(strange world/strange world)
The Catholic Church considers Saint Peter – Simon Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus – the first pope in history. He would have assumed the role of leader of Christianity shortly after the death of Jesus, still in the 1st century. “Certainly at that time there was no articulation between all the Christian communities. But in an expressive number of them, Peter’s leadership as head of the 12 apostles appeared. The Catholic Church recognizes in this initial prominence something desired by Jesus. Just as the apostles had successors, Peter had them. That is why the pope is considered his successor”, says theologian Pedro Lima Vasconcellos, from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). But the issue is not as simple as that. “When you ask about the pope’s origin, you have to reflect: are you thinking of a political authority, as well as a religious one?
If so, we would have to place it in the 5th century, where the figure of Leo the Great stands out, who played a fundamental role in the context of the fall of the Roman Empire”, says Pedro Lima. It is also important to remember that the word “pope” – which comes from the Greek pappas, “father” – was for several centuries used to designate all bishops in the West. Only in the year 1073, by order of Pope Gregory VII, did it become exclusively used by the Bishop of Rome, the highest authority of the Catholic Church. The only exception is the Patriarch of Alexandria, an authority of the Greek Orthodox Church, who also retains the title to this day.