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3. “Pontiff”: from Bridge Keeper to Head of the Church

As Pope Leo XIV arrives in Lebanon this Sunday, November 30, for a three-day apostolic visit, the word pontiff returns to the forefront of public attention. Often perceived as a strictly religious title, it is in fact rooted in ancient Rome. Its long historical and linguistic journey reveals how a term more than two millennia old came to embody, today, the figure of the Supreme Pontiff.

Pope Leo XIV’s arrival to Beirut for a three-day apostolic visit offers the perfect opportunity to revisit a word that spans the religious and political history of the West: pontiff. Now reserved for the head of the Catholic Church, it is inherited from a far older – and originally non-Christian – function.

Roman Origins: The Pontifex

The English word pontiff, meaning “high priest”, appears in the late 16th century, borrowed from French pontife, itself derived from the Latin pontifex. Traditionally analyzed as a compound of pons (“bridge”) and facere (“to make”), the term inspired the enduring image of the “bridge-builder.”

In ancient Rome, the pontifex was a priest, a member of the College of Pontiffs, an institution already attested in the 7th century BC.

According to the tradition transmitted by Livy and echoed in numerous scholarly works, the earliest pontiffs were responsible for the pons Sublicius, Rome’s first bridge, built entirely of wood.
This bridge was considered sacred. It had to be quickly dismantled in case of invasion, and its condition was closely monitored: any damage was seen as an ominous sign. It also served as the site of rituals and sacrifices governed by strict ceremonial rules.

Thus, the pontifex was not merely a priest, but the guardian of a symbolic structure: protector of the religious, political and cosmic order of the city.


 

Religious, Legal and Political Authority

The College of Pontiffs, headed by the Pontifex Maximus, wielded considerable influence. Its responsibilities included determining the religious and civil calendar, keeping the Annales – Rome’s earliest historical records – and ruling on the legitimacy of rites. It also safeguarded the sacred legal formulas (actiones legis).

Julius Caesar famously became Pontifex Maximus in 63 BC, embodying the fusion of political and religious authority. As grand pontiff, he imposed the calendar reform of 46 BC, creating what would become known as the Julian calendar.

From Rome to Christianity: The Supreme Pontiff

With the Christianization of the Roman Empire, the title pontifex gradually shifted from political to ecclesiastical vocabulary.
Beginning in the 4th century, pontifex maximus – traditionally borne by emperors – started to be associated with the Bishop of Rome. The English word pontiff was first recorded in that sense, the pope, around 1670.

The symbolic continuity remains clear: like the ancient pontifex, the Christian pontiff safeguards ritual order, ensures unity, and serves as a mediator between the faithful and the sacred.

Today, as Pope Leo XIV sets foot on Lebanese soil, he renews this ancient mission: holding together distant shores – faith, memory, dialogue – by assuming the enduring role of a bridge.