Pope

Who is the pope? What authority does he have?

The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the Catholic Church. (Jesus Christ is considered to be the invisible head of the Church.)

The pope is also the head of state of Vatican City.

The Church holds that St. Peter the apostle was appointed the first pope by Christ, and that he and subsequent popes have been given the authority to definitively declare teachings of the Church. (See "Papal Infallibility" for more on this authority.)

Style notes:

The Associated Press stylebook says the term "pope" should be lowercase unless used as a title (e.g. Pope Benedict XVI).

The term "pontiff" can be used interchangeably with "pope."

The term "Holy Father" is also commonly used to refer to the pope.

The term "papacy" refers to the office of pope; the term "papal" is the adjectival form.

The term "papist" is a disparaging term for a Roman Catholic and should not be used.