ==Pope is head of which other Catholic Churches?== what other Catholic Church considers the Pope its head? :there is one Catholic Church, with many rites (Roman-Catholic, Greek-Catholic, recently maybe Trident-Catholic, but not officially yet). :But I seem to remember that there were Churches with "catholic" with name which didn't consider Pope as its head. So list is Roman and Greek Catholic. -- :Taw :See http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/eastcath.htm for a list of Eastern rites within the Catholic church. Other churches like the Old Catholic Church split from the Catholic after Vatican I and don't aknowledge the pope. -rmhermen :The eastern rites are not part of the Roman Catholic church -they are part of the Catholic church. The Roman Catholic church should call itself (and sometimes does) the Roman ritre of the Catholic church. See Orientalium Ecclesiarum, 1964. -rmhermen ::Are you sure about that? -- as far as I am aware the Eastern rites are part of the Roman Catholic Church; since they accept the Bishop of Rome as head of the church. The Roman Catholic Church has several rites, the Western ones (Roman or Latin, Ambrosian and Mozarabic) and the Eastern. -- User:SJK :::They're all part of the Catholic Church. Roman is, specifically, the Latin Rite, but 'Rite' is a tricky term. In the case of the Ambrosian and Mozarabic Rites it actually means only "approved variation in ritual scheme for certain dioceses only" - you can't have an authorized mass in the Ambrosian Rite anywhere outside the region of Milan. The Eastern Rites, on the other hand, not only have different liturgies, but have separate organizational structures, i.e., churches, often with separate patriarchs (at least the Melkites and the Maronites have 'em - the Ukrainians want one), but they are in "union" with the Pope as supreme Patriarch. Technically "Roman" refers only to the Latin rite, but it gets applied to everyone in union with the Pope by extension. Latin rite Catholics mainly don't notice, and Eastern rite Catholics fume about it. Can you tell I know a bunch of Eastern Rite folks? --MichaelTinkler ::::Having been raised Byzantine Catholic (an Eastern Rite church) I just wanted to confirm the above. The entire thing is often called Roman Catholic, but the analogy I often use is that it is like calling the former Soviet Union "Russia". Yes, it's the biggest by far, and yes, most people know what you mean, but it is still wrong. --User:John Kenneth Fisher 13:16, May 15, 2005 (UTC) ==Pope/Antipope== Removed: ''Whether someone was a Pope or Antipope is mostly a matter of a historian's personal opinion.'' No, it is not a 'personal' opinion of a (one) historian. It is the opinion of the Roman Catholic Church about itself (which certainly involved consulting historians), discussed at great length in many individual cases by individual historians. In many cases there is no detailed discussion by historians because the person was very obviously an antipope. There are remarkably few difficult cases. This is not true, and should have been on the 'antipope' entry anyway; I'm going to run check and see if I need to delete it from there, too. --MichaelTinkler :Just as a detail, there is also a sort of slang used by Vaticanists, and in this allusive speaking the chief of Jesuits (Compagnia di Gesu'), whose charge is so important and influent that he can put an effective veto on Pope's decisions, is called "Papa nero" (black pope) or, sometimes, "antipapa".
But who is primarily called an antipope is an Avignone's schism Pope. :In case this could help, the Church we are talking about describes itself as "Santa Romana Chiesa" (Holy Roman Church), so this should be an official point.
