Papal primacy

Papal primacy is the doctrine that the bishop of Rome holds preeminent authority among Christian bishops. Churches disagree over its basis, scope, and implications for church governance.

Papal infallibility: The Roman Catholic doctrine that the pope can define certain teachings on faith or morals without error under specified conditions. It defines one tightly bounded exercise of papal teaching authority.
Simon Peter: An apostle of Jesus whom the New Testament presents as a leading figure among the disciples. Catholic arguments for primacy commonly trace the Roman bishop's role to Peter.
Eastern Orthodox Church: A communion of churches that shares the Eastern Christian tradition and rejects universal papal jurisdiction. It recognizes Rome's ancient precedence without accepting the Catholic understanding of universal jurisdiction.
East–West Schism: The gradual separation between Eastern and Western Christianity, conventionally dated to 1054. Disagreement about Roman authority contributed to the growing divide between the churches.
Papal supremacy: The claim that the pope possesses universal and immediate governing jurisdiction over the entire church. It expresses a stronger jurisdictional claim than primacy alone necessarily entails.
Matthew 16:18–19: A passage in Matthew's Gospel in which Jesus speaks of building a church on Peter and giving him the keys of the kingdom. Its interpretation is central to arguments about Peter's authority and its succession.
Anglican Communion: A global family of autonomous churches rooted in the English Reformation and connected by shared traditions. Its churches do not recognize the pope as their universal governing authority.
Gregorian Reform: An eleventh-century movement to reform clergy and assert the church's independence from secular rulers. Its claims about papal authority transformed church relations with political rulers.
Petrine ministry: A form of church service understood as continuing the role of the apostle Peter in strengthening Christian unity and faith. It frames primacy as a continuing ministry rather than simply a rank.
Pope Leo I: The bishop of Rome from 440 to 461, known for articulating Roman authority and intervening in doctrinal disputes. His writings gave influential form to claims about Peter's authority in the Roman see.

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