The papal title and office were formally conferred in 2014 upon the Prince-Bishop of Rome-Ruthenia, together with full papal authority within his own jurisdiction. The Roman-Ruthenian Pope exercises that office as Supreme Pontiff of the autocephalous United Roman-Ruthenian Church, the Eastern Roman Church with Latin heritage.
This is a title of the Prince-Bishop of Rome-Ruthenia. The full version is Pope-Catholicos of Rome-Ruthenia. Pope Radislav was elected Anglican Patriarch of the Anglican Patriarchate of Rome in 2011. In 2014, the papal title and office were formally conferred upon him as Prince-Bishop of Rome-Ruthenia, together with full papal authority within his own jurisdiction. The Anglican Patriarchate subsequently became one of the constituent jurisdictions united in the present United Roman-Ruthenian Church in 2023. Upon the completion and full public manifestation of the succession in 2025, the transitional designation Coadjutor of Rome was discontinued and the designation Supreme Pontiff entered formal use.
The title “Pope” (from the Greek pappas, meaning father) historically signified not simply jurisdiction over Rome, but the vocation of apostolic guardianship. Similarly, “Catholicos” in the East denoted universal episcopal headship within autonomous Churches. Both titles predate centralization and carry with them the responsibility of transmitting the Apostolic faith intact. The title of Pope for a Patriarch was seen in Alexandria before Rome, and both the Coptic and Byzantine/Greek Patriarchs of Alexandria today hold this title.
It is noted also that, following the division of East and West, and most especially after the Second Vatican Council, the Roman papacy embraced increasingly modern approaches, leading to shifts in doctrinal emphasis and a redefinition of its temporal and spiritual role. Today, the traditional understanding of the papal office lies largely dormant within Roman Catholicism.
The Roman-Ruthenian Pope stands as a recognized spiritual successor in substance to Roman See, even if not by formal Roman canonical claim. Indeed, the Prince-Bishop as Roman-Ruthenian Pope makes no claims to the Roman Papacy, the Vatican, or the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the Roman-Ruthenian Pope is a spiritual successor to St. Peter and the temporal successor to St. Peter and the Roman patrimony.
This title carries significant theological weight, implying not simply service, but a participation in the Petrine ministry with an orientation toward continuity and succession. The use of the papal and patriarchal title within the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State, i.e., Pope-Catholicos of Rome-Ruthenia, is neither an act of rivalry nor of imitation. Rather, it is a fulfillment of abandoned responsibilities, and a documented recognition of the Roman-Ruthenian Church and State's role as a guardian of the Apostolic and Imperial legacy of Rome and Ruthenia, and therefore of Christendom.
The most formal style of the Roman-Ruthenian Pope is His Apostolic Highness the Most Holy. That may be shortened to His Apostolic Highness, but never merely to Highness. The shortened form is, rather, His Holiness.
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