Pope Alexander III, born Roland, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181.
Alexander III bidding farewell to Thomas Becket (13th century miniature attributed to Matthew Paris, British Library)
Bulla of Alexander III.
Manifestis Probatum.
Alexander III depicted in a fresco by Spinello Aretino (before 1410, Palazzo Pubblico in Siena)
The pope, also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church, and has also served as the head of state or sovereign of the Papal States and later the Vatican City State since the eighth century. From a Catholic viewpoint, the primacy of the bishop of Rome is largely derived from his role as the apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom primacy was conferred by Jesus, who gave Peter the Keys of Heaven and the powers of "binding and loosing", naming him as the "rock" upon which the Church would be built. The current pope is Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013.
Pope Francis in 2021
Gregory the Great (c. 540–604), in a painting by Carlo Saraceni, c. 1610, Rome.
As part of the Catholic Reformation, Pope Paul III (1534–1549) initiated the Council of Trent (1545–1563), which established the triumph of the papacy over those who sought to reconcile with Protestants or oppose papal claims.
A fresco of Eliakim in Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
