Pope

== Titles ==
{{Infobox manner of address
|background=#F7D79C
|name=The Pope
|image=[[File:Emblem of the Papacy SE.svg|60px]]
|reference=[[His Holiness]]
|spoken=Your Holiness
|religious=Holy Father
|posthumous=''See [[Canonization#Since 1983|here]]''
}}

=== Regnal name ===
Popes adopt a new name on their accession, known as [[papal name]], in Italian and Latin. Currently, after a new pope is elected and accepts the election, he is asked, "By what name shall you be called?" The new pope chooses the name by which he will be known from that point on. The senior cardinal deacon, or cardinal protodeacon, then appears on the balcony of Saint Peter's to proclaim the new pope by his birth name, and announce his papal name in Latin. It's customary when referring to popes to translate the regnal name into all local languages. For example, the current pope bears the papal name Papa Franciscus in Latin and Papa Francesco in Italian, but Papa Francisco in his native Spanish, Pope Francis in English, etc.

=== Official list of titles ===
{{Main|Papal titles}}
The official list of titles of the pope, in the order in which they are given in the ''[[Annuario Pontificio]]'', is:

{{blockquote|Bishop of [[Diocese of Rome|Rome]], [[Vicar of Christ|Vicar of Jesus Christ]], Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, [[Pontifex maximus|Supreme Pontiff]] of the Universal Church, [[Patriarch of the West]], [[Primate (bishop)|Primate]] of Italy, [[Metropolitan bishop|Archbishop and Metropolitan]] of the [[List of Catholic dioceses in Italy#Ecclesiastical Province of Rome|Roman Province]], [[List of sovereigns of Vatican City State|Sovereign]] of the Vatican City State, [[Servant of the servants of God]].<ref>''Annuario Pontificio'', published annually by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, p. 23. {{ISBN|978-88-209-8722-0}}.</ref>}}

The best-known title, that of "pope", does not appear in the official list, but is commonly used in the titles of documents, and appears, in abbreviated form, in their signatures. Thus [[Paul VI]] signed as "Paulus PP. VI", the "PP." standing for "''papa pontifex''" ("pope and pontiff").<ref>{{cathEncy|author=Shahan, Thomas Joseph|wstitle=Ecclesiastical Abbreviations|volume=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year= 2013|title= Pope|encyclopedia= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Online|access-date= 14 April 2013|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469994/pope|archive-date= 12 June 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130612233836/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469994/pope|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://inkunabeln.ub.uni-koeln.de/vdibDevelop/handapparat/nachs_w/cappelli/cappelli.html |author=Adriano Cappelli |title=Lexicon Abbreviaturarum |page=283 |access-date=18 February 2013 |archive-date=25 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725080258/http://inkunabeln.ub.uni-koeln.de/vdibDevelop/handapparat/nachs_w/cappelli/cappelli.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ndl.go.jp/incunabula/e/glossary/glo_11.html |title=Contractions and Abbreviations |publisher=Ndl.go.jp |date=4 August 2005 |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210050234/http://www.ndl.go.jp/incunabula/e/glossary/glo_11.html |archive-date=10 December 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Papa+Pontifex |title=What Does PP Stand For? |publisher=Acronyms.thefreedictionary.com |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=30 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130042409/http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/Papa+Pontifex |url-status=live }}</ref>

The title "pope" was from the early 3rd century an honorific designation used for ''any'' bishop in the West.<ref name=ODCC:Pope /> In the East, it was used only for the [[bishop of Alexandria]].<ref name=ODCC:Pope /> [[Pope Marcellinus|Marcellinus]] (d. 304) is the first bishop of Rome shown in sources to have had the title "pope" used of him. From the 6th century, the imperial chancery of [[Constantinople]] normally reserved this designation for the bishop of Rome.<ref name=ODCC:Pope /> From the early 6th century, it began to be confined in the West to the bishop of Rome, a practice that was firmly in place by the 11th century.<ref name=ODCC:Pope />

