Pope Leo I, also known as Leo the Great, or Leo the Apostolic, was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death.
Miniature which depicts Leo I, contained in the Menologion of Basil II (c. 1000 AD, Vatican Library)
Priest celebrating Mass at the Altar of Leo the Great with the Fuga d'Attila relief by Alessandro Algardi in St. Peter's Basilica
Sermones
Raphael's The Meeting between Leo the Great and Attila depicts Leo, escorted by Saint Peter and Saint Paul, meeting with the Hun king outside Rome
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