ETYM as. pâpa, Latin papa father, bishop. Related to Papa, Papal.
The bishop of Rome, head of the Roman Catholic Church, which claims he is the spiritual descendant of St Peter. Elected by the Sacred College of Cardinals, a pope dates his pontificate from his coronation with the tiara, or triple crown, at St Peter's Basilica, Rome. The pope had great political power in Europe from the early Middle Ages until the Reformation.
History.
11th–13th centuries The papacy enjoyed its greatest temporal power under Gregory vii and Innocent iii.
1309–78 The papacy came under French control (headquarters Avignon rather than Rome), “the Babylonian Captivity”.
1378–1417 The “Great Schism” followed, with rival popes in Avignon and Rome.
16th century Papal political power further declined with the withdrawal of allegiance by the Protestant states at the Reformation.
1870 The Papal States in central Italy, which had been under the pope’s direct rule from 756, merged with the newly united Italian state. At the Vatican Council the doctrine of papal infallibility was proclaimed.
1929 The Lateran Treaty recognized papal territorial sovereignty, even in Italy, only within the Vatican City.
1978 John Paul ii became the first non-Italian pope since 1542.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church; SYN. pontiff, Holy Father, Vicar of Christ.

(1688-1744) English poet and satirist. He established his reputation with the precocious Pastorals 1709 and Essay on Criticism 1711, which were followed by a parody of the heroic epic The Rape of the Lock 1712–14 and ‘Eloisa to Abelard’ 1717. Other works include a highly Neo-Classical translation of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey 1715–26.
Pope had a biting wit, which he expressed in the form of heroic couplets. As a Catholic, he was subject to discrimination, and he was embittered by a deformity of the spine. His edition of Shakespeare attracted scholarly ridicule, for which he revenged himself by a satire on scholarly dullness, the Dunciad 1728. His philosophy, including An Essay on Man 1733–34 and Moral Essays 1731–35, was influenced by the politician and philosopher Henry Bolingbroke. His finest mature productions are his Imitations of the Satires of Horace 1733–38 and his personal letters. Among his friends were the writers Swift, Arbuthnot, and Gay. His line “A little learning is a dang’rous thing” is often misquoted.

(lived 17th century) Pueblo leader. Born in the Tewa Pueblo, Popé was a leader of native resistance to Spanish political control and missionary activity in the New Mexico–Arizona area. Establishing his residence in Taos (in present-day New Mexico) in the 1670s, he began to plot a general uprising against the Spanish authorities. In August 1680 the Pueblo rose simultaneously throughout the area, forcing the Spanish to abandon Santa Fe and flee to El Paso. Popé held control of the area until his death, restoring the traditional ways of life. However, raids by Ute and Apache and severe drought led to the Spanish reconquest of the area 1692.

Village in Mississippi (USA); zip code 38658.