| Revision as of 17:21, 25 May 2005 view source208.5.77.151 (talk) →Office and nature← Previous edit | Revision as of 04:05, 26 May 2005 view source 203.26.16.66 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
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| You know, the pope. | |||
| :''This entry is about the Catholic Pontiff. For other uses of the word, see ].'' | |||
| {{Christianity}} | |||
| The '''Pope''' is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of ], and head of the ] and the ]. The office of the Pope is informally called the Papacy and formally called the Pontificate; his ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called the ] (''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 ] to refer to ], an originator of papal supremacy among the patriarchs. | |||
| In addition to this spiritual role, the Pope also serves as ] of the independent, sovereign ], a ] entirely surrounded by the city of ]. Prior to ], the Pope's temporal authority extended over a large area of central ], a territory more familiar as the ] 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 ]—was proved a forgery in the 15th century, the Pope retained sovereign authority over the Papal States until the ] of ], and a final political settlement between the Italian government and the Pope was not reached until the ] of ]. | |||
| The current pope is ] (born Joseph Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on ] ]. He succeeds the late ], who was elected at the age of 58 in ]. | |||
| ] is the second non-Italian to be elected to the pontificate since ], who was briefly pope in ]-], (] (pope ]-]) was the first), and is also the first German to take the seat since the 11th century (although it can be argued that ], 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 "], Vicar of Jesus Christ, ] of the ], ] of the ], ] of the West, ] of Italy, ] and ] of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, ]," although this is rarely seen or used in full (by comparison, the formal title of the ] ] 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 ] ] is styled "Pope and Patriarch of the See of Alexandria and of All the Predication of the Evangelist St. Mark"). In ], the Roman Catholic Pope is referred to as the "Roman Pontiff" (''Pontifex Romanus''). He is styled "]" (''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.'', ] signed his name as "Paulus PP. VI"), and his name is frequently accompanied in inscriptions by the abbreviation "Pont. Max." or "P.M." (abbreviation of the ancient title '']'', literally "Greatest Bridge-maker", but usually translated "Supreme Pontiff"). The signature of ]s is customarily ''NN. Episcopus Ecclesia Catholicae'' ("NN. Bishop of the Catholic Church"), while the heading is ''NN. Episcopus ]'' ("NN. Bishop and Servant of the Servants of God"), the latter title dating to the time of ] ''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 ], ''Dominus Apostolicus'' ("Apostolic Lord"). | |||
| ] of the ]]] | |||
| The pope's official residence is the ], and he also possesses a summer palace at ] (situated on the site of the ancient city-state ]). Historically the official residence of the Pope was the ], donated by the ] ]. The former Papal summer palace, the ], has subsequently been the official residence of the ] and ]. | |||
| 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 ]) 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 ] ] (see ]). 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 ] and ] the Popes resided not in Rome but in ], a period often called the ] in allusion to the ] exile of ] (see ]). | |||
| Catholic ] maintains that the institution of the Pontificate can be found in the ], and cites certain key passages in support of this contention. Chief among these passages is ], wherein Jesus Christ says to ]: | |||
| :''"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 ''("The Rock" derived from Greek)'', and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys to 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 ], ], and ]. | |||
| ==Regalia and insignia== | |||
| ] | |||
| ''Main article: ].'' | |||
| *The "]" 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 ] (an erect cloth hat). | |||
| *Staff topped by an erect ], a custom established before the ]. | |||
| *The ] (a circular band of fabric about two inches wide, worn over the ] 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 ], 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 '']'' (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 '']'', a mobile throne carried by twelve footmen (''palafrenieri'') in red uniforms, accompanied by two attendants bearing '']'' (fans made of white ostrich-feathers). The use of the ''sedia gestatoria'' and of the ''flabella'' was discontinued by ], with the former being replaced by the so-called ]. | |||
| In heraldry, each pope has his own ]. 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 ], whereas the previous flag had been red and gold, the traditional colours of the Pontificate. | |||
| ==Status and authority== | |||
| ] was elected on ], ].]] | |||
| The status and authority of the Pope in the Catholic Church was ]tically ] by the ] in its ''Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of Christ'' (], ]). 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 ] 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 ] was not appointed by Christ the Lord as prince of all the apostles and visible head of the whole ]; 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 ]." | |||
| 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 ]," states that (s.1) "the definition of the ] of ], which must be believed by all faithful ]s, 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 "] and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of ] 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 ], ''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. | |||
| See ] for discussion of the broader authority the papacy has argued the Catholic Church possesses in affairs of ]. | |||
| ==Political role== | |||
| Though the progressive ] of the ] in the ] did not confer upon bishops civil authority within the state, the gradual withdrawal of imperial authority during the ] 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 ]'s confrontation with ] in ] and was substantially increased in ], when the ] ruler ] donated to the Pope a strip of territory which formed the core of the so-called ] (properly the Patrimony of St. Peter). In ], ] crowned the Frankish ruler ] as Roman Emperor, a major step toward establishing what later became known as the ]; from that date it became the Pope's prerogative to crown the Emperor, a tradition which continued until ], the last Holy Roman Emperor to be crowned by the Pope (subsequent Emperors never received coronation), and which was partially revived by ]. As has been hitherto mentioned, the pope's sovereignty over the Papal States ended in ] with their annexation by ]. | |||
