Pope

Pope is a title of honor, meaning "papa" or "father" in Greek, given to the primatial bishop of the Church of Alexandria.

The title was also used historically by the pre-schism Church of Rome (and its modern descendant, the Roman Catholic Church) and continues to be used by the Oriental Orthodox Coptic Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria holds the title of Pope, but often uses Patriarch.

The title Papa (Pope) was first used by Heraklas who was the thirteenth Bishop of Alexandria, from 232 to 249. The title was assumed by John I, the Bishop of Rome, from 523 to 526.

Old Believers, Russian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Malovan, and Ukrainian Churches use the word pope (поп, піп) as a synonym for priest, though when addressing a priest they will usually call him batiushka ("father"). However, depending on the speaker, this term might be one that is used derogatorily against the priest.

Current popes

• The current Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is Theodoros II.
• The current Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria is Shenouda III.
• The current Roman Catholic Pope of Rome is Benedict XVI.
• There are many other priests and bishops that are called "pope".