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How does the Roman Catholic Church choose who will be the pope and how many popes have there been?

The pope is the visible leader of the Roman Catholic Church, while Jesus Christ is its invisible head. The widely accepted number of popes, through Pope John Paul II (1920– ), is 264. Although the process of choosing a pope has varied in the past, the modern method for designating the head of the Catholic Church is by a two-thirds majority vote of the electoral college (a group of representatives who cast votes) of cardinals (high-ranking priests). During the election of the pope the cardinals meet in seclusion in what is known as a conclave.

The apostle Peter is considered the first pope after Jesus of Nazareth (founder of Christianity; also called the Christ) told him, "You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church" (Matthew 16:18). After leading the Christian community from Jerusalem,...

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