In [[Eastern Christianity]], where the title "pope" is used also of the bishop of Alexandria, the bishop of Rome is often referred to as the "pope of Rome", regardless of whether the speaker or writer is in communion with Rome or not.<ref>{{Cite web|title=pope {{!}} Definition, Title, & List of Popes|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/pope|access-date=17 February 2021|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=11 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711193542/https://www.britannica.com/topic/pope|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Vicar of Jesus Christ ===
"Vicar of Jesus Christ" (''Vicarius Iesu Christi'') is one of the official titles of the pope given in the ''Annuario Pontificio''. It is commonly used in the slightly abbreviated form "vicar of Christ" (''vicarius Christi''). While it is only one of the terms with which the pope is referred to as "vicar", it is "more expressive of his supreme headship of the Church on Earth, which he bears in virtue of the commission of Christ and with vicarial power derived from him", a vicarial power believed to have been conferred on Saint Peter when Christ said to him: "Feed my lambs...Feed my sheep".<ref>{{bibleverse||John|21:16–17}}</ref><ref name="New Advent – Vicar of Christ">{{cathEncy|wstitle=Vicar of Christ|author=Fanning, William Henry Windsor}}</ref>

The first record of the application of this title to a bishop of Rome appears in a synod of 495 with reference to [[Gelasius I]].<ref name="Macbrien">McBrien, Richard P. ''Os Papas. Os Pontífices de São Pedro a João Paulo II'' (original title: ''Lives of the Popes. The Pontiffs from St. Peter to John Paul II'' 1997. {{ISBN|0-06-065303-5}}), pp. 37, 85.</ref> But at that time, and down to the 9th century, other bishops too referred to themselves as vicars of Christ, and for another four centuries this description was sometimes used of kings and even judges,<ref>''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article ''Vicar of Christ''</ref> as it had been used in the 5th and 6th centuries to refer to the [[Byzantine emperor]].<ref name="New Commentary" /> Earlier still, in the 3rd century, [[Tertullian]] used "vicar of Christ" to refer to the [[Holy Spirit]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| url= http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0311.htm| title= Prescription against Heretics (Chapter 28)| access-date= 14 April 2013| publisher= New Advent| encyclopedia= Catholic Encyclopedia: The Fathers of the Church| archive-date= 17 October 2012| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121017062415/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0311.htm| url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia| url= http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0403.htm| title= On the Veiling of Virgins (Chapter 1)| access-date= 14 April 2013| publisher= New Advent| encyclopedia= Catholic Encyclopedia: The Fathers of the Church| archive-date= 20 May 2013| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130520080041/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0403.htm| url-status= live}}</ref> sent by Jesus.<ref>see {{bibleverse||John|16:7–14}}</ref> Its use specifically for the pope appears in the 13th century in connection with the reforms of [[Pope Innocent III]],<ref name="New Commentary">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JKgZEjvB5cEC&pg=PA432 |title= New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law |page= 432 |access-date= 18 February 2010 |isbn= 978-0-8091-4066-4 |date= 2002 |last1= Beal |first1= John P. |last2= Coriden |first2= James A. |last3= Green |first3= Thomas J. |publisher= Paulist Press |archive-date= 19 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210319004236/https://books.google.com/books?id=JKgZEjvB5cEC&pg=PA432 |url-status= live }}</ref> as can be observed already in his 1199 letter to [[Leo I, King of Armenia]].<ref>Faus, José Ignacio Gonzáles. "''Autoridade da Verdade – Momentos Obscuros do Magistério Eclesiástico''" (Edições Loyola. {{ISBN|85-15-01750-4}}), p. 33.</ref> Other historians suggest that this title was already used in this way in association with the pontificate of [[Eugene III]] (1145–1153).<ref name="Macbrien" />

This title "vicar of Christ" is thus not used of the pope alone and has been used of all bishops since the early centuries.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7bjDsZHPiSYC&pg=PA264 |title=The Practical Prophet: Pastoral Writings |page=264 |publisher=Paulist Press |location=New York |year=2007 |author1=Untener, Ken |author2=Picken, Elizabeth |access-date=21 November 2011 |isbn=978-0-8091-4429-7 |archive-date=19 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319005223/https://books.google.com/books?id=7bjDsZHPiSYC&pg=PA264 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Second Vatican Council referred to all bishops as "vicars and ambassadors of Christ",<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html | title= Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution ''Lumen gentium'', 27 | access-date= 27 January 2010 | archive-date= 6 September 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140906031754/https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html | url-status= live }}</ref> and this description of the bishops was repeated by John Paul II in his encyclical ''Ut unum sint,'' 95. The difference is that the other bishops are vicars of Christ for their own local churches, the pope is vicar of Christ for the whole Church.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJ78Vd4O9d4C&pg=PA991 |page=991 |first=Russell B. |last=Shaw |location=Huntington, Ind |publisher=Our Sunday Visitor |year=1979 |title=Church & State: A Novel of Politics and Power |access-date=14 April 2013 |isbn=978-0-87973-669-9 |archive-date=26 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526034011/http://books.google.com/books?id=vJ78Vd4O9d4C&pg=PA991 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On at least one occasion the title "vicar of God" (a reference to Christ as God) was used of the pope.<ref name="New Advent – Vicar of Christ" />

