papacy

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papacy Office, status, or authority of the pope as head of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Vatican City. The Pope is nominated Bishop of Rome and Christ's spiritual representative on Earth. He is elected by the College of Cardinals. There have been more than 265 holders of the office of pope from Saint Peter to John Paul II. Until the Reformation the papacy claimed authority over all Western Christendom. Today, papal authority extends only over the members of the Roman Catholic Church. See also papal infallibility

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