The Official Titles of the Pope
The Pope has several official titles: Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of [Peter] the Prince of the Apostles, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Bishop of Rome, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, and Servant of the Servants of God. Many of these titles are quite ancient. For instance, Pope St. Gregory the Great, who ruled the Church as Pope from September 3, 590 A.D. until his death on March 12, 604 A.D., was the first Pope we know of to use the title of “Servant of the Servants of God.”
Patriarch of the West
The title “Patriarch of the West” was also included in this list until 2006, when Pope Benedict XVI removed it from the Annuario Pontificio (translated as ‘Pontifical Yearbook’).[1] Vatican officials justified the action by saying the title was “theologically imprecise and historically obsolete.” (Such a rationalization only seems plausible if one adopts a modernist framework by which to understand theology and history.) Apparently, Benedict’s reason for dropping the title was an attempt to help bridge the differences between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. However, that seems to have backfired as many Orthodox viewed such a change as an assertion of Rome’s dominance over other legitimate patriarchs.
In the 2024 edition of the Annuario, Pope Francis reinserted the title “Patriarch of the West.” However, he relegated it to a new category. Under Francis, this is now considered a ‘historical’ title and not a ‘formal’ [official] title of the Pope. In fact, in 2019 Francis had all the formal titles of the Pope – except “Bishop of Rome – placed on a different page of the Annuario.” The following year, he had all these titles listed as “historical titles,” and it was only to this category that he reinserted “Patriarch of the West.”
Names and titles are very important because they denote who a person is and what his role is. When they are sacred titles, they denote the God-given duty and authority which a person has. (Thus, Our Lord changed Simon’s name to Cephas or Peter.)
Hopefully, all of these titles will be restored as formal titles in the near future as part of the Catholic Restoration.
Why Is the Pope Called “Holy Father”?
“Holy Father” is not an official title of the Pope. The early Church even used the expression “Holy Father” to refer to other holy members of the Church at that time. St. Augustine wrote, “I beseech you to convey my respectful salutation to the holy father Alypius,[2] worthy of all esteem” (cf. Letter 81). And St. Athanasius wrote in the Life of St. Anthony: “the life and conversation of our holy Father, Antony: written and sent to the monks in foreign parts by our Father among the Saints, Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.” St. Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, was himself frequently called ‘holy Father’ by his flock. Both of these saints lived before the year 400 A.D., so the origin of this expression is quite ancient.
Thus, it is understandable that the term “Holy Father” was also used for the Pope. This term is not a judgment on his personal holiness, as if any man who becomes Pope is by that very office morally saintly. Rather, it refers to the Pope being our spiritual father in holy matters, such as the sanctification of the faithful through the Sacraments, the preaching of the Gospel to all nations and preserving true doctrine, and uniting all of Christ’s sheep into one flock. Even though priests and bishops also serve these laudable aims, the Pope has a singular role. This uniqueness has been conveyed among rank-and-file Catholics in that, over time, the term “Holy Father” came to be applied almost exclusively to him.[3]
Similarly, Catholic.com explains: “Catholics call the pope ‘Holy Father’ not as an acknowledgment of his personal state of soul but as an expression of respect for his office as successor to Peter and head of the Church on earth. His is a holy office.”
This was a favorite term of the three shepherd seers from Fatima. Little Jacinta was often concerned over the “poor Holy Father” who suffered so much. She was privileged to receive at least two unique visions (most likely prophetic) of the Holy Father. St. Jacinta would often remind others of the need to “pray very much for the Holy Father.”
The Meaning of “Vicar of Christ”
The title “Vicar of Christ” stems from the Latin phrase Vicarius Christi, which means “Vicar of Christ” or “Representative of Christ” in English. This title expresses the Church’s ancient teaching that the Pope serves as the earthly representative for Jesus Christ. The idea is that the Pope carries out Christ’s mission and teachings on earth, leading and guiding the Church in accordance with Christ’s Will. This, of course, does not mean that the Pope is sinless or that he is infallible in all matters.
Our Lord appointed St. Peter as the leader of the Apostles and the foundation of the Catholic Church (cf. Matthew 16:18-19). From the very infancy of the Church, the Pope was seen as the successor of St. Peter, who was given the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. This connection establishes the Pope’s role as the earthly head of the Church, entrusted with the same authority that Christ bestowed upon St. Peter. For instance, papal primacy was well established in the early Church.[4]
In fact, during the early centuries of the Church, the Pope was referred to as the “Vicar of Peter.” It was understood that St. Peter still ruled the Church (from Heaven) through his representative (on earth). The Pope governed from that place where St. Peter’s martyred blood hallowed the ground. This theological truth retains all its validity through time.
The title “Vicar of Christ” for the Pope first began to be commonly used by Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) and continued in the practice of his successors.[5] Innocent III used this title to emphasize the supreme authority of the Pope over all the Church Militant. He explained this authority enabled the Pope, and the Pope alone, to remove bishops from their office.
