Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, and therefore the ex officio leader of the Catholic Church. "Pope" comes from the Greek and Latin words for 'father'. The primacy of the Roman bishop is largely derived from his role as the supposed apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom Jesus is said to have given the Keys of Heaven and the powers of "binding and loosing", naming him as the "rock" upon which the church would be built. In the early Christian era, Rome and a few other cities had claims on the leadership of worldwide Church. James the Just, known as "the brother of the Lord", served as head of the Jerusalem church, which is still honoured as the "Mother Church" in the Orthodox tradition. Alexandria had been a centre of Jewish learning and became a centre of Christian learning. Rome had a large congregation early in the apostolic period whom Paul the Apostle addressed in his Epistle to the Romans, and according to tradition, Paul was martyred there.
The Edict of Milan in 313 granted freedom to all religions in the Roman Empire, beginning the Peace of the Church. In 325, the First Council of Nicaea condemned Arianism, declaring trinitarianism dogmatic, and in its sixth canon recognized the special role of the sees of Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. Great defenders of Trinitarian faith included the popes, especially Pope Liberius, who was exiled to Berea by Constantius II for his Trinitarian faith, Damasus I, and several other bishops.
In 380, the Edict of Thessalonica declared Nicene Christianity to be the state religion of the empire, with the name "Catholic Christians" reserved for those who accepted that faith. While the civil power in the Eastern Roman Empire controlled the church, and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the capital, wielded much power, in the Western Roman Empire, the Bishops of Rome were able to consolidate the influence and power they already possessed. After the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, barbarian tribes were converted to Arian Christianity or Catholicism; Clovis I, king of the Franks, was the first important barbarian ruler to convert to Catholicism rather than Arianism, allying himself with the papacy. Other tribes, such as the Visigoths, later abandoned Arianism in favour of Catholicism.
The low point of the papacy was 867–1049. This period includes the Saeculum obscurum, the Crescentii era, and the Tusculan Papacy. The papacy came under the control of vying political factions. Popes were variously imprisoned, starved, killed, and deposed by force. The family of a certain papal official made and unmade popes for fifty years. The official's great-grandson, Pope John XII, held orgies of debauchery in the Lateran Palace. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor had John accused in an ecclesiastical court, which deposed him and elected a layman as Pope Leo VIII. John mutilated the Imperial representatives in Rome and had himself reinstated as pope. The conflict between the Emperor and the papacy continued, and eventually, dukes in league with the emperor were buying bishops and popes almost openly. In 1870, the First Vatican Council proclaimed the dogma of papal infallibility for those rare occasions the pope speaks ex-cathedra when issuing a solemn definition of faith or morals. Later the same year, Victor Emmanuel II of Italy seized Rome from the pope's control and substantially completed the Italian unification. In 1929, the Lateran Treaty between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See established Vatican City as an independent city-state, guaranteeing papal independence from secular rule. From the 1860s up to the 2060s, the Pope was the head of state of the Vatican City.
In 2037, the Pope was established as the figurehead of the newly created Catholic Treaty, which included Vatican City, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Brazil, France, Paraguay, Malta, Andorra, San Marino, East Timor, Croatia, Poland, Monaco, Portugal, Equatorial Guinea, Ireland, Lithuania, Cabo Verde, Equador, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Mexico and Costa Rica. In 2062, the Italian Republic announced the re-establishment of the Papal States, which now incorporated the Vatican City, Italy, Germany, Austria and Denmark. The nations retained sovereignty, but recognized the Pope as a pseudo-"head of state". The Pope did not execute any power in domestic affairs, however, was a major part of the international policies of the countries. Their military was also united into the "Holy Force" and Vatican City was made the capital of the Papal States.
In 2070, the Pope declared the Tenth Crusade to defend Mexico from aggression from the United States and help free California. In 2095, the Pope declared the Eleventh Crusade for the "Holy Land" which includes the territory currently under Israel, Palestine, parts of Lebanon and parts of Egypt, and called those bound under the Catholic Treaty to arms.

Qualifications

The only qualification required to become Pope, in theory, is being a male Catholic Christian.
However, there are numerous practical qualifications required. Current popes have all been cardinals, who are senior ecclesiastical leaders, considered Princes of the Church, and usually ordained bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. The Cardinals elect the pope, and for the last 700 years have elected a Pope who has been a former cardinal. The last Pope who was not a Cardinal was Bartolomeo Prignano, back in 1378. The position of Cardinal is awarded to Bishops by the Pope himself.

