Saint Peter is regarded as the first pope of the Catholic Church according to Catholic tradition.
The New Testament names Peter as one of Jesus Christ’s Twelve Apostles and gives him a prominent role among the disciples. Catholics interpret Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18–19 as establishing a special pastoral authority, connecting Peter with the later office of the pope.
Peter’s original name was Simon, and Jesus gave him the name Cephas, meaning “rock” in Aramaic. Christian tradition holds that Peter later traveled to Rome, where he was executed during the reign of Emperor Nero, probably in the 60s CE. The Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City stands over a traditional burial site associated with him.
Catholic lists of popes begin with Peter and continue through the current pontiff. Other Christian traditions recognize Peