Getting to Know the Pope

Every structured environment has a chain of command - governments, corporations, schools, sports programs - and the Catholic Church is no exception. In the coming weeks, we'll go over the church hierarchy and the duties of its members.

Best known to both Catholics and non-Catholics alike, the Pope in Rome is the supreme and visible head of the Church. The word pope is actually an English translation of the Italian word il Papa, meaning father, which leads us into another name for the Pope, Holy Father. Just as a Catholic priest is called "Father" in a spiritual sense, so also is the Pope called "Holy Father" by Catholics across the globe.

There are a lot of other papal titles, too: Successor of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ, Patriarch of the West, Supreme Pontiff, Roman Pontiff, Primate of Italy, Sovereign of the Vatican City, and Head of the College of Bishops. The most-used titles, however, are Holy Father, Pope, and Roman Pontiff. As if the title itself weren't enough, the Pope actually holds two different offices-he serves as both the bishop of Rome, and head of the entire Catholic Church.