Papacy in Christianity: Its Emergence, Historical Development and Current Situation

This research aims to examine the Papacy as a whole, and to reach objective data on this matter. It takes for granted that there is a need for such a study and it must be made in the field of History of Religions. We have studied firstly historical development of papacy and then its organizational structure. In the final chapter, some issues have been discussed such as the origin of papal authority, the infallibility of the pope, the place of the papacy in the ecumenism and the inter-religious dialogue, the papal relations with the global politics and the objections to papacy in several aspects. Papacy has been emerged and shaped in the historical process. The Roman Church, taking advantage of lack of authority, became a significant constitution in its realm after destruction of Western part of Roman Empire. In the eighth century, with the possession of territories, it has gained temporal authority and played an important role in the European politics as a state-church throughout the Middle Ages. Though it underwent several crisis during the Renaissance, Protestant Reform and Enlightenment period, it has survived as Vatican State since 1929. Vatican, with its head, the Pope, is a state as well as religious center of Catholics over a billion. However, it has been faced with some serious objections. The objections are raised mainly against its insist on its traditional structure and politics. Expectation of many Catholics is the revival of the Vatican II?s soul and modernization of the Papacy.