Who or what is the pope? The title pope stems from the Greek word papas, which simply means 'father.' Early in Christian history it was used as a formal title expressing affectionate respect for any bishop and sometimes even priests. Today 'pope' continues to be used in Eastern Orthodox churches for the patriarch of Alexandria but is mostly widely used in the Catholic church. This 19-week course covers the origins of the papacy, the development of papal power over the centuries, the different types of popes who have ruled, how popes are elected, what the next papal election may be like, and links to short biographies of every past pope.
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