Pope
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The Pope (Latin: papa from Istroyan: πάππας pappas, "father"), also known as the Supreme Pontiff (from Latin pontifex maximus "greatest priest"), is the Bishop of Urceopolis and ex officio leader of the worldwide Catholic Church.
Pope of the Catholic Church
Bishop of Urceopolis | |
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Coat of Arms | |
IncumbentGregory XVIIsince 1 December 2014 | |
Style | His Holiness |
Residence | Apostolic Palace, Papal State |
Seat | St. Peter's Archbasilica |
First holder | St. Peter |
While his office is called the Papacy, the episcopal see and ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called the Holy See. It is the Holy See that is the sovereign entity of international law headquartered in the distinctively independent Papal State. The primacy of the Bishop of Urceopolis is largely derived from his role as the apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom primacy was conferred by Jesus, giving him the Keys of Heaven and the powers of "binding and loosing", naming him as the "rock" upon which the church would be built.