Another official self-definition is "Chiesa Cattolica e Apostolica di Roma". ==Disambiguating reference== I've moved the disambiguating reference to Alexander Pope and others with the Pope surname to the head of the article. Surely a person who is looking for these others will want to know immediately that he is in the wrong place, and is unlikely to want to scroll through the long list of popes to find it at the end. user:Eclecticology ==Surname Pope== For notable persons with the surname Pope see *Albert Augustus Pope (1843-?) - American manufacturer *Alexander Pope (1688-1744) - English poet *Franklin Leonard Pope (1840-1895) - American electrician *John Pope - a disambiguation page *Sir Thomas Pope (1507-1559) - English administrator :It has been hashed out in numerous places that listing people who happen to have a certain last name is not at all what disambiguation is for. --user:maveric149 ==Papal eras== I removed this odd list of periods from the bottom of the page because it is idiosyncratic and very Italocentric. The list essentially conveys to the reader who was in 'secular' control of central Italy during the period and does NOT adequately convey what external political powers had influence on the papacy in a particular period. Please note that the Lombards are mentioned (though the Lombard kings and dukes were a threat there is little evidence of direct influence on policy or papal elections) but the Carolingians are not (for whom there is lots of evidence). Avignon might be useful. What about the Hapsbugs? I hope this came out of an Italian source or a book translated from Italian. User:MichaelTinkler ''The reigns of the Popes can be roughly divided into eras: * Imperial era 42-395, *Western Imperial Era 395-476, *Herulian era 476-491, *Ostrogothic era 491-553, *Byzantine Era 553-751, *Lombard Era 751-756, *1st Era of the Papal States 756-1309 (vacant 1268-71), *Avignon Era (the "Babylonian Captivity") 1309-1377, *2nd Era of the Papal States 1377-1798, *Napoleonic interruptions 1798-1814, *3rd Era of the Papal States 1814-1870, *Savoyard Era 1870-1929, *Vatican Era 1929-.'' ==ex cathedra & Camerlengo== Wasn't it John XXIII and not Paul VI (as stated) who declared that he would never speak ex cathedra? User:Someone else 22:17 Sep 11, 2002 (UTC) Yup. It was John XXIII. I've changed it. Also removed the following sentence: ''The Camerlengo officially pronounces the pope dead by tapping his head three times with a special hammer and calling his name; if there is no response the death is announced. '' Though ''always'' quoted, it ''never'' happens, or hasn't anyway for decades and decades. It is one of these ancient ceremonies long abolished which every journalist, when it comes to the time of the death of a pope, ''always'' quotes as ''fact'' except . . . its fiction. It may have happened sometime in the past, but no-one in the Vatican has any memory of it, any record of it, or any idea when it died out. They don't even know where the little 'silver hammer' is. The other part of this ceremony involved the relevant cardinal, as he tapped His Holiness on the forehead, saying, {name of pope} 'Art thou dead'? Apparently, every camerlingo (is that the correct spelling, BTW?) on appointment asks for this mythical silver hammer, and is disappointed to be told, 'Sorry, Cam. No such ceremony'. User:Jtdirl 05:35 Feb 13, 2003 (UTC) :I just returned an hour or so ago from the "[http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/z-Patrons/MV_Patrons_03_03.html St. Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes]" exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and one of the items on display was a small golden hammer, labeled as the Cardinal Chamberlain's hammer; the description specifically described the hammer's use to determine the Pope's death and to smash the Fisherman's Ring. As this exhibit is put together by the Vatican, I have therefore restored reference to the hammer ceremony to the text, with the caveat that it does not appear to have been practised any time recently (I believe the exhibit dates its last use to 1903 or so). User:Publius 22:03, 8 Jan 2004 (UTC) Actually, the hammer was used in at least both with Paul VI and John Paul I. This was done after medical professionals had already determined that the pope had passed away. The hammer is usually kept by the Chamberlin. Also, a pair of shears is used to cut the ring.