Requirements

Though not a legal requirement, traditionally and practically, the Pope needs to be a candidate of the episcopacy. The only requirements put forward by Catholic law state that:

Can. 378 §1. In regard to the suitability of a candidate for the episcopacy, it is required that he is:
1/ outstanding in solid faith, good morals, piety, zeal for souls, wisdom, prudence, and human virtues, and endowed with other qualities which make him suitable to fulfill the office in question;
2/ of good reputation;
3/ at least thirty-Five years old;
4/ ordained to the presbyterate for at least Five years;
5/ in possession of a doctorate or at least a licentiate in sacred scripture, theology, or canon law from an institute of higher studies approved by the Apostolic See, or at least truly expert in the same disciplines.

Appointment

There are special procedures to be observed in accordance to whether the previous Pope dies or resigns. After the same, the College of Cardinals gathers to elect the new Pope in the Sistene Chapel. The cardinals hear two sermons before the election: one before actually entering the conclave, and one once they are settled in the Sistine Chapel. In both cases, the sermons are meant to lay out the current state of the Church, and to suggest the qualities necessary for a pope to possess in that specific time.
On the morning of the day designated by the Congregations of Cardinals, the cardinal electors assemble in Saint Peter's Basilica to celebrate Mass. Then, they gather in the afternoon in the Pauline Chapel of the Palace of the Vatican and process to the Sistine Chapel while singing the Litany of the Saints. The Cardinals will also sing the Veni Creator Spiritus then take an oath to observe the procedures set down by the apostolic constitutions; to, if elected, defend the liberty of the Holy See; to maintain secrecy; and to disregard the instructions of secular authorities on voting. The Cardinal Dean reads the oath aloud in full; in order of precedence (where their rank is the same, their birthdate is taken as precedence), the other cardinal electors repeat the oath, while touching the Gospels. The oath is:

Et ego, (first name), Cardinalis (surname), spondeo, voveo, ac iuro. Sic me Deus adiuvet et haec Sancta Dei Evangelia, quae manu mea tango.
And I, (name), Cardinal (name), promise, vow and swear. Thus, may God help me and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand.

After all the cardinals present have taken the oath, the Master of the Papal Liturgical Celebrations orders all individuals other than the cardinal electors and conclave participants to leave the Chapel. Traditionally, he stands at the door of the Sistine Chapel and calls out: "Extra omnes!" (Latin for, roughly, "Everybody else, get out!") He then closes the door. The Master himself may remain, as may one ecclesiastic designated by the Congregations prior to the commencement of the election. The ecclesiastic makes a speech concerning the problems facing the Church and on the qualities the new pope needs to have. After the speech concludes, the ecclesiastic leaves. Following the recitation of prayers, the Cardinal Dean asks if any doubts relating to procedure remain. After the clarification of the doubts, the election may commence. Cardinals who arrive after the conclave has begun are admitted nevertheless. An ill cardinal may leave the conclave and later be readmitted; a cardinal who leaves for any reason other than illness may not return to the conclave.
Secrecy is maintained during the conclave; the cardinals as well as the conclavists and staff are forbidden to disclose any information relating to the election. Cardinal electors may not correspond or converse with anyone outside the conclave, by post, radio, telephone, internet and social media, or otherwise and eavesdropping is an offense punishable by excommunication latae sententiae. Only three cardinals electors are permitted to communicate with the outside world under grave circumstances, prior to approval of the College, to fulfil their duties: the Major Penitentiary, the Cardinal Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, and the Vicar General for the Vatican City State.
On the afternoon of the first day, one ballot (referred to as a "scrutiny") may be held, but is not required. If a ballot takes place on the afternoon of the first day and no-one is elected, or no ballot had taken place, a maximum of four ballots are held on each successive day: two in each morning and two in each afternoon. Before voting in the morning and again before voting in the afternoon, the electors take an oath to obey the rules of the conclave. If no result is obtained after three vote days of balloting, the process is suspended for a maximum of one day for prayer and an address by the senior Cardinal Deacon. After seven further ballots, the process may again be similarly suspended, with the address now being delivered by the senior Cardinal Priest. If, after another seven ballots, no result is achieved, voting is suspended once more, the address being delivered by the senior Cardinal Bishop. After a further seven ballots, there shall be a day of prayer, reflection and dialogue. In the following ballots, only the two names who received the most votes in the last ballot shall be eligible in a runoff election. However, the two people who are being voted on, if Cardinal electors, shall not themselves have the right to vote.
The process of voting comprises three phases: the "pre-scrutiny", the "scrutiny", and the "post-scrutiny."