The title "vicar of Peter" (''vicarius Petri'') is used only of the pope, not of other bishops. Variations of it include: "Vicar of the Prince of the Apostles" (''Vicarius Principis Apostolorum'') and "Vicar of the Apostolic See" (''Vicarius Sedis Apostolicae'').<ref name="New Advent – Vicar of Christ" /> [[Saint Boniface]] described [[Pope Gregory II]] as vicar of Peter in the oath of fealty that he took in 722.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boniface1.html |title=Medieval Sourcebook |publisher=Fordham.edu |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=27 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127185446/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boniface1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In today's [[Roman Missal]], the description "vicar of Peter" is found also in the [[collect]] of the [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] for a saint who was a pope.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/end.htm#cml |title=''Missale Romanum'', Vatican City, 2008, p. 928 |publisher=Clerus.org |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=30 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130050255/http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/end.htm#cml |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Supreme pontiff ===
[[File:Benedictus XVI Pont Max Pontif I.jpg|thumb|Entrance to [[Vatican City]], with inscription "Benedictus XVI Pont(ifex) Max(imus) Anno Domini MMV Pont(ificatus) I.", i.e., "[[Benedict XVI]], Pontifex Maximus, in the year of Our Lord 2005, the first year of his pontificate."]]
The term "[[pontiff]]" is derived from the {{lang-la|pontifex}}, which literally means "bridge builder" (''pons'' + ''facere'') and which designated a member of the [[College of Pontiffs|principal college of priests]] in pagan Rome.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year= 2013|title= Pontifex|encyclopedia= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica Online|access-date= 14 April 2013|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469745/pontifex|archive-date= 13 June 2013|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130613003622/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/469745/pontifex|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>The bridge making has been interpreted in terms of "one who smoothes the way for the gods and to the gods" (Van Haeperen, Françoise, 2002. ''Le collège pontifical: 3ème s. a. C. – 4ème s. p.&nbsp;C.'' in series '' Études de Philologie, d'Archéologie et d'Histoire Anciennes'', no. 39. (Brussels: Brepols) {{ISBN|90-74461-49-2}}, reviewed in [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2003/2003-10-16.html Bryn Mawr Classical review, 2003] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031107152321/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2003/2003-10-16.html |date=7 November 2003 }})</ref> The Latin word was translated into ancient Greek variously: as {{lang-grc|ἱεροδιδάσκαλος}}, {{lang-grc|ἱερονόμος|link=no}}, {{lang-grc|ἱεροφύλαξ|link=no}}, {{lang-grc|ἱεροφάντης|link=no}} ([[hierophant]]),<ref name="smithpontifex">{{cite encyclopedia |year= 1875|title =Pontifex |encyclopedia=[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities]] |publisher=J. Murray |location=London |editor-first=William |editor-last=Smith |editor-link=William Smith (lexicographer)|pages=939–942|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Pontifex.html }}</ref> or {{lang-grc|ἀρχιερεύς|link=no}} ([[archiereus]], [[high priest]])<ref name=L&S>{{cite book |url=http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.8:10:135.LSJ |editor-first=Henry George |editor-last=Liddell |editor-first2=Robert |editor-last2=Scott |title=A Greek English Lexicon |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=18 February 2013 |via=perseus.uchicago.edu |archive-date=21 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521153349/http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.8:10:135.LSJ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[[Polybius]] 23.1.2 and 32.22.5; ''Corpus Inscriptionum Atticarum'' 3.43, 3.428 und 3.458</ref> The head of the college was known as the {{lang-la|Pontifex Maximus|link=no}} (the greatest pontiff).<ref>Translated literally into Greek as {{lang-grc|ἀρχιερεὺς μέγιστος}} (greatest high priest) in ''Corpus Inscriptionum Graecarum'' 2.2696 and 3.346; [[Plutarch]] ''Numa'' 9.4 – [http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.8:10:135.LSJ Liddell and Scott: ἀρχιερεύς] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521153349/http://perseus.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.8:10:135.LSJ |date=21 May 2013 }}</ref>

