when was the first pope of the catholic church?
Paul the Apostle Saint Peter
contradiction
 During the pontificate of John Paul II , two members of Opus Dei , Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne and Julián Herranz Casado , were made cardinals . 

neutral
 During the tumultuous 14th century , disputes within the leadership of the Church led to the Avignon Papacy of 1305 – 78 , also called the " Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy " ( a reference to the Babylonian captivity of the Jews ) , and then to the Great Schism , lasting from 1378 to 1418 , when there were two and later three rival popes , each supported by several states . Ecclesiastical officials convened at the Council of Constance in 1414 , and in the following year the council deposed one of the rival popes , leaving only two claimants . Further depositions followed , and in November 1417 the council elected Martin V ( pope 1417 – 31 ) as pope . 

entailment
 Since 1968 , the Pope has officiated at a special ceremony in St. Peter 's Square on Gaudete Sunday that involves blessing hundreds of mangers and Babies Jesus for the children of Rome . In 1978 , 50 @,@ 000 schoolchildren attended the ceremony . 

neutral
 In 1054 , relations between the Eastern and Western traditions within the Christian Church reached a terminal crisis , known as the East – West Schism . Although there was a formal declaration of institutional separation , on July 16 , when three papal legates entered the Hagia Sophia during Divine Liturgy on a Saturday afternoon and placed a bull of excommunication on the altar , the so @-@ called Great Schism was actually the culmination of centuries of gradual separation . 

contradiction
 In the 11th century , the efforts of Hildebrand of Sovana led to the creation of the College of Cardinals to elect new Popes , starting with Pope Alexander II in the papal election of 1061 . When Alexander II died , Hildebrand was elected to succeed him , as Pope Gregory VII . The basic election system of the College of Cardinals which Gregory VII helped establish has continued to function into the 21st century . Pope Gregory VII further initiated the Gregorian Reforms regarding the independence of the clergy from secular authority . This led to the Investiture Controversy between the church and the Holy Roman Emperors , over which had the authority to appoint bishops and Popes . 