User:Jesster79 16:02, Oct 15, 2004 (UTC) :That surprises me. Could you give me a source? User:Gugganij 14:44, 17 Oct 2004 (UTC) Not so, Jess. It was not used since 1903 AFAIK. The ceremony was never done again and was finally officially abolished in 1996. Yes, media reports ''said'' it was done for Paul VI and John Paul I, just as they said it was done on John Paul II. It wasn't. That was just lazy journalists who didn't do their homework and just rehashed some old cuttings file stuff from earlier journalists did who did the same in their day. But it has not been done since it was performed on Leo XXIII in 1903, to the best of my knowledge. It certainly was not done in 1922 and never done afterwards. Fear
User:Jesster79 03:16, Apr 3, 2005 (UTC) :Looks like someone took it out again. I think it should be put back, not because of anything special about JP2 but because an article about the Pope should have a picture, just to show his costume and stuff like that. If someone objects to a JP2 picture, then use some other historic Pope. User:63.202.80.51 05:45, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC) ::From the history it looks like the picture was removed by accident. I put it back. User:63.202.80.51 05:45, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Sealing of Papal Apartment== The article says that, upon a pope's death, his private apartment is sealed. Is this forever or does the new pope eventually move in? --User:Westendgirl 07:55, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC) :The apartment is sealed until the election of a new pope. -- User:KTC 21:21, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Objections to the Papacy == Eastern Christian objections to the modern Papacy are seriously misstated. It is not, as the article claims, that they recognize a "Petrine" primacy of honor for the bishop of Rome, it's that they recognize a canonical primacy based on the city's position as the old capital of the Empire. They in fact deny that the bishop of Rome is ''the'' successor to St. Peter in any kind of unique sense not shared by any other bishop. (They usually go even further and insist that Peter was never even bishop of Rome and therefore cannot have been the first Pope in any event.) As far as any kind of "Petrine primacy of jurisdiction" goes, they hold that it never existed in the first place. This is based the universal Holy Tradition of the Christian East, and supported by Acts 15 where it is manifestly evident that at the Council of Jerusalem it was the local bishop, St. James the Brother of the Lord, who presided and pronounced the decision of the council and not St. Peter who was certainly present (v. 7). It may be a side issue that, at least for Eastern Orthodoxy, the Apostolic Succession is an issue of faith at least as much as it is a physical succession of laying on of hands and that therefore, since in their view the Pope is an heresiarch, any Apostolic Succession he may claim is null and void as far as they're concerned. The only reason I'm not updating this paragraph myself is because as written it lumps Anglicanism together with the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Assyrian Churches and I know next to nothing about Anglican objections to the Papacy. For all I know it's accurate as far as they're concerned. User:Csernica 03:30, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Recent vandalism == Um, guys? When you revert some recent vandalism, could you please revert all of it? This partal reversion is a real PIA, especially when subsequent contributors don't notice and add more edits on top of it, necessitating a merge that otherwise wouldn't need to happen. User:Csernica 06:02, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) == Other Popes == Something needs to be written how there are other Popes living at the same time as the Catholic Pope, and how calling the Catholic Pope "THE POPE" holds with it tremendous POV. Furthermore, I am proposing that what is now written under Pope should be moved to Roman Catholic Pope, and what is now at Pope (disambiguation) should be moved to Pope. User:Kingturtle 08:17, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) == African Pope == I have heard that there has never been a black Pope, and I have heard that there was a black Pope. which is it? User:Kingturtle 08:17, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) :In the old days, "Africa" denoted the Roman Province of Africa which was ''only'' the northwestern coast of the continent. In that sense there have been Popes from Africa, three of them to be exact, but they were of a Mediterranean rather than a sub-Saharan African cast. That area had been heavily colonized first by Phoenicians and then by the Romans themselves. I know it's very tempting to equate "African" with "Black". But consider that in the same period "Asia" meant strictly that peninsula between the Agaean and the Black Seas, where Turkey now is and which we now call "Asia Minor". If we were to hear that someone back then was born in Asia, he wouldn't look Chinese, but Greek. This is the same kind of thing. User:Csernica 09:19, 10 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==JPII's hypothetical abdication== :Nevertheless, 332 §2 gave rise to speculation that either: :* Pope John Paul II would have resigned as his health failed, or :* a properly manifested legal instrument had already been drawn up that put into effect his resignation in the event of his incapacity to perform his duties. The above, quoted from the article, does not make sense. "Properly manifested" means ''made public'', doesn't it? User:Michael Hardy 21:07, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC) :As I understand it, this is the specific terminology used in Catholic canon law when describing the how the wishes of the Pope to resign must be expressed in order for his resignation to be valid. The problem, if such a document existed, is that someone would have to decide