Christ Is the Head of the Church, the Pope Is His Earthly Vicar
The Pope is the head of the visible Church on earth,[6] but Jesus Christ remains the actual head. Thus, the Pope is His representative here. The Baltimore Catechism succinctly explains this essential Catholic truth:
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- [Q.] What is the Church? [A.] The Church is the congregation of all those who profess the faith of Christ, partake of the same Sacraments, and are governed by their lawful pastors under one visible head.
- [Q.] Who is the invisible Head of the Church?
[A.] Jesus Christ is the invisible Head of the Church. - [Q.] Who is the visible Head of the Church?
[A.] Our Holy Father the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is the Vicar of Christ on earth and the visible Head of the Church.
How the Pope Exercises His Role as Christ’s Vicar
Teaching Authority: The Pope, as the Vicar of Christ, has the responsibility to interpret, defend, and teach the Deposit of Faith handed down from Christ and the Apostles. This authority is exercised through papal encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, and other formal teachings.
Universal Pastor: The Pope is the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, responsible for the spiritual care of Catholics worldwide. This parallels Christ’s role as the Good Shepherd Who cares for His flock. Through pastoral visits, messages, and interventions, the Pope seeks to guide and nurture the faithful in their journey of faith.
Unity of the Church: Just as Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for the unity of His followers (cf. John 17:21), the Pope works to maintain the unity of the Church. He serves as a visible symbol of the Church’s universality and communion and works for the salvation of all souls. This is seen in the six traditional intentions of the Pope.
Priestly Ministry: Some ceremonies, like the consecration of Agnus Dei Sacramentals, are reserved only for the Roman Pontiff.
The Pope, however, is not without limit. He is called to serve God and the Deposit of Faith and therefore may not contradict either. He cannot, for instance, add or subtract from the seven Sacraments established by Christ. He cannot change the words of Consecration. He cannot infallibly teach error. After all, the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and not a “new” Christ.
Conclusion
Since the Church must be a visible institution on earth, it follows that this visible institution must have a head. And since Christ is the true Head of the Church, the head of the Church’s visible institutions here on earth must merely be His Vicar. Hence, we need not be alarmed when the Pope is called the Vicar of Christ. The title in no way asserts an equality with Christ. Just as a ruler would appoint someone else to govern in his stead if he were to be absent for some time, so too did Christ establish a visible head for His Church on earth while He reigns in Heaven at the right hand of the Father.
ENDNOTES:
[1] The Annuario serves as the Holy See’s annual directory of the entire Catholic Church hierarchy.
[2] Alypius was Bishop of Thagaste, a Roman city in North Africa and the birthplace of St. Augustine. Alypius and Augustine were life-long friends, and both were baptized by St. Ambrose at the Easter Vigil in Milan (387 A.D.).
[3] It is customary among some religious orders to refer to the founder as “our holy father.” For example, a Franciscan commonly says “our holy father” in reference to St. Francis.
[4] “Out of the whole world one man, Peter, is chosen to preside at the calling of all nations, and to be set over all the apostles and all the Fathers of the Church. Though there are in God’s people many shepherds, Peter is thus appointed to rule in his own person those whom Christ also rules as the original ruler. Beloved, how great and wonderful is this sharing of His power that God in His goodness has given to this man. Whatever Christ has willed to be shared in common by Peter and the other leaders of the Church, it is only through Peter that He has given to others what He has not refused to bestow on them.
“Blessed Peter is therefore told: To you I will give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth is also bound in Heaven. Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed also in Heaven.
“The authority vested in this power passed also to the other apostles, and the institution established by this decree has been continued in all the leaders of the Church. But it is not without good reason that what is bestowed on all is entrusted to one. For Peter received it separately in trust because he is the prototype set before all the rulers of the Church.”
An excerpt from a sermon by Pope St. Leo the Great (Sermo 4 de natali ipsius, 2-3: PL 54, 149-151) on the authority of St. Peter. It appears in the breviary readings for the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter (February 22).
[5] Interestingly, Pope Nicholas III (1277-1280) then sought to use the title “Vicar of God” for the Pope. Yet it was not widely accepted. No other Popes used it. The judgment of Catholic Tradition, therefore, is that this was not to be one of the official titles of the Pope.
[6] Fr. John Laux, in Catholic Apologetics, Book IV, further explains why the Church must be a visible institution with a hierarchy on earth:
“The work of Redemption consisted in the discharge of this threefold office (of Priest, Prophet, and King). On the eve of His departure from this world Christ delegated His powers to His Apostles: ‘All power is given to Me in Heaven and on earth: going therefore, teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world’ (Matthew 28:18-20).
“From this commission of Christ, it is evident that His followers form an organized society under the leadership and guidance of the Apostles and their successors, with the right to teach and to command on one side, and the duty to be taught and to obey on the other.
“Everything is visible about His great institution: Baptism, which is necessary for membership, the other Sacraments which He commanded His followers to receive, the rulers and lawgivers whom the faithful must obey, the tribunal before which the faithful are judged and to which they have a right to appeal.”
