Vicar of Christ

Gelasius I is widely recognised as the first pope to officially be called the "Vicar of Christ", a term that signifies the Pope's role as Christ's representative on Earth.

But it comes with all the skullduggery, wheeling and dealing, and conspiracy one would expect, as the frontrunners try to improve their chances of becoming the Vicar of Christ.

“He’s making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic. He’s the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor,” tweeted the papal biographer, Austen Ivereigh.

Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, a supporter of Francis, countered by Tweeting: “He’s making sure that they engage with him, not treat him like a sacred relic. He’s the Vicar of Christ, not a Roman emperor.”

"The Pope is the earthly head of the Church, the Vicar of Christ," she says.