Pontiff - Reflexions

Pontiff

Originating from the Latin pontifex, this word designated for the Romans ‘bridge builders,’ maybe in the sense of those thanks to whom prayers and rites reached the residence of the Gods. Already under the Roman Kingship, the college of Pontiffs, or ministers of the cult, occupied the high echelons of the leadership of the Roman religion. And under the Empire, from Augustine onwards, all the Emperors carried the name ‘Great Pontiff.’ The Catholic Church reserved the title Pontifex maximus – or Sovereign Pontiff or Roman pontiff – for the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, whilst the term ‘pontiff’ more generally refers to Episcopal Dignity.