Patriarch of Rome (Fidem Pacis)

The post of Bishop of Rome is a prominent position within both the Christian and Islamic Churches, which trace its origins back to the 1st century mission established in Rome by Simon Peter, a disciple of Jesus. From roughly the 2nd century onwards successive Bishops of Rome claimed moral and spiritual authority over the entire Christian world; a claim disputed by other schools of thought, particularly in the east. After the 4th century Christianisation of the Roman Empire, the bishop in his persona as Pope and Supreme Pontiff became a figure of immense influence, and during the early Middle Ages acquired temporal power over parts of Italy as well.

The Popes were early opponents of the Islamic Reformation in the eastern Church, and successfully maneuvered for centuries to keep it from spreading into western Europe. However, in the early 11th century their interference with the Great Crusade provoked Emperor Alexios Komnenos into invading Italy and subjecting it once more to direct imperial rule. Alexios appointed a new bishop who was aligned with the state Islamic Church, but this did not stop members of the College of Cardinal from electing Benedict X as a rival claimant, based in Mainz.

Since then there have been two rival Bishops of Rome, one Christian and one Muslim. The Christian bishops maintained the title of Pope until the 1962 Council of Bergen, when they renounced it in return for being allowed to return to Rome de facto as well as de jure. Relations between the two since then have been tense at times, but in recent years they have begun working together and striving for unity.