Pope Gregory: The Patriarch Of The West

Introduction

What is a Papacy? The term papa, from which the word “pope” is derived, originated in ancient colloquial Greek as an endearing term for “father”, and was then applied, beginning in the third century, to Eastern patriarchs, bishops, abbots, and eventually parish priests (of whom it is still used today). The pope is not only the head of the Roman Catholic Church, but also considered the successor of Peter and the vicar of Christ. He is also the bishop of Rome and, for Eastern Christians, the patriarch of the West. Is interesting to know that, in the west the term was never very common outside of Rome, which was originally a Greek-speaking church. From the sixth century increasingly became reserved for the bishop of Rome, until in the later eleventh

He considered himself above all a religious leader. He was constantly preaching in various churches in Rome, calling out to the believers to renewed commitment. He also saw himself as the patriarch of the West, he did not claim himself universal authority like Leo the Great did. He actually rejected the title and primarily took a “low-profile” view of his office. His concept of the papacy was “influenced by Pope Leo’s Peter mystique”. He was also able to distinguished between the Spirit as eternally present in the mediator, Christ, and as temporarily present in the disciples and other Christian leaders. Gregory’s concept of the papacy was due to his understanding of his office which seems to have been strongly influenced by Pope Leo’s Peter mystique: Peter always living in his successors. Gregory interpretation of Matthew 16:16f is the following, he stated: when in Hloy Scripture “foundations” are not mentioned but “foundation” in the singular, no one other than the Lord himself is designated, who by the power of His divinity strengthens our faltering hearts. Gregory also referred to the church as being founded on the “solidity of