| In addition to the pope's position as a territorial ruler and foremost ] of Christianity (especially prominent with the ] popes like ], an ambitious if spectacularly corrupt politico, and ], 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 ] and ]), 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 '']'' in ] (authorising ] to invade ]), the Bull '']'' in ] (leading to the ] in ], which divided the world into areas of ] and ] rule) the Bull '']'' in ] (] ] and purporting to release all her subjects from their allegiance to her), the Bull '']'' in ] (establishing the ]). | |||
| ==Death, abdication, and election== | |||
| ===Death=== | |||
| The current regulations regarding a papal ] — i.e., a '']'' ("vacant seat") — were promulgated by John Paul II in his ] document '']''. During the ''sede vacante'', the ], 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 ]; however, canon law specifically forbids the Cardinals from introducing any innovation in the government of the Church during the vacancy of the ]. 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 ] may or may not have already determined that the pope had passed away prior to this point. The Cardinal Chamberlain then retrieves the ]. 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 ] of a leading church or cathedral; the popes of the ] were all interred in ]. A nine-day period of mourning (''novem dialis'') follows after the interment of the late pope. | |||
| ===]=== | |||
| The Code of ] Law 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 ] 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 ] ] after suffering from many diseases and was buried on ] ]. | |||
| After his death it was revealed in his ] that he considered abdicating in ] as he neared his 80th birthday. | |||
| ===]=== | |||
| The pope was originally chosen by those senior ]men resident in and near Rome. In ], the electorate was restricted to the ] of the Holy Roman Church, and the individual votes of all Cardinal Electors were made equal in ]. The Pope is usually a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals, but theoretically any male Catholic (including a layman) may be elected; ], elected ], 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 ] 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 ] was convened on ], ], 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 ] in ]. By the mid-], 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 ]. ] abolished vote by acclamation and by selection by committee, and henceforth all Popes will be elected by full vote of the ] by ]. | |||
| The election of the pope almost always takes place in the ], in a meeting called a "]" (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). | |||
| ] wearing the ] following his ], 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 ]. 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 ], 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, <I>not</I> at the coronation ceremony several days afterward. The Dean then asks, "By what name shall you be called?" The new Pope then announces the ] 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 "]" 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 ] then announces from a balcony over St. Peter's Square the following proclamation: ''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 ], the Pope's election was followed in a few days by a procession in great pomp and circumstance from the Sistine Chapel to ], with the newly-elected Pope borne in the ''sedia gestatoria''. There the Pope was crowned with the '']'' and he gave his first blessing as Pope, the famous '']'' ("to the City 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 ] (the so-called "Oath against modernism") at his coronation, but Popes ], ], and ] have all refused to do so. | |||
| The ] 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 ], 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 ] and especially the replacement of the ] with the '']'' 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 ]tic and therefore not open to debate or dispute within the Catholic Church; the First Vatican Council ]tised 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. | |||
| ] ''Pacem in Terris''.]] | |||
| Some non-Catholic Christian communities, such as the ], the ], the ], and the ], accept the doctrine of ], 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 ], a definition explicitly spelled out in the 28th ] of the ]. 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 ]tisation of those who do not accept them) as invalid. | |||
| Other non-Catholic Christian denominations do not accept the doctrine of ], 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 ] and ]s, and other secular states, and the Papacy's territorial claims in Italy, are another focal point of these objections; as is the ]ical character of the office of Pope. In ], these objections — and the vehement rhetoric they have at times been cast in — both contributed to, and are products of, the ]. These denominations vary from simply not accepting the pope's authority as legitimate and valid, to believing that the pope is the ] or one of the beasts spoken of in the ]. 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 ], like Popes ] and ] from the ] 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 ]. 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 ], 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. <!-- This is a circular argument of course, since most who object to the Papacy **don't** believe the Roman church has adhered to its Apostolic roots. Proof that it has refers only to the Roman Catholic magisterium, which is also where Papal claims are advanced. I wonder if there's an external reference pointing this out so that it can be included in the article. It would clearly be inappropriate for me to do so on my own account. --> | |||
| Some objectors to the papacy occasionally refer to the Catholic Church and its members by the ] 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 ''']''' 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 ]). | |||
| The head of the ] Order of Priests has always been called the ] 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 ] and the ] 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 ], the former office of ] held similar meaning, as the leader of all Muslims, subordinate only to the prophet ]. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
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| ==External links== | |||
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| * – Vatican site | |||
| *, Fourth Session of the First Vatican Council | |||
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| * – Unofficial weblog about the Pope | |||
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| * News about ongoing Papal Events | |||
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Revision as of 04:05, 26 May 2005
You know, the pope.