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The '''Bishop of Rome''' is one of the titles of the [[Pope]], since he rules the [[Catholic Church]] from [[Rome]] and that is considered to be the heart of the Church.
The '''Bishop of Rome''' is one of the titles of the [[Pope]], because he is the spiritual leader of the Roman [[diocese]] as well as leader of the whole of the [[Catholic Church]]. By contrast, the [[Orthodox]] churches believe in a number of different bishops, such as the Bishop of Antioch, who are co-equal in their positions of Church leadership; there is no Pope figure in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
The term was used frequently in the early Church and has a different meaning in the [[Orthodox Church]] than in the Catholic. In Orthodox theology there were, and are, a number of different Bishops, such as the Bishop of Antioch, and each of these bishops were co-equal in their position of Church leadership. The Bishop of Rome was one of these co-equal religious authorities. [[Pope Leo the Great]] in the mid 400s received an edict from the Roman Emperor acknowledging the leadership of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, over all others. This was never accepted by the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church believes that the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) was set up as the leader of Christendom through the promise and line of [[Saint Peter]] and the Emperor's edict was merely putting a stamp of approval upon what already was. The Orthodox Church believes the Bishop of Rome tried to elevate himself above them and sought imperial authority to do so.
The term has been used frequently throughout the history of the Christian Church. The city of [[Rome]] is also thought of as the geographical heart of the Catholic Church.
The title Bishop of Rome is not heavily used today as it had been in ancient times, with the term Pope receiving more common usage.
[[Pope Leo the Great]], in the mid 400s, received an edict from the Roman Emperor acknowledging the leadership of the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, over all other bishops. This has never been accepted by the Eastern Orthodox Church or by the [[Protestant]] churches.
The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) was made the leader of Christendom by [[Christ]] through a promise made to [[Saint Peter]] and then transferred to those who succeeded him as bishops of Rome. The Emperor's edict was seen as merely putting a stamp of approval upon what already was. The many Christian churches that are independent of the Pope customarily believe that the Bishop of Rome tried to elevate himself above all other bishops and sought imperial approval to do so.
The title, Bishop of Rome, is not as heavily used today as it had been in ancient and medieval times, with the term Pope receiving more usage.
[[Category:Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Catholic Church]]