The pope[a] is the bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, [b] Roman pontiff, [c] or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City State.

Understanding the Context

[4][5] From a Catholic viewpoint, the primacy of the bishop of Rome is ... Leo XIV is the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He was elected pope on , succeeding Pope Francis (2013–25). An Augustinian priest with extensive missionary service in Peru, Leo XIV was the first American to become pope.

Key Insights

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday visited a remote prison in an often overlooked Central African nation known for human rights abuses, urging the inmates to use the privation of their conditions as an ... Sports Illustrated: Freshman Kensley Louidor-Faustin has Tools to Thrive with Auburn Tigers Auburn Tigers defensive back Kensley Louidor-Faustin has the versatility and mindset to continue defensive back tradition on The Plains. Hidden among the loaded Auburn University backfield, a man that ... Pope Leo XIV called on Christians to unite during his visit to Turkey, marking the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in a gesture aimed at ending the Great Schism that separated the Roman ... The pontiff’s Easter address, like so many of his recent statements, countered Trump’s Iran bombast with a cry for peace—and sanity.

Final Thoughts

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful at the end of the Easter mass, on ...