Black Pope

noun

, Archaic.

1. the head of the Jesuit order (so called from the power he once possessed and from the black habit worn by the order).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Black Pope¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

But that number is growing, fueling talk in Rome about a potential African to succeed Francis or at least be in the conversation to become the first Black pope.

From New York Times

Complex negotiations with the Royal Collection, in London, ensued, aided by Glenn Lowry, MoMA’s director, and the Tate Gallery’s Nicholas Serota, and from October 17, 2017, to January 3, 2018, “Black Pope” and a brush-and-ink drawing by Leonardo, identified as “The drapery of a kneeling figure,” were on view in a two-artist exhibition at the museum.

From The New Yorker

A somewhat mysterious image of a heavily robed man wearing an ecclesiastical headdress, “Black Pope” was one of White’s greatest works, Hammons told him, and the only way to do it justice was to pair it with a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.

From The New Yorker

It’s spot-on, with doofy references to saccharine pop culture like Brian’s Song and Monsters Inc., as well as punchlines like “Cape got me lookin’ like a black pope / Scandal!”

From The Verge

‘You can’t have a black pope if there are no black nuns.”

From Literature