and how, against all odds, the papacy endures. this is something that has never happened before. the vatican this morning publicly displayed what s believed to be bone fragments from st. peter, an apoll stle o jesus christ, and the world s first pope. pope francis is the 266th leader of the catholic church. for the last 2,000 years, despite an ever-changing world, catholics have looked to the pope as a beacon of faith, morality, and divine guidance.