Pope

== Objections to the papacy ==
[[File:Antichrist1.jpg|thumb|upright|''Antichristus'', by [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]], from Luther's 1521 ''Passionary of the Christ and Antichrist''. The pope is signing and selling [[indulgence]]s.]]
The pope's claim to authority is either disputed or rejected outright by other churches, for various reasons.

=== Orthodox, Anglican and Old Catholic churches ===
Other traditional Christian churches ([[Assyrian Church of the East]], the [[Oriental Orthodox Church]], the Eastern Orthodox Church, the [[Old Catholic Church]], the [[Anglican Communion]], the [[Independent Catholic churches]], etc.) accept the doctrine of Apostolic succession and, to varying extents, papal claims to a primacy of honour, while generally rejecting the pope as the successor to Peter in any other sense than that of other bishops. Primacy is regarded as a consequence of the pope's position as bishop of the original capital city of the Roman Empire, a definition explicitly spelled out in the 28th canon of the [[Council of Chalcedon]]. These churches see no foundation to papal claims of ''universal immediate jurisdiction'', or to claims of papal infallibility. Several of these churches refer to such claims as ''[[ultramontanism]]''.

=== Protestant denominations ===
{{Main|Historicism (Christianity)}}
In 1973, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' [[Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs]] and the USA National Committee of the [[Lutheran World Federation]] in the official [[Catholic–Lutheran dialogue]] included this passage in a larger statement on papal primacy:

{{blockquote|In calling the pope the "Antichrist", the early [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] stood in a [[Antichrist#Pre-Reformation Western Church accusers|tradition that reached back into the eleventh century]]. Not only dissidents and [[Heresy in Christianity|heretics]] but even saints had called the bishop of Rome the "Antichrist" when they wished to castigate his [[abuse of power]]. What Lutherans understood as a [[Papal supremacy|papal claim to unlimited authority]] [[Temporal power (papal)|over everything and everyone]] reminded them of the [[Apocalypticism|apocalyptic imagery]] of [[Daniel 11]], a passage that even prior to the Reformation had been applied to the pope as the Antichrist of the [[Eschatology|last days]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/lutheran/attitudes-papal-primacy.cfm| title = Differing Attitudes Toward Papal Primacy| access-date = 17 December 2018| archive-date = 18 December 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054544/http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/ecumenical-and-interreligious/ecumenical/lutheran/attitudes-papal-primacy.cfm| url-status = live}}</ref>}}

