Pope

== Other uses of the title "Pope" ==
In the earlier centuries of Christianity, the title "Pope", meaning "father", had been used by all bishops. Some popes used the term and others did not. Eventually, the title became associated especially with the bishop of Rome. In a few cases, the term is used for other Christian clerical authorities.

In English, Catholic priests are still addressed as "father", but the term "pope" is reserved for the head of the church hierarchy.

=== In the Catholic Church ===
"Black Pope" is a name that was popularly, but unofficially, given to the [[superior general of the Society of Jesus]] due to the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuits']] importance within the Church. This name, based on the black colour of his cassock, was used to suggest a parallel between him and the "White Pope" (since the time of [[Pius V]] the popes dress in white) and the cardinal prefect of the [[Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples]] (formerly called the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith), whose red cardinal's cassock gave him the name of the "Red Pope" in view of the authority over all territories that were not considered in some way Catholic. In the present time this cardinal has power over mission territories for Catholicism, essentially the Churches of Africa and Asia,<ref name="Magister">[http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=7049&eng=ylink Sandro Magister] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621082856/http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=7049 |date=21 June 2006 }}, Espresso Online.</ref> but in the past his competence extended also to all lands where Protestants or Eastern Christianity was dominant. Some remnants of this situation remain, with the result that, for instance, New Zealand is still in the care of this Congregation.

=== In the Eastern Churches ===
Since the papacy of Heraclas in the 3rd century, the bishop of Alexandria in both the [[Coptic Orthodox Church]] and the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria]] continues to be called "pope", the former being called "Coptic pope" or, more properly, "[[Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church|Pope and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Orthodox and Apostolic Throne of Saint Mark the Evangelist and Holy Apostle]]" and the latter called "[[List of Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Alexandria|Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?lang=en |title=The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa |access-date=25 June 2013 |archive-date=5 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705151714/http://www.patriarchateofalexandria.com/index.php?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]], [[Russian Orthodox Church]], [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] and [[Macedonian Orthodox Church]], it is not unusual for a village priest to be called a "pope" ("поп" ''pop''). This is different from the words used for the head of the Catholic Church (Bulgarian "папа" ''papa'', Russian "папа римский" ''papa rimskiy'').

=== In new religious movements and other Christian-related new religious movements ===
Some [[new religious movement]]s within Christianity, especially those that have [[Independent Catholicism|disassociated themselves from the Catholic Church]] yet retain a Catholic hierarchical framework, have used the designation "pope" for a founder or current leader. Examples include the African [[Legio Maria]] Church and the European [[Palmarian Catholic Church]] in Spain. The [[Cao Dai]], a Vietnamese faith that duplicates the Catholic hierarchy, is similarly headed by a pope.