After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities.
CATHOLIC LEADER
Photo: EPA-EFE / 照片：歐新社
The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father.
He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted the mission of leading the Church.
Today, this makes the pope the spiritual guide of the estimated 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. His role is to preserve, interpret and teach the Christian faith, as well as ensuring the unity of the Catholic Church.
Photo: EPA-EFE / 照片：歐新社
HEAD OF STATE
The pope is head of state and ruler of the tiny Vatican City state, the smallest in the world at just 44 hectares, located within the Italian capital of Rome.
He exercises absolute power in all areas, from hiring and firing to decisions on the Vatican’s extensive property portfolio, but he delegates much to senior clergy.
Photo: Reuters / 照片：路透
The pope has his own diplomats but often meets world leaders at the Vatican, in what are known as private audiences.
MORAL GUIDE
The pope has influence well beyond the world’s Catholics, as a pre-eminent moral voice on the global stage.
Photo: Reuters / 照片：路透
Many non-Catholic leaders seek an audience at the Vatican, while his pronouncements are often considered to carry more weight than those of many elected politicians.
The Vatican has non-member observer status at the United Nations and is often called in as a neutral party in conflict zones.
DOCTRINE AND TEACHING
Through his homilies and written texts, Pope Francis provided guidance on everything from daily life — for example, urging against gossip — to weighty doctrinal issues. He published several encyclicals, open letters by the pope to the Church worldwide, covering subjects such as social friendship or climate change.
Other formal texts include apostolic exhortations, which are teaching documents, and the motu proprio, which means “by his own motion” and is a legal change delivered on the pope’s initiative.
During his time as pope, Francis paved the way for the blessing of same-sex couples, restricted the use of the Latin Mass and took measures to combat sexual abuse of children by clergy.
APPOINTMENTS
The pope approves the appointment of bishops, the approximately 3,000 clergy who lead Catholic dioceses around the world, and cardinals.
Cardinals, sometimes known as princes of the church, are the most senior clergy and those under the age of 80 can vote in the election of a new pope.
The pope also has the final say in elevating individuals to become “blessed” or saints, following an investigation conducted on the grounds of miracles and virtues.
He has the power to convene Synods — worldwide gatherings that Francis opened to lay people for the first time — to discuss specific issues.
TRAVEL
The pope travels to connect with the faithful around the world. John Paul II conducted the most apostolic voyages, counting 104 visits abroad in 26 years as pope.
Francis followed with 47, using the visits to shine a spotlight on marginalized communities or issues he wanted to highlight, such as migration or inter-religious dialogue.
BISHOP OF ROME
As Bishop of Rome, the pope is responsible for administering his diocese. The constraints on his time mean that this is delegated to a Vicar General. The pope, however, takes part in local events, regularly visiting churches in Rome for celebrations or other symbolic sites in the city.
(AFP)
教宗方濟各4月21日去世後，梵蒂岡舉行教宗秘密會議，為天主教會選出新領袖。出生於美國芝加哥的羅伯特・方濟各．普雷沃斯特5月8日被選為第267任教宗，並選擇其宗座名號為「良十四世」。教宗是全球14億天主教徒的精神領袖。那麼教宗的工作到底是什麼呢?以下概述他的主要職責。
天主教領袖
教宗(Pope)一詞源自希臘文「pappas」，意為「父親、族長」，因此信徒敬稱他為「聖父」。
教宗被認為是聖伯多祿〔又譯聖彼得〕的繼承者，據說耶穌基督將領導教會的使命交託給了聖伯多祿。
如今，教宗已成為全球約14億天主教徒的精神導師。他的職責是維護、解釋和教導基督宗教信仰，以及確保天主教會的團結一致。
國家元首
教宗是梵蒂岡城國〔又稱教廷〕的國家元首和統治者，梵蒂岡是世界上最小的國家，面積僅44公頃，位於義大利首都羅馬市區內。
他在所有領域都擁有絕對的權力，從僱用、解僱到決定梵蒂岡的龐大資產組合，但他將許多權力委託給高級神職人員。
教宗有自己的外交官，但經常在梵蒂岡接見世界各國領導人，即所謂的私下召見。
道德指南
做為全球舞台上卓絕的道德代言人，教宗的影響力遠遠超出了世界天主教徒的範圍。
許多非天主教徒領導人設法到梵蒂岡去讓教宗接見，且教宗的言論通常被認為比許多民選政治家的言論更有分量。
梵蒂岡在聯合國擁有非會員觀察員國地位，並經常被要求在衝突地區充當中立方。
教義及教導
教宗方濟各透過講道和文字為各方面提供指導，從日常生活（例如，呼籲人們不要八卦）到重要的教義問題。
他發表了幾份通諭，這是教宗致世界各地教會的公開信，提及友善社會或氣候變化等主題。
其他正式文本包括宗座勸諭（apostolic exhortations，為教學文件），以及手諭（motu proprio，意為「主動」），即教宗主動做出的法律變更。
方濟各在擔任教宗期間，為同性伴侶的祝福鋪平了道路，他也減少在彌撒中使用拉丁語，並採取措施打擊性侵兒童的神職人員。
任命
主教、領導世界各地天主教教區的約3,000名神職人員以及樞機主教的任命，是由教宗所批准。
樞機主教有時被稱為「教會親王」，是最資深的神職人員，80歲以下的樞機主教有投票選舉新教宗的資格。
教宗也擁有最終決定權，可以根據所調查的個人奇蹟和美德，授予他們「真福者」（blessed）或聖人（saint）的封號。
他有權召集教會會議（Synod）——這是全球性集會，方濟各首次開放給平信徒——來討論具體問題。
出訪
教宗出訪世界各地與信徒們交流。若望保祿二世是出訪次數最多的教宗，在他擔任教宗的26年中，他出國訪問了104次。
其次是方濟各的47次，他藉由這些出訪來關注邊緣化族群或他想強調的議題，例如移民或宗教間對話。
羅馬主教
教宗身為羅馬的主教，負責管理他的教區。由於他時間有限，因此只能將此事委託給副主教。但教宗會參加當地的活動，定期到訪羅馬的教堂，參加慶祝活動或前往該市的其他象徵性地點。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
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