Mgr Batut writes article on Pope Leo XIV's role

Bishop Batut, an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Toulouse, has written an article exploring the history and role of the pope within the Church. The piece is part of a series intended to help people understand the papacy ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit to France, scheduled for September 25 to 28, 2026.

In the article, Bishop Batut explains how the primacy of the pope was established during the early centuries of the Church. He notes that at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the intervention of Pope Leo I was decisive for the faith.

The bishop also describes how differences between the East and West eventually led to a schism in the 11th century. This separation lasted until a meeting between Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras in 1964. Bishop Batut further notes that a second schism occurred in the 16th century between Europe, which became Protestant, and the area that remained Catholic.