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Pontiff or Pontificate is a title of certain religious leaders, now used principally to refer to leaders such as the Pope
Pope (disambiguation)

Pope is a religious title traditionally accorded to the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Pope, as well as several other religious figures....
 of the Catholic Church and of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Pontiff refers to the person in office, while Pontificate refers to the period in which the office is held by that singular person.

term derives from the French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 word pontife, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 pontifex, a title used for high priests of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
.






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Pontiff or Pontificate is a title of certain religious leaders, now used principally to refer to leaders such as the Pope
Pope (disambiguation)

Pope is a religious title traditionally accorded to the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Pope, as well as several other religious figures....
 of the Catholic Church and of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Pontiff refers to the person in office, while Pontificate refers to the period in which the office is held by that singular person.

Etymology

The term derives from the French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 word pontife, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 pontifex, a title used for high priests of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
. The word pontifex is commonly held to derive from the Latin root words pons, "bridge" + facere, "to do" or "to make", with a literal meaning of "bridge-builder". This, however, is disputed - it may be only a folk etymology . See Pontifex
Pontifex Maximus

The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the Ancient Rome College of Pontiffs. This was the most important position in the Ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post....
 for more details on the original Roman term.

Usage

Pontiffs were originally simply chiefs or high priests of any religion; thus writers from the 16th through to the 18th centuries referred equally to Christian pontiffs (bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
s) and "Mahometan [Muslim
Muslim

:A Muslim , , is an adherent of the religion of Islam. The feminine form is Muslimah . Literally, the word means "one who submits "....
] (caliph
Caliph

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah....
s) or Swami
Swami

Swami is primarily a Hindu honorific title, for either males or females. It is derived from Sanskrit and means "He who knows and is master of himself", "owner of oneself", or "free from the senses"....
 (Hindu). Over time, however, the term became associated with only the highest religious authorities in the Christian Churches — the Popes and Patriarchs
List of current patriarchs

This is a list of current Christian patriarch....
. It was often modified by an adjective - for instance, "Alexandrian Pontiff", "Sovereign Pontiff" or "Roman Pontiff" - to distinguish from different Bishop
Bishop

A bishop is an ordination or consecration member of the Clergy#Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight....
s.

In the modern era, the modifying adjective is usually dropped, with the term being used exclusively to refer to the Popes.

Aka David Scott

See also

  • Papacy
  • Pontifex Maximus
    Pontifex Maximus

    The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the Ancient Rome College of Pontiffs. This was the most important position in the Ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post....
  • Primacy of the Roman Pontiff
    Primacy of the Roman Pontiff

    The primacy of the Roman Pontiff is the apostolic succession authority of the Pope , from the Holy See, over the several particular church that comprise the Catholic Church in the Latin Rite and Eastern Rite Catholic Churchess....