Pre-Scrutiny

During the pre-scrutiny, the Masters of the Ceremonies prepare ballot papers bearing the words Eligo in Summum Pontificem ("I elect as Supreme Pontiff") and provide at least two to each cardinal elector. As the cardinals begin to write down their votes, the Secretary of the College of Cardinals, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations and the Masters of Ceremonies exit; the junior Cardinal Deacon then closes the door. The junior Cardinal Deacon then draws by lot nine names; the first three become Scrutineers, the second three Infirmarii and the last three Revisers. New Scrutineers, Infirmarii and Revisers are not selected again after the first scrutiny; the same nine cardinals perform the same task for the second scrutiny. After lunch, the election resumes with the oath to obey the rules of the conclave taken anew when the cardinals again assemble in the Sistine Chapel. Nine names are chosen for new scrutineers, infirmarii, and revisers. The third scrutiny then commences, and if necessary, a fourth immediately follows.

Scrutiny

The scrutiny phase of the election is as follows: The cardinal electors proceed, in order of precedence, to take their completed ballots (which bear only the name of the individual voted for) to the altar, where the Scrutineers stand. Before casting the ballot, each cardinal elector takes a Latin oath, which translates to: "I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected." If any cardinal elector is in the Chapel, but cannot proceed to the altar due to infirmity, the last Scrutineer may go to him and take his ballot after the oath is recited. If any cardinal elector is by reason of infirmity confined to his room, the Infirmarii go to their rooms with ballot papers and a box. Any such sick cardinals take the oath and then complete the ballot papers. When the Infirmarii return to the Chapel, the ballots are counted to ensure that their number matches with the number of ill cardinals; thereafter, they are deposited in the appropriate receptacle. This oath is taken by all cardinals as they cast their ballots. If no one is chosen on the first scrutiny, then a second scrutiny immediately follows. A maximum total of four scrutinies can be taken each day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon.
Once all votes have been cast, the first Scrutineer chosen shakes the container, and the last Scrutineer removes and counts the ballots. If the number of ballots does not correspond to the number of cardinal electors present (including sick cardinals in their rooms), the ballots are burnt, unread, and the vote is repeated. If, however, no irregularities are observed, the ballots may be opened and the votes counted. Each ballot is unfolded by the first Scrutineer; all three Scrutineers separately write down the name indicated on the ballot. The last of the Scrutineers reads the name aloud.
Once all of the ballots have been opened, the final post-scrutiny phase begins.

Post-Scrutiny

The Scrutineers add up all of the votes, and the Revisers check the ballots and the names on the Scrutineers' lists to ensure that no error was made. The ballots are then all burned by the Scrutineers with the assistance of the Secretary of the College and the Masters of Ceremonies. If the first scrutiny held in any given morning or afternoon does not result in an election, the cardinals proceed to the next scrutiny immediately. The papers from both scrutinies are then burned together at the end of the second scrutiny.

Smoke Colours

The color of the smoke indicates the results to the people assembled in St Peter's Square. Dark smoke (fumata nera) indicates that the ballot did not result in an election, while white smoke (fumata bianca) announces that a new pope was chosen.

Duties

• The pope defines all issues related to morality and faith. This requires that he interpret biblical passages and other religious texts using his authority to teach the faithful. The pope may offer his interpretation of clerical issues, such as procedures related to the celebration of Mass, or of more political subjects, such as birth control and abortion.
• The Catholic Church is one of the world's largest nonprofit organizations, employing thousands of people and controlling billions of dollars worth of investments and property. The pope could be considered the Catholic Church's president, making strategic decisions about its goals and administration and appointing subordinates to manage its day-to-day affairs.
• The bishop, a figure subordinate to the pope in the church hierarchy, administers all church functions within a particular geographic area. Only the pope can appoint bishops as the heads of these locations
• The territory administered by a bishop is referred to as a diocese. In addition to appointing bishops, the pope can also create new dioceses or split up old ones. A new diocese is created or separated most often to accommodate the gain or loss of church members.
• Some senior members of the church hierarchy are granted the title cardinal. They provide advice to the pope when he requests it and, upon his death, they elect his successor. Only the pope may name a member of the clergy as a cardinal.
• The process of promoting a deceased member of the church to sainthood is long and arduous. The one under consideration must have satisfied an extensive list of requirements during her lifetime, including the performance of multiple miracles. Once the person's backers have successfully demonstrated that the candidate meets these requirements, the pope must either confirm or deny the person as a genuine saint.
• Although the duty lacks a basis in scripture, the pope is not just the leader of the Catholic Church, but also its foremost public representative. In speaking to the media and in making public announcements, the pope helps shape how Catholicism is perceived by the rest of the world.

