papacy

n. position or authority of the Pope; period during which a pope rules; government of the Roman Catholic Church (headed by the Pope)

The Pope (from Latin: papa, father; from Greek  (papas) = father - originally written (pappas), as in Homer's Odyssey, book VI, line 57) is the Bishop of Rome, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. Faith communities which recognize Apostolic Succession acknowledge the Bishop of Rome as successor of St Peter. As such, Catholics believe the pope to be the Vicar of Christ, while the other faith communities disacknowledge Petrine primacy among the bishops. The office of the pope is called the "papacy"; his ecclesiastical jurisdiction is called the "Holy See" (Sancta Sedes in Latin) or "Apostolic See" (this latter, on the basis that both St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred at Rome). Early bishops occupying the See of Rome were designated "Vicar of Peter"; for later popes the more authoritative Vicar of Christ was substituted; this designation was first used by the Roman Synod of 495 to refer to Pope Gelasius I, an advocate of papal supremacy among the patriarchs. Marcellinus (d. 304) is the first Bishop of Rome whom sources show used the title of pope. In the 11th century, after the East-West Schism, Gregory VII declared the term "Pope" to be reserved for the Bishop of Rome. The current (265th) pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in papal conclave.
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Noun
1. the government of the Roman Catholic Church
(synonym) pontificate
(hypernym) government, authorities, regime
(member-meronym) Pope, Catholic Pope, Roman Catholic Pope, Pontiff, Holy Father, Vicar of Christ, Bishop of Rome

(n.)
The Roman Catholic religion; -- commonly used by the opponents of the Roman Catholics in disparagement or in an opprobrious sense.
  

(n.)
The popes, collectively; the succession of popes.
  

(n.)
The office and dignity of the pope, or pontiff, of Rome; papal jurisdiction.
  

n.
پوپ يعني روم کے سردار پادري کا عہدہ