Eugene Kennedy

The whole world feels that it knows Francis, not so much because he follows Francis of Assisi but because he is always himself. We have seen him pay his own hotel bill and heard that Francis called Buenos Aires for a pair of ordinary black shoes, like John XXIII, who preferred stout peasant shoes to the traditional papal footwear.

American Psychologist

Faith Salie

Twerking takes its place in a long line of dance moves deemed immoral, even apocalyptic. The waltz was called sinful because it demanded dangerously close contact between dance partners. In 1914, the tango earned a papal denunciation for being 'damaging to the soul.

American Journalist

Mark Helprin

The British monarchy has the political and constitutional task of subtracting from the government and governors of Britain the papal and kingly airs that in America, because we have no such institution, unfortunately adhere to the president.

American Novelist

Ivan Illich

I didn't want to go into the papal bureaucracy, so I thought of doing a postdoctoral thesis, which they call a 'Habilitation' in German universities, on alchemy in the work of Albert the Great.

American Sociologist

Ross Douthat

I didn't really start writing about the church in earnest until the mid-2000s, so I wasn't present for or a participant in a lot of the John Paul II-era debates about papal authority.

American Author

Sabine Baring-Gould

The great majority of the nobility and gentry of England clung to the doctrine and ceremonies of the ancient church, and yet were united in determination to oppose the papal claims.

English Clergyman

Anthea Butler

For black Catholics, the papal visit is a time of anticipation but also a time of reflection on their difficult - but important - place within the Catholic Church in America.

American Educator

Jan Hus

As for antichrist occupying the papal chair, it is evident that a pope living contrary to Christ, like any other perverted person, is called, by common consent, antichrist.

Czechoslovakian Philosopher

Cathleen Schine

In my stunted career as a scholar, I'd read promissory notes, papal bulls and guidelines for Inquisitorial interrogation. Dante, too. Boccaccio... But after 1400? Nihil.

Ronan Keating

When greeting Pope Benedict a few years ago, I was meant to kiss the papal ring but I head-butted his hand instead. He just laughed at me.

Irish Artist

The term is associated with religious leadership and is often used in a respectful, formal context.

Religious Connotation

The word encompasses the Pope's historical influence as well as their present-day role.

Historical Significance

'Papal' is exclusive to contexts within the Roman Catholic Church and not other Christian denominations.

Catholic Exclusivity

 because they only unified to put it loosely they haven't really defined a hundred and fifty years ago but because they had such a long history of these small papal States and little kingdoms everything stayed very