Servant of the servants of God ( la, servus servorum Dei) is one of the titles of the

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

and is used at the beginning of papal bulls.

History

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregor ...

(pope from 590 to 604) was the first pope to use this title extensively to refer to himself, as a lesson in humility for the Archbishop of Constantinople

John the Faster John IV (died September 2, 595), also known as John Nesteutes (, Ioannes the Faster), was the 33rd bishop or Patriarch of Constantinople (April 11, 582 – 595). He was the first to assume the title '' Ecumenical Patriarch''. He is regarded as ...

, who had been granted the title " Ecumenical Patriarch" by the

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, to Fall of Constantinople, its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. On ...

. Gregory is reported as having negatively reacted to the Patriarch's new title, claiming that "whoever calls himself universal bishop he imprecise Latin translation of "Ecumenical Patriarch" or desires this title, is, by his pride, the precursor to the Antichrist."Letter of Pope Gregory I to John the Faster.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Papal symbols and rituals Papal titles