In Christian use, ''pontifex'' appears in the [[Vulgate]] translation of the [[New Testament]] to indicate the [[High Priest of Israel]] (in the original [[Koine Greek]], {{lang|grc-x-koine|ἀρχιερεύς}}).<ref>There are 35 instances of the use of this term in the Vulgate: {{bibleverse||Mark|15:11}}; {{bibleverse||John|7:45}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|11:47}},{{bibleverse-nb||John|11:49}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|11:51}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|11:57}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:3}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:10}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:13}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:15–16}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:22}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:24}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:26}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|18:35}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|19:6}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|19:15}}, {{bibleverse-nb||John|19:21}}; {{bibleverse||Hebrews|2:17}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|3:1}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|4:14–15}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|5:1}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|5:5}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|5:10}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|6:20}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|7:26}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|8:1}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|8:3}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|9:7}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|9:11}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|9:25}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Hebrews|13:11}}</ref> The term came to be applied to any Christian bishop,<ref name="New Advent – Pope">{{cathEncy|wstitle=Pope|author=Joyce, G. H.}}</ref> but since the 11th century commonly refers specifically to the bishop of Rome,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Pontiff |title=Dictionary definition |publisher=Dictionary.reference.com |access-date=7 November 2010 |archive-date=22 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122162728/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pontiff |url-status=live }}</ref> who is more strictly called the "Roman Pontiff". The use of the term to refer to bishops in general is reflected in the terms "[[Roman Pontifical]]" (a book containing rites reserved for bishops, such as [[confirmation]] and [[ordination]]), and "pontificals" (the insignia of bishops).<ref>{{cite web |title=pontifical |url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pontifical |work=Oxford Dictionaries |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=15 April 2013 |archive-date=27 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427091618/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pontifical |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The ''Annuario Pontificio'' lists as one of the official titles of the pope that of "Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church" ({{lang-la|Summus Pontifex Ecclesiae Universalis|link=no}}).<ref>Annuario Pontificio 2008 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana {{ISBN|978-88-209-8021-4}}), p. 23*</ref> He is also commonly called the supreme pontiff or the sovereign pontiff ({{lang-la|summus pontifex|link=no}}).<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/worlddictionaryo00adel_0 | url-access=registration | page=[https://archive.org/details/worlddictionaryo00adel_0/page/375 375] |title=World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers| publisher=Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers | isbn=978-0-86516-423-9| last1=Adeleye| first1=Gabriel| last2=Acquah-Dadzie| first2=Kofi| authorlink2=Kofi Acquah-Dadzie| date= 1999}}</ref>

''Pontifex Maximus'', similar in meaning to ''Summus Pontifex'', is a title commonly found in inscriptions on papal buildings, paintings, statues and coins, usually abbreviated as "Pont. Max" or "P.M." The office of Pontifex Maximus, or head of the College of Pontiffs, was held by [[Julius Caesar]] and thereafter, by the Roman emperors, until [[Gratian]] (375–383) relinquished it.<ref name="smithpontifex" /><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Gratian|year=2013|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242251/Gratian|access-date=14 April 2013|archive-date=18 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318124237/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/242251/Gratian|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.livius.org/pn-po/pontifex/maximus.html Pontifex Maximus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303013139/http://www.livius.org/pn-po/pontifex/maximus.html |date=3 March 2013 }} Livius.org article by Jona Lendering retrieved 15 August 2006</ref> Tertullian, when he had become a [[Montanist]], used the title derisively of either the pope or the [[bishop of Carthage]].<ref name=ODCC:PM /> The popes began to use this title regularly only in the 15th century.<ref name=ODCC:PM>''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford University Press 2005 {{ISBN|978-0-19-280290-3}}), article ''Pontifex Maximus''</ref>

=== Servant of the servants of God ===
Although the description "servant of the servants of God" ({{lang-la|servus servorum Dei|link=no}}) was also used by other Church leaders, including [[Augustine of Hippo]] and [[Benedict of Nursia]], it was first used extensively as a papal title by [[Gregory the Great]], reportedly as a lesson in humility for the patriarch of Constantinople, [[John the Faster]], who had assumed the title "[[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|ecumenical patriarch]]". It became reserved for the pope in the 12th century and is used in [[papal bull]]s and similar important papal documents.<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Servus servorum Dei|author=Meehan, Andrew Brennan}}</ref>