when the Pope was sufficiently incapacitated for it to take effect. A document that "properly manifested" his desire to resign would therefore presumeably describe the conditions under which it should be used with some specificity, and would express his desire to resign under those conditions in unambiguous terms. [http://www.americancatholic.org/news/pope/popehospitalized/popeincapacity.asp This article] is among those discussing the situation. User:Csernica 01:34, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Objections to the papacy== Is this Bible passage a relevant objection to the papacy? Mat 23:9 - ''"And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."'' This seems acutely relevant to at least the etymology of the term. -- User:FirstPrinciples 07:48, Apr 15, 2005 (UTC) :That depends entirely on whether some group that objects to the Papacy actually uses it that way. The point of the section isn't to actually argue against the Papacy but to present the reasons why set forth by those groups that reject it. Similarly, the Roman Catholic arguments in support of the Papacy are there to present the reasons they believe the institution is one required by their faith, not so as to convert anyone. :I don't know of any such groups personally. Generally that passage is used by certain Protestant groups to object to addressing priests as "Father". If you can find the verse being used against the Papacy by some legitimate group, I invite you to go for it. User:Csernica 07:12, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC) Relevant to this section in the article: At some point, someone inserted a counterargument. ("Defenders of the papacy argue...") Does that really belong? To me, it looks like an invitation to hash out the entire argument in the body of the article. Do we want counterarguments to the Papal claims in the "Office and nature" or "Status and authority" sections? Do we want "Objections" to contain fully developed arguments from both sides? If not, then I strongly suggest that the "Objections" section be left for objections and let the earlier sections stand for themselves. (Besides, the counterargument offered is fallacious, as I pointed out in a comment there -- but not in the visible article, since I strongly feel that such argumentation is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. This is not a discussion forum.) User:Csernica 21:34, 26 May 2005 (UTC) ==Osiris?== The new section on Rites of Osiris is unclearly written and lacks links. Moreover, I rather wonder about it ..... User:Michael Hardy 04:43, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC) : I strongly suspect it's nonsense, and have removed it. Ah, the joys of a high-traffic article... User:Shimgray 08:35, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC) ==Age of Popes?== Shouldn't there be an article about the average and range of ages of Popes both at the time of selection and at death? User:NoSeptember(UTC) :If you mean an article simply reporting the data, if you can find it, write the article. If you want statistical analysis, that page could continue evolving for years. User:Michael Hardy 21:59, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC) :As many other articles on office-holders, it could easily include one or two sentences on this, including the average age of an office-holder. -- User:Docu == Naming == I wonder why this page shouldn't be moved this page to Pope (Roman Catholic), since as this article states, there are more than just Catholic popes. As this is a major article I wasn't about to do it myself without consensus, and I'm sure the issue has been brought up before. So, why's it here? (--User:Dmcdevit 03:34, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC) forgot to sign earlier) Because wikipedia policy dictates that where something is overwhelmingly identified with one reference, it takes priority with the others disambigulated. So Dublin refers to the capital of Ireland, not the many tens of other Dublins on the planet, London refers to the British capital, not the many other Londons on the planet. ''Pope'' is generally referred to and understood worldwide to mean the Roman Catholic pope, with only small minorities recognising other meanings. So ''it'' has the main page, the rest are disambigulated. It is standard wikipedia policy all over the place. Fear
::::::User:Jesster79 18:33, May 19, 2005 (UTC) == PP stands for what? == Where does the information come from that ''PP'' stands for ''princeps pastorum''? As far as I know it stands just for ''papa'' (pope). See also [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01022a.htm] User:Gugganij 09:25, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Pope
{{succession box | before={} | title=List of popes | years={}| after={} }}
Pope
I don't think there's a reason for omitting the two lists, therefor I reinserted the links. --User:Denny 19:30, Jun 24, 2004 (UTC) :The links seem to clutter up the table, and add to its width. -- User:Lord Emsworth 00:51, 18 Sep 2004 (UTC) Could we, perhaps, include years on this table? It would be useful and convenient. User:John Kenney User_talk:John Kenney 17:23, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC) : lot of work. If you're willing to do it - for all popes, mind you :) - go ahead... --User:Denny [http://www.nodix.de/ (hp)] User_talk:Denny 12:38, Feb 8, 2005 (UTC)
Pope
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Pope
Hello I am pope, and new to wikipedia. go easy on me.
Popé
Popé (died 1692) was a Tewa religious leader from San Juan Pueblo who lead the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish colonial rule in 1680. Popé's followers successfully drove out the Spanish and the traditional Pueblo way of life was restored. In 1692, shortly after Popé's death, Spanish control was reasserted, but under much more lenient terms. Native American leaders Native American religious figures
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