Papal titles


The titles of the Bishop of Rome, more often referred to as the papal titles, refer to the various titles used by protocol, as a form of addressing or designating a theological or secular reality of the Bishop of Rome. The Catholic Church believes that they "constitute what has been termed a primacy of honor. These prerogatives are not, like his jurisdictional rights, tied to the divine jure of his office. They have grown in the course of history, and have been enshrined by the passage of centuries, but they are not free from modification."
Originally the titles of the Bishop of Rome were used as expressions of respect, power, and veneration, later many became firmly associated with his office, becoming distinctive and specific titles. The oldest titles used are "pope" and "pontiff", which date back to the middle of the 3rd century. The other titles appear from the 5th century onwards and develop throughout the Middle Ages. The Annuario Pontificio, the directory of the Holy See, has published since 1716 lists of what are considered the official papal titles since then. However, the official list does not include all those in use; moreover, during history, popes have carried various other titles, sometimes for centuries, which at one point were abandoned.

Official titles

The official list of papal titles, in the order they are dictated by the Annuario Pontificio in 2024, is:
The term pope comes from the Latin papa, and from the Greek πάππας. 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: Petri apostoli potestatem accipiens ; or even Petrus apostolus princeps apostolorum. It has also been proposed as its origin the union of the first syllables of the Latin words pater and pastor.
Since the early third century, the term pope has been used as an expression of affectionate veneration for both the bishop of Rome and the other bishops of the West. In the East, it was initially used for priests, but after the election of the 13th patriarch of Alexandria, Heracles, and his designation as pope, 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, Damasus, Siricius, 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 and the correspondence between Siricius and Symmachus. In the sixth century, the expression became firmly associated with the bishops of Rome, and until the eleventh century, Pope Gregory VII "prescribed that it should be limited only to the successors of Peter."
With regard specifically to the term papacy, there is no comprehensive study of its origin, as there is for the word pope. However, the term originated around the 12th century to refer exclusively to the pope's ecclesiastical governmental system.

Vicar of Christ

Vicar of Christ is the pope's most significant title, implying his supreme and universal primacy. 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.
File:HasekuraRomanCitizenship.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Document issued by the Roman Senate in 1615 granting the honorary title of a Roman citizen to Hasekura Tsunenaga, in which the Pope is described as "Pontiff" of Rome and Pastor of the Universal Catholic Church, Father of the Whole World, and Vicar of Jesus Christ, Almighty Son of God." Sendai Museum
The first record of a title reflecting the pope's role as "Vicar" is found in a letter of 445 from Pope Leo I to Dioscorus of Alexandria, in which he designates the bishop of Rome as "earthly Vicar of the successors of Peter"; shortly afterward, in 495, there were decrees of a synod named Pope Gelasius I "Vicar of Christ". 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", among others. The fact that both the title "Vicar of Peter" and "Vicar of Christ" were used is demonstrated by the fact that at the end of the 8th century, St. Boniface's oath of fidelity to Pope Gregory II uses the former, 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. Other historians suggest that this title was more associated with popes in the pontificate of Pope Eugene III and then consolidated by Innocent. Pope Nicholas III used the term Vicar of God as an equivalent title. Currently, the Second Vatican Council teaches that all bishops are "vicars and ambassadors of Christ."
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.

Successor or Vicar of the Prince of the Apostles

Prince of the Apostles is a title reserved individually for Saint Peter. Examples of this application can be seen in the following biographies of Peter:
  • St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles in the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia. Public domain.
  • as a way to demonstrate his leadership among the apostles. 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", or also as "Vicar of the Prince of the Apostles", among other variants.

Pontiff

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. This expression was first used by Pope Theodore I in 642, and since then it has been used only occasionally. The patriarchates of the East, established by the Councils of Constantinople and Chalcedon, 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, together with the four eastern patriarchs, the Pope was considered the patriarch of the West. In contrast, the popes accepted at that time only three patriarchal sees: Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch, because they were founded by Peter. Without using the title "Patriarch of the West," the Fourth Council of Constantinople, the Fourth Lateran Council, and the Council of Florence consider the pope only as the first of the five patriarchs.
The title developed in the 16th and 17th centuries, due to the multiplication of papal titles. In 2006, the title ceased to be used, although this does not symbolize a change in the ecumenical relations with the Eastern churches proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council. Pope Francis reinstated the title in 2024.
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. Yet many Catholic and Orthodox theologians, in the interests of ecumenism, use the term to describe the powers of the patriarchal and ordinary character that the pope possesses in the West, such as the appointment of bishops, rather than the powers of an extraordinary and dogmatic character, extended to the whole Church.

Servant of the Servants of God

The term "Servant of the Servants of God" is a reference to the function and authority of the pope, this title being:
The justification for this title is found in Matthew 20:26–27: " whoever wishes to be great among you, let him be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first, let him be your servant."
The title was first used in the 6th century, by Pope Gregory I, as a lesson to John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople, after the latter assumed the title "Ecumenical Patriarch", claiming power and superiority against the pope. In retaliation, Gregory adopted the title "Servant of the Servants of God," as a demonstration of humility.
Previously, this designation was used by other bishops and secular leaders, such as St. Boniface and the King of Aragon Alfonso II. Its usage became regular for popes from the 9th century onwards, and since the 12th century it has been used exclusively by themselves.