just wondering why the pope is called a holy father? i thought Jesus was the holy father in christianity.
Re: pope, a holy father?
Jesus is The Holy Father. Pope is a Holy Father, like other Catholic Priests who are also Holy Fathers.
Re: pope, a holy father?
I wouldn't mind being a Holy Father in south/central america, calientaaayyy. ;)
Re: pope, a holy father?
madhu: that is a bit confusing.. how do u know which holy father one is referring to?
matsy:sab ko apnay baray mein khush fehmiyaN hoti hai.
Re: pope, a holy father?
the holy father in the trinity is referring to Allah/Elohim/Jehovah :swt:, Jesus :as: is considered the son by catholics/christians.
Re: pope, a holy father?
^ so how is a pope a holy father?
Re: pope, a holy father?
isnt jesus the son...im trying to remember what they taught the kids at the Roman Catholic school...
In the name of the father, the son, the holy ghost and somthing about the spirit???
Re: pope, a holy father?
In case of priests, bishops, cardinals, Pope, etc., their title is Father. But Jesus is also a Father. But he is also the Son, as in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
I think some Catholic should come and explain this.
Re: pope, a holy father?
It is all-in-one. The father, the son, the holy spirit. The trinity while three is one. One is three and two +1 =three while 1 +1+1= 3-1-1=1
Clear enough madhoney.
Re: pope, a holy father?
he’s not, alter boys can’t concieve.
u know what i’ve wondered how do desi christians refer to the trinity? Pitta shri, putr, aatma or abba huzoor, his sahibzada and rooh-e-muqaddas. 
sochney ki baat hai.
Re: pope, a holy father?
suroor : Jesus is THE Holy Father, the Pope is A Holy Father
Like Mohammad is The Prophet, while others are Prophets (as explained by my husband)
Jesus is “God” in the flesh so he is The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, all three together (a bit confusing, but I don’t want to get all into it)
The Pope is a Holy Father. He is the supreme authority to define in all questions of faith and morals for the Catholic Church. The title pope is at present employed solely to denote the Bishop of Rome, who, in virtue of his position as successor of St. Peter, is the chief pastor of the whole Church, the Vicar of Christ upon earth.
Definition from CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: The Pope
Pope = Ecclesiastical Latin ‘papa’ from Greek ‘papas’, a variant of ‘pappas’ father, in classical Latin ‘pappas’
A father is someone who teaches and guides you, hence a holy father does this for the spirit.
Re: pope, a holy father?
^ a bit confusing. but thanks for the explanation. it make sense. :-)
Re: pope, a holy father?
for Jesus = The Father, look up Patripassianism, a belief that holds that it was the Father Himself who descended as Jesus and suffered and died on the cross, largely regarded by Christians as an ancient heresy
Re: pope, a holy father?
really? And regarded by what Christians as heresy?
Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics. This was a question specifically for Catholics.
Re: pope, a holy father?
God is the Holy Father; all Fathers are gods !
Re: pope, a holy father?
“Today, Sabellianism [note: i.e. Patripassianism] is rejected by most types of Christianity. It is accepted primarily by some Pentecostal groups, sometimes referred to as Oneness Pentecostals or “Jesus Only” Pentecostals.”
Re: pope, a holy father?
As I stated before, I didn't want to get into it, as it was confusing........... but here goes, from the site you took the definition from. Go ahead and nitpick it apart but it is a fine line. One of the reasons I didn't want to go into the exact definitions.
"Historically, as evidenced by the Nicene and Apostle's Creeds used by most of Christianity, the Holy Trinity refers to what Christians say are the three persons of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
According to the Athanasian Creed, each of these three divine Persons are said to be eternal, each said to be almighty, none greater or less than another, each said to be God, and yet together being but one God.
The Son is Christ, who is described in the book of Hebrews chapter 1:2-3 as ...appointed heir of all things, through whom also He (meaning God) made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person..., whose sacrifice on the cross and subsequent resurrection ransomed souls from hell, opened the portal to heaven for those who want to go or both, depending on which Christian tradition one consults. As the Son, Christ is co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. At the Incarnation, the Son took on human flesh and human nature, and was known to the world as Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore, he was both God and man, not considered to be some kind of phantasm or soulless possessed being, but was just like other humans except for also being God. The Chalcedonian Creed spells out the distinctions between Christ's divine nature and his human nature. Within orthodox Christianity, both Christ's divine nature and human nature are theologically necessary. Without Christ's divine nature, it would be possible to view Christ as simply an ordinary human being which would open up questions about why one should worship Him. Without Christ's human nature, then the sacrifice of Christ of his own life would be rendered meaningless within the context of Christian theology. "
Re: pope, a holy father?
What I was trying to do earlier before getting all theological and stuff was to break it down basic without all the pickiness. Now. The answer I gave to the original question still stands, which was about the Pope.
Re: pope, a holy father?
^ yes, whatever… and Patripassianism is an ancient heresy…
if you are a Pentecostal…
"The most forceful response to the Oneness [Pentecostal] claim that Jesus is the Father as well as the Son is to simply point out how contrary this belief is to the general teaching of the New Testament…
… It is also helpful to point out to a Oneness believer why the arguments they have for the “Fatherhood” of Jesus simply do not hold water. Oneness believers have splendid arguments for the deity of Christ, and this they believe also proves that Jesus is the Father."