=== Patriarch of the West ===
{{Main article|Patriarch of the West}}
{{See also|Patriarch|Pentarchy}}
From 1863 until 2005, the ''Annuario Pontificio'' also included the title "[[patriarch of the West]]". This title was first used by [[Pope Theodore I]] in 642, and was only used occasionally. Indeed, it did not begin to appear in the pontifical yearbook until 1863. On 22 March 2006, the Vatican released a statement explaining this omission on the grounds of expressing a "historical and theological reality" and of "being useful to ecumenical dialogue". The title patriarch of the West symbolized the pope's special relationship with, and jurisdiction over, the [[Latin Church]]—and the omission of the title neither symbolizes in any way a change in this relationship, nor distorts the relationship between the Holy See and the [[Eastern Churches]], as solemnly proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/general-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20060322_patriarca-occidente_fr.html |title=Communiqué concernant la suppression du titre "Patriarche d'Occident" dans l'Annuaire pontifical 2006 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=11 August 2010 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303075224/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/general-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20060322_patriarca-occidente_fr.html |url-status=live }}</ref> "Patriarch of the West" was reintroduced to the pope's list of titles in the 2024 edition of the Annuario Pontifico. The Vatican has not made any statements explaining why the title has been brought back into use.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why is Pope Francis embracing the patriarchy (of the West)? |url=https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/why-is-pope-francis-embracing-the |access-date=10 April 2024 |agency=<em>The Pillar</em> |date=10 April 2024}}</ref>

=== Other titles ===
Other titles commonly used are "[[His Holiness]]" (either used alone or as an honorific prefix as in "His Holiness Pope Francis"; and as "Your Holiness" as a form of address), "Holy Father". In Spanish and Italian, "''Beatísimo/Beatissimo Padre''" (Most Blessed Father) is often used in preference to "''Santísimo/Santissimo Padre''" (Most Holy Father). In the medieval period, "''[[Dominus Apostolicus]]''" ("the Apostolic Lord") was also used.

=== Signature ===
{{multiple image
|align = right
|direction = vertical
|image1 = FirmaPapaFrancisco.svg
|alt1 = The signature of Pope Francis
|caption1 = The signature of [[Pope Francis]]
|image2 = Pope Benedict XVI Signature.svg
|alt2 = The signature of Pope Benedict XVI
|caption2 = The signature of [[Pope Benedict XVI]] during his pontificate
}}
Pope Francis signs some documents with his name alone, either in Latin ("Franciscus", as in an [[encyclical]] dated 29 June 2013)<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20130629_enciclica-lumen-fidei.html| title = Encyclical letter ''Lumen fidei''| access-date = 15 January 2021| archive-date = 15 January 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210115115142/http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20130629_enciclica-lumen-fidei.html| url-status = live}}</ref> or in another language.<ref>Examples are "Francesco" in the frontispiece of the 2013 ''[[Annuario Pontificio]]'' published in Italian shortly after his election (''Annuario Pontificio 2013'', Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, {{ISBN|978-88-209-9070-1}}) and [https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/letters/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140401_cardinale-baldisseri.html a letter in Italian dated 1 April 2014] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224141237/http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/letters/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140401_cardinale-baldisseri.html |date=24 February 2021 }}.</ref> Other documents he signs in accordance with the tradition of using Latin only and including the abbreviated form "PP.", for the Latin ''Papa'' ("Pope").<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01022a.htm| title = Catholic Encyclopedia:''Ecclesiastical Abbreviations''| access-date = 14 May 2014| archive-date = 7 July 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140707080820/http://newadvent.org/cathen/01022a.htm| url-status = live}}</ref> Popes who have an ordinal numeral in their name traditionally place the abbreviation "PP." before the ordinal numeral, as in "Benedictus PP. XVI" (Pope Benedict&nbsp;XVI), except in papal bulls of canonization and decrees of ecumenical councils, which a pope signs with the formula, "Ego N. Episcopus Ecclesiae catholicae", without the numeral, as in "Ego Benedictus Episcopus Ecclesiae catholicae" (I, Benedict, Bishop of the Catholic Church).