Vatican says pope dropped title for theological, historical reasons

Published: 2006-03-22

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has dropped "patriarch of the West" from his official titles because it was theologically imprecise and historically obsolete, the Vatican said. "The renunciation of this title is meant to express a historical and theological reality and, at the same time, to be the renunciation of a claim, which should benefit ecumenical dialogue," said a March 22 statement from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The title "patriarch of the West" was dropped without explanation from the 2006 edition of the Annuario Pontificio, the Vatican yearbook, published in late February. In the new edition, the pope is described as "bishop of Rome, vicar of Jesus Christ, successor of the prince of the apostles, supreme pontiff of the universal church, primate of Italy, archbishop and metropolitan of the province of Rome, sovereign of Vatican City State and servant of the servants of God." In previous editions, the title "patriarch of the West" had been listed after "supreme pontiff of the universal church."

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