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Glite Dictionary
Bishop of Rome

Bishop of Rome

2 6.0
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church
  • noun
translation icon : Obispo de Roma
  • Hence, to the Bishop of Rome, as head of the Church, was given the title "Vicar of Christ."

Within the Catholic Church, the Pope was a the Bishop of Rome.

Examples

  • The split was essentially over the supremacy of the Bishop of Rome and over the use of the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed, and some other issues.

    Blog text (21)

  • Upon the death of Peter, the man who succeeded to the office of Peter as Bishop of Rome was recognized as the head of the Church.

    Blog text (30)

  • So in the West, the Bishop of Rome becomes the person who is seen, as, you know, the top guy.

  • That is the issue of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.

    Academic text (2013)

  • For example, concerning the Church of England, what exactly is the Bishop of Rome's authority?

    A Man for All Seasons (1966)

  • Through the Papal Revolution, the church became independent of the kings and subordinate only to the authority of the Bishop of Rome.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The intuition of the bishops of the United Kingdom and Ireland was correct on this point: to receive Communion is always also to say: "I am in full communion with the Catholic Church, united with the bishop of this local community and with the Bishop of Rome."

    Academic text (2002)

  • It was for a similar reason that the Church of England declared in 1562 that "The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction over this realm of England."

    Academic text (1996)

  • Leo IX, in his letter, accused Constantinople of historically being the source of heresy and claimed, in emphatic terms, the primacy of the Bishop of Rome over even the Patriarch of Constantinople, who would have none of it.

    Blog text (30)

  • The Apostle St. Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, establishing the foundation of the Catholic Church.

Synonyms

pontiff
vsBishop of Rome
17 8.2

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church

is the common descriptive name for that same office
Holy Father
vsBishop of Rome
  • Formal
12 5.6

A title for the Pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

is the ordinary descriptive name without honorific tone
Vicar of Christ
vsBishop of Rome
  • Formal
1 8.4

A title for the Pope meaning he represents Christ on earth and leads the Roman Catholic Church

is a neutral office name without that theological emphasis
Pope Pius XII
vsBishop of Rome
1 7.2

The Pope from 1939 to 1958 who stayed neutral during World War II and faced criticism for not protecting Jews

is the general office rather than any single past holder
Roman Catholic Pope
vsBishop of Rome
3.9

A person who leads the Roman Catholic Church and is the Bishop of Rome

is the specific term used for that office

Surface Forms

Bishop of Rome singular
Bishops of Rome plural

Morphology

bishop + of + Rome

The phrase is compositionally clear as 'a bishop associated with Rome' from 'bishop' + 'of' + 'Rome', so learners can infer a clerical role tied to the city. However, recognizing that this specific title refers to the pope (the head of the Roman Catholic Church) requires extra cultural/encyclopedic knowledge beyond the literal words, so it is not fully predictable from constituents alone.

Etymology

The title Bishop of Rome comes from long ago when the leader of the church in the city of Rome was simply called a bishop. Because Rome was the most important city, that bishop became the leader of the whole church, so today the title means the 'pope'.