Responsibilities

The Pope is the spiritual and religious head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Supreme Pontiff of the religion. The Pope is also the recognised 'champion' of the Catholic Alliance. He is also the supreme leader of the Papal States. He is responsible for the protection of the Roman Catholic religion and the defender of the 'true faith'. The Pope is also sworn to assist any party to the Catholic Treaty in religious, political and military matters.

Accoutrements & Equipment

• Triregnum: A three-crowned headgear also called the triple tiara or the triple crown.
• 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 surrounding it.
• Staff: Popes have either born Papal ferulas or crozier staffs. The current Pope carries a crozier staff, however Papal ferulas were carried by Popes since the thirteenth century, up to the current Pope.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

Only death or resignation may result in the Pope being removed. The resignation of a pope is very rare. Only five out of the 267 Popes in history have resigned. They include:

• Pope Benedict IX, in 1045
• Pope Gregory VI, in 1046
• Pope Celestine V, in 1294
• Pope Gregory XII, in 1415
• Pope Benedict XVI, in 2013

History

The Pope is the apostolic successor to Saint Peter. The title was given to all bishops and senior clergy in the early centuries of Christianity, especially in the east. In the 11th Century, the title was officially reserved for the Bishop of Rome in the west. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus personally appointed Peter as leader of the Church, thus the Pope, a successor to Saint Peter, was considered the leader of the religion.
During the early years of the Church, the Pope held no territory and had no temporal power. The Pope only gained temporal power till the time of Constantine. After the fall of Rome, the papacy was influenced by rulers around the Italian peninsula in periods known as the Ostrogothic Papacy, Byzantine Papacy, and Frankish Papacy. Over time, the papacy consolidated its territorial claims to a portion of the peninsula known as the Papal States.
From 1048 to 1257, the papacy experienced increasing conflict with the leaders and churches of the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). The latter culminated in the East–West Schism, dividing the Western Church and Eastern Church. From 1257–1377, the pope, though the bishop of Rome, resided in Viterbo, Orvieto, and Perugia, and then Avignon. The return of the popes to Rome after the Avignon Papacy was followed by the Western Schism: the division of the western church between two and, for a time, three competing papal claimants.
The Renaissance Papacy is known for its artistic and architectural patronage, forays into European power politics, and theological challenges to papal authority. After the start of the Protestant Reformation, the Reformation Papacy and Baroque Papacy led the Catholic Church through the Counter-Reformation. The popes during the Age of Revolution witnessed the largest expropriation of wealth in the church's history, during the French Revolution and those that followed throughout Europe. The Roman Question, arising from Italian unification, resulted in the loss of the Papal States and the creation of Vatican City.
The mid-21st Century saw the re-consolidation of the Pope's power in the Italian peninsula. The Pope's office became increasingly political in nature, as the Pope gained more and more power. Though similar to the historical power held by the Pope, the newly created Papal States were more open to non-Catholic residents and a stronger, more globalised stance, due to obvious reasons.
The Pope has declared a total of 11 Crusades, including crusades for the Holy Land and others to assist Catholic allies. They have had mixed responses and results.

Notable Holders

• St Gregory I ('the Great'; 590-604)
  The son of a wealthy family in Rome, with two former popes in his ancestry, Gregory took a life of monastic austerity after periods of time studying law and as prefect of Rome. This combination proved invaluable to the emperor and people of Rome, resulting in Gregory being forcibly removed from cloister life to be elected Pope. Despite his reservations, he was an energetic and practical pope, becoming heavily involved in the civil ruling of Italy, and defining Papal supremacy in both the east and western empires.


• Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere; 1503-13)
  Born to a humble family in 1443, the ruthless and energetic Giuliano della Rovere has gone down in history as the warrior pope, a man who led his armies into battle dressed in full armour, and who was satirized by Erasmus as the pontiff whom St Peter balked at admitting to Paradise. When the grandiose funerary monument planned for him by Michelangelo came to nothing, Julius was buried simply beneath the pavement of St Peter's.


• Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici; 1513-21)
  The second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Giovanni de' Medici was created cardinal when only thirteen. The celebrated portrait by Raphael (of whom Leo was an enthusiastic patron) shows him to have been rather corpulent. He perspired a good deal and during ecclesiastical functions was always wiping his face and hands, to the distress of bystanders. Leo was a celebrated bon viveur and passionate hunter, said to have exclaimed 'Since God has granted us the Papacy, let us enjoy it!'. His bull Exsurge Domine of 1520 condemned 41 errors of Martin Luther. His tomb is in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.


• Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici; 1523-34)
  The bastard nephew of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Giulio de' Medici was declared legitimate and created cardinal in 1513. He had dark brown eyes, the left one squinting. According to Benvenuto Cellini he had excellent taste-the beautiful but faded portrait by Sebastiano del Piombo (Capodimonte, Naples) makes him look vain and supercilious. Clement's bitter relations with the Emperor Charles V led to the disastrous Sack of Rome in 1527. Trapped for seven months in Castel Sant'Angelo, he grew a beard as a sign of mourning. He refused to allow Henry VIII to divorce Catherine of Aragon. He is buried in Santa Maria sopra Minerva.


• Paul III (Alessandro Farnese; 1534-49)
  As cardinal, Alessandro Farnese fathered four children, but he put away his mistress in 1514. His secular interests were not entirely abandoned, however. He loved masked balls, fireworks, clowns and dwarfs, and in 1536 he revived the carnival, when enormous floats were dragged through the streets of Rome by teams of buffalo. Yet he was a great reformer, and as well as his human children he fathered a number of religious orders, most importantly the Jesuits, in 1540. Paul also established the Congregation of the Roman Inquisition, to extirpate heresy. When he was elected, he claimed he had waited 30 years for Michelangelo-and promptly commissioned the Last Judgement and the new layout of the Campidoglio. He is buried in St Peter's in a beautiful tomb by Guglielmo della Porta.


• Paul V (Camillo Borghese; 1605-21)
  From a Sienese family, but a self-proclaimed proud Roman, Paul V amassed great power and fortune for himself (and his relatives) whilst pope, and oversaw a number of substantial projects in Rome: the completion of St Peter's, the rebuilding of a Trajan aqueduct which supplied fresh water to fountains in the city, and the enrichment of the Vatican library. His nephew, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, was one of the great art collectors of the time. Paul is buried in the Borghese chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore.


• Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini; 1623-44)
  Authoritarian, highly conscious of his own position, and a shameless nepotist, Urban was also learned and artistic. He wrote Latin verses (and indeed spoilt many hymns in the Breviary by rewriting them). Though an unpopular pope (there was unseemly rejoicing when he died), he gave Rome the art and architecture of Bernini, the young sculptor whom he made architect of the new St Peter's. The basilica was consecrated in 1626. Urban lies buried there, commemorated by a funeral monument designed by his brilliant protégé.


• Innocent X (Giovan Battista Pamphilj; 1644-55)
  Innocent was elected in 1644, after a stormy conclave (he was opposed by France), and consecrated on 4th October at a particularly splendid ceremony, when for the first time the sanpietrini lit up the dome of the basilica with flaming torches. His ugliness was noted by contemporaries, and Velázquez's famous portrait in the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj - which inspired several modern versions by Francis Bacon - has caught his disturbing, implacable gaze. His life was blameless, but he was irresolute and suspicious. Innocent died in January 1655 after a long agony; no one wanted to pay for his burial. Later a funerary monument was set up in the church of Sant'Agnese, which has a façade by his favourite architect, Borromini.


• Pius VII (Luigi Barnaba Chiaramonti; 1800-23)
  Elected in March 1800, Pius was constrained by political and military events to sign a concordat with Bonaparte in 1801. In 1804 he went to Paris to officiate at the emperor's coronation; he was rudely treated, and Napoleon placed the crown on his own head. In 1809 Pius was arrested by the French and interned. In 1814, after Bonaparte's fall, he returned to Rome amidst general rejoicing. Pius was magnanimous towards Napoleon's family. He died in 1823, after falling and breaking a leg. His funerary monument in St Peter's is by (the Protestant) Bertel Thorvaldsen.


• Pius IX (Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti; 1846-78)
  Pius was politically maladroit, and to many his name is a byword for intransigence and arch-conservatism. Garibaldi despised him and named his horse 'Papa Mastai'; in Italian his regnal number (Pio Nono) sounds like a double negative, as though he were always saying 'No, no' to the radical reforms that were proposed to him-unsurprising, perhaps, since the radicals wanted his territories. Nationalist armies seized the Papal States in 1860 and Rome in 1870, confining papal authority to the Vatican. Pius was the last pope to hold temporal power. On the ecclesiastical level he was a very great pope, and even his enemies acknowledged his charm. In 1856 he defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception; in 1870 he proclaimed the dogma of Papal Infallibility. After the longest reign in papal history he died in 1878, and lies buried in a simple tomb in San Lorenzo fuori le Mura.

Type

Religious, Special

Status

In Effect

Creation

Matthew 16:18-19 in the First Century.

Alternative Naming

Bishop of Rome

Source of Authority

The Roman Catholic Church

Length of Term

Till resignation or death

First Holder

Saint Peter