[[Protestant]] denominations of Christianity reject the claims of Petrine primacy of honour, Petrine primacy of jurisdiction, and papal infallibility. These denominations vary from denying the legitimacy of the pope's claim to authority, to believing that the pope is the Antichrist<ref>"Therefore, on the basis of a renewed study of the pertinent Scriptures we reaffirm the statement of the Lutheran Confessions, that 'the Pope is the very Antichrist'" from [http://www.wels.net/about-wels/doctrinal-statements/antichrist Statement on the Antichrist] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222233710/http://www.wels.net/about-wels/doctrinal-statements/antichrist |date=22 February 2013 }} from the [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]], also ''[http://www.ianpaisley.org/antichrist.asp Ian Paisley, The Pope is the Antichrist] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916080636/http://www.ianpaisley.org/antichrist.asp |date=16 September 2017 }}''</ref> from 1 John 2:18, the [[Man of Sin]] from 2 Thessalonians 2:3–12,<ref>See Kretzmann's [http://www.kretzmannproject.org/EP_MINOR/2TH_2.htm ''Popular Commentary''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912222729/http://www.kretzmannproject.org/EP_MINOR/2TH_2.htm |date=12 September 2007 }}, 2 Thessalonians chapter two and [http://www.wlsessays.net/files/JeskeThessalonians.pdf An Exegesis of 2 Thessalonians 2:1–10] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321144249/http://www.wlsessays.net/files/JeskeThessalonians.pdf |date=21 March 2014 }} by Mark Jeske</ref> and the [[The Beast (Revelation)|Beast out of the Earth]] from Revelation 13:11–18.<ref>See See Kretzmann's [http://www.kretzmannproject.org/REV/REV_13.htm ''Popular Commentary''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912222710/http://www.kretzmannproject.org/REV/REV_13.htm |date=12 September 2007 }}, Revelation Chapter 13</ref>
[[File:ChristWashingFeet.JPG|thumb|upright|''Christus'', by Lucas Cranach. This woodcut of John 13:14–17 is from ''Passionary of the Christ and Antichrist''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NMQ_Ar84DCcC Passional Christi und Antichristi] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719171303/https://books.google.com/books?id=NMQ_Ar84DCcC |date=19 July 2019 }} Full view on Google Books</ref> Cranach shows Jesus kissing Peter's foot during the footwashing. This stands in contrast to the opposing woodcut, where the pope demands others kiss his foot.]]
[[File:PopeKissing Feet.JPG|thumb|left|upright|''Antichristus'', by the Lutheran [[Lucas Cranach the Elder]]. This woodcut of the traditional practice of kissing the pope's foot is from ''Passionary of the Christ and Antichrist''.]]
This sweeping rejection is held by, among others, some denominations of Lutherans: [[Confessional Lutheran]]s hold that the pope is the Antichrist, stating that this article of faith is part of a ''quia'' ("because") rather than ''quatenus'' ("insofar as") subscription to the [[Book of Concord]]. In 1932, one of these Confessional churches, the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]] (LCMS), adopted ''A Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod'', which a small number of Lutheran church bodies now hold. The [[Lutheran Churches of the Reformation]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod |publisher=Lutheran Churches of the Reformation |url= http://lcrusa.org/a-brief-statement-of-doctrinal-position.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121115032/http://www.lcrusa.org/a-brief-statement-of-doctrinal-position.html|archive-date=21 January 2019 }}</ref> the [[Concordia Lutheran Conference]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod in the By-Gone Days of Its Orthodoxy (1932): Still by God's Grace the Scriptural Position of the Concordia Lutheran Conference |publisher=Concordia Lutheran Conference |url=http://www.concordialutheranconf.com/doctrine/1932-2.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151203092955/http://www.concordialutheranconf.com/doctrine/1932-2.cfm |archive-date=3 December 2015 |access-date=24 February 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Church of the Lutheran Confession]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Brief Statement of 1932 |publisher=Church of the Lutheran Confession |date=10 December 2011 |url=http://clclutheran.org/2011/12/the-brief-statement-of-1932/ |access-date=4 August 2020 |archive-date=13 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813000702/http://clclutheran.org/2011/12/the-brief-statement-of-1932/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the Illinois Lutheran Conference<ref>{{Cite web |title=Doctrinal Position |publisher=The Illinois Lutheran Conference |url= https://www.illinoislutheranconference.org/our-solid-foundation/doctrinal-position-of-the-ilc.lwp/odyframe.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819173407/http://www.illinoislutheranconference.org/our-solid-foundation/doctrinal-position-of-the-ilc.lwp/odyframe.htm |archive-date=19 August 2007 }}</ref> all hold to the ''Brief Statement'', which the LCMS places on its website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=415|title=Doctrinal Position – The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod|access-date=18 February 2013|archive-date=15 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115074152/http://lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=415|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]] (WELS), another Confessional Lutheran church that declares the Papacy to be the Antichrist, released its own statement, the "Statement on the Antichrist", in 1959. The WELS still holds to this statement.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wels.net/about-wels/what-we-believe/doctrinal-statements/antichrist/|title=Antichrist|access-date=1 December 2016|archive-date=17 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117214757/https://wels.net/about-wels/what-we-believe/doctrinal-statements/antichrist/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Historically, Protestants objected to the papacy's claim of temporal power over all secular governments, including territorial claims in Italy,<ref>See the [https://books.google.com/books?id=Zr3lGJei6fkC Baltimore Catechism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919114345/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zr3lGJei6fkC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r#PPA168,M1 |date=19 September 2015 }} on the temporal power of the pope over governments and Innocent III's [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/innIII-policies.html Letter to the prefect Acerbius and the nobles of Tuscany] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814182618/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/innIII-policies.html |date=14 August 2014 }}. For objection to this, see the [https://archive.org/details/concordiacyclope009499mbp Concordia Cyclopedia], pp. 564, 750.</ref> the papacy's complex relationship with secular states such as the Roman and Byzantine empires, and the autocratic character of the papal office.<ref>See Luther, [http://www.bookofconcord.com/smalcald.html#article4 Smalcald Articles, Article four] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010210703/http://www.bookofconcord.com/smalcald.html#article4 |date=10 October 2008 }}</ref> In [[Western Christianity]] these objections both contributed to and are products of the Protestant Reformation.