We just learned about the Ignatius of Antioch.
Another part of early Christianity is the Pope.
After Jesus died, the apostles went around and tried to help tell people about Jesus.
When groups of people would get together and worship Jesus, that place became a church.
The leaders of big areas that had one or more churches was called a bishop.
This bishop was in charge of trying to make sure people were taught the right things, and if anyone needed help they could come to the bishop to ask for help.
The first bishop was Peter, one of Jesus' apostles.
He became the bishop of Rome.
Because Rome was the city in charge of everything, the bishop in Rome was the bishop in charge of all the other bishops.
They called this bishop of Rome the "Pope" which comes from the greek πάππας (pappas) meaning "father".
There have been over 250 popes since St. Peter.
These days the Pope lives in the country known as the Vatican, and is the leader of the Catholic church.
(from: wikipedia - pope)
Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Saint Stephen
