The official list of papal titles, in the order they are dictated by the in 2024, is: • Bishop of Rome () • Vicar of Jesus Christ () • Successor of the Prince of the Apostles () • Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church () • Patriarch of the West () • Primate of Italy () • Metropolitan Archbishop of the Roman Province () • Sovereign of the Vatican City State () • Servant of the Servants of God () (, which is an affectionate word for 'father'). This is the most famous title associated with the bishop of Rome, being used in protocol, documents, and signatures. There are several interpretations as to the meaning and application of the title, among them, that
pope would be a Latin
acronym, where each letter would correspond to a word: ("the one who receives the power of the apostle Peter"); or even ("Peter the apostle, Prince of the Apostles"). It has also been proposed as its origin the union of the first syllables of the Latin words ('father') and ('shepherd'). the title in this region is now used only for the
patriarch of Alexandria. There is a divergence of opinion among historians as to who was the first bishop of Rome who used the title. Some suggest that it was
Marcellinus (),
Pope John I (), or others. By the end of the fourth century, the word pope applied to the bishop of Rome, begins to express more than affectionate veneration and slowly becomes a specific title, as can be seen in the letters of the imperial chancery of Constantinople However, the term originated around the 12th century to refer exclusively to the pope's ecclesiastical governmental system. It is based on the promise of
Matthew 16:19 in which
Jesus hands Peter the
keys to the kingdom of heaven. In all countries, the key is a symbol of authority. Thus, for Catholicism, Jesus's words are a promise that he will confer upon Peter the power to rule the Church in his stead, as his vicar. Thus, in the early
Middle Ages, there were several variants of this title, such as "Vicar of Peter" (), indicating that the popes succeeded Saint Peter, "Vicar of the prince of the Apostles" () or "Vicar of the apostolic See" while a few decades later,
Pope John VIII (), uses the latter. Even today, the
Roman Missal in its prayers for a dead pope designates him as "Vicar of Peter." The designation of Vicar of Christ for popes fell in regular use in the beginning of the 13th century, due to reforms employed by
Pope Innocent III (). It is noted as early as 1199 in Innocent's letter to the King of Armenia,
Leo II. Innocent often appealed to this title as a prerogative to appoint bishops. With different theological and secular meanings, the title was also used in a personal observation by
Tertullian in the third century to refer to the
Holy Spirit, and in
Caesaropapism from the fifth to ninth centuries to refer to rulers and the public authorities, such as kings, judges, and most prominently the
Byzantine emperor.). Its first records date back to the sermons of
Pope Leo I () in the 5th century, who uses it as a demonstration of his primacy: The title is applied only indirectly to the pope, who is officially referred to as "Successor of the Prince of the Apostles" (), The term Pontifex Maximus is commonly found in inscriptions on buildings, paintings, statues, and coins about the popes, and is usually abbreviated as "Pont Max" or "P.M" (the popes began to use the title of supreme pontiff in the
Italian Renaissance; Since the Middle Ages, the Church, starting from the election of a pope, begins to count a new calendar in "Years of Pontificate" or "Papal Years" ( – A.P.), which coexists with that of the
Christian calendar, counting from the birth of
Jesus Christ in "Years of the Lord" ( - A.D.). The use of these two dates can be seen in several monuments of Rome, and all papal decrees as well as some Church documents. In the
Vulgate,
Hebrews 5:1–4, certain priests are said to be pontiffs, pontiff meaning 'bridge builder' ( + ). The most common interpretation is that pontiffs are symbolically the builders of the bridge between God and men, the use of this term is justified because the pontiff is "constituted on behalf of men as mediator in things concerning God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.", i.e., it refers to the sacred and evangelizing functions of priests. The use of the expression "high pontiff" for the pope is justified by Catholicism in Christ's words to Peter in "Feed my lambs... Feed my lambs... Feed my sheep" (
John 21:15–17), thus
Christ entrusted his flock to Peter, entrusting him with the most important priestly functions, making him high pontiff. Another interpretation suggests that the title refers to the pope's role in preserving and strengthening the unity of the Church, that is, when conflicts arise, popes act as mediators and peacemakers in their resolution, as "bridge builders" – pontiffs. Initially, this was present in the term's translation into other languages, such as Greek: "''
" (literally, "high priest") or by a more literal translation as "ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος
" ("the greatest high priest"). The term "ἀρχιερεύς''" was used in the
Septuagint text of the
Old Testament and is used by the apostles who wrote the
New Testament to refer to the Jewish high priest. Later when
St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin (the
Vulgate), the term pontiff was effectively used to refer to the Jewish high priest, being used 59 times in the text. For example, in
Mark 15:11, pontiffs (plural) is the Latin term used for "princes of priests," and in the
Epistle to the Hebrews, pontiff (singular) is repeatedly used concerning the various Jewish high priests and prophets, and by analogy to Jesus as the high priest of Christians. The
Encyclopædia Britannica, without citing source, attributes
Pope Leo I (r. 440–461) to the use of the title Pontifex Maximus. Other sources, also without documentary proof, claim that the title was first used by
Pope Gregory I (r. 590–604), as a demonstration of continuity of civil power after the
fall of the Western Roman Empire. However, since popes started using the title "Pontifex Maximus" much later, during the Italian
Renaissance in the 15th century, there seems to be no relationship between them.
Patriarch of the West From 1863 until 2005, and then from 2024 onward, the Papal Yearbook includes the term "Patriarch of the West" as an official title of the pope.
Pope Francis reinstated this title in 2024 after
Pope Benedict XVI had it removed in 2006. The patriarchates of the East, established by the
Councils of Constantinople (381) and
Chalcedon (451), had their territory delimited, while the territory of the seat of the Bishop of Rome remained vague. In the East, under the imperial ecclesiastical system of the
Pentarchy of the
Byzantine emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565), together with the four eastern patriarchs (
Constantinople,
Alexandria,
Antioch, and
Jerusalem), the Pope was considered the patriarch of the West. although this does not symbolize a change in the ecumenical relations with the Eastern churches proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council. The title "Patriarch of the West" symbolically designates that the pope has authority over the entire
Latin Church, and over the other Latin patriarchs, such as those of
Lisbon,
Jerusalem, and
Venice. However, the term does not describe an ecclesiastical territory or patriarchal definition and has no
canonical value.
Servant of the Servants of God '' of 1570, by
Pope Pius V published in a 1956
Roman Missal. Below the pope's name,
Pius Episcopus (Pius Bishop), is written the title "Servant of the Servants of God" (
Servus Servorum Dei). Note not all papal documents begin this way, but the bulls do. The term "Servant of the Servants of God" is a reference to the function and authority of the pope, this title being: Previously, this designation was used by other bishops and secular leaders, such as
St. Boniface and the
King of Aragon Alfonso II (r. 1162–1196). Its usage became regular for popes from the 9th century onwards, and since the 12th century it has been used exclusively by themselves. Both titles came into use in the fifth century, reflecting the pope's duty to head regional councils of bishops from Italy and the province of Rome twice a year. From the eleventh century onward, popes focused more on governing the universal church,
Sovereign of the Vatican City State The title "Sovereign of the Vatican City State" (
Superanus sui Iuris Civitatis Vaticanae) refers to the fact that the pope is the
head of state of the
Vatican City. The title has come into use since 1929 when the
Lateran Treaty created the state. The pope has secular legal authority in all state affairs, == Titles no longer in use ==