Pope

=== First Vatican Council ===
{{Main|Papal supremacy|Papal infallibility}}
[[File:Illustration for Papal Infallibility page 131 Christ in His Church by Lucas Caspar Businger.jpg|thumb|1881 illustration depicting papal infallibility]]The status and authority of the pope in the Catholic Church was dogmatically defined by the First Vatican Council on 18 July 1870. In its Dogmatic Constitution of the Church of Christ, the council established the following canons:<ref>The texts of these canons are given in [[Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum|Denzinger]], [http://catho.org/9.php?d=byj#dez Latin original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203190611/http://catho.org/9.php?d=byj#dez |date=3 February 2008 }}; [http://denzinger.patristica.net/ English translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423150303/http://denzinger.patristica.net/ |date=23 April 2013 }}</ref>

<blockquote>If anyone says that the blessed Apostle Peter was not established by the Lord Christ as the chief of all the [[twelve apostles|apostles]], and the visible head of the whole [[Church militant and church triumphant|militant Church]], or, that the same received great honour but did not receive from the same our Lord Jesus Christ directly and immediately the primacy in true and proper jurisdiction: let him be [[anathema]].<ref>Denzinger 3055 (old numbering, 1823)</ref>

If anyone says that it is not from the institution of Christ the Lord Himself, or by divine right that the blessed Peter has perpetual successors in the primacy over the universal Church, or that the Roman Pontiff is not the successor of blessed Peter in the same primacy, let him be anathema.<ref>Denzinger 3058 (old numbering, 1825)</ref>

If anyone thus speaks, that the Roman pontiff has only the office of inspection or direction, but not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the universal Church, not only in things which pertain to faith and morals, but also in those which pertain to the discipline and government of the Church spread over the whole world; or, that he possesses only the more important parts, but not the whole plenitude of this supreme power; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate, or over the churches altogether and individually, and over the pastors and the faithful altogether and individually: let him be anathema.<ref>Denzinger 3064 (old numbering, 1831)</ref>

We, adhering faithfully to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith, to the glory of God, our Saviour, the elevation of the Catholic religion and the salvation of Christian peoples, with the approbation of the sacred Council, teach and explain that the dogma has been divinely revealed: that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when carrying out the duty of the pastor and teacher of all Christians by his supreme apostolic authority he defines a doctrine of faith or morals to be held by the universal Church, through the divine assistance promised him in blessed Peter, operates with that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer wished that His church be instructed in defining doctrine on faith and morals; and so such definitions of the Roman Pontiff from himself, but not from the consensus of the Church, are unalterable. But if anyone presumes to contradict this definition of Ours, which may God forbid: let him be anathema.<ref>Denzinger 3073–3075 (old numbering, 1839–1840)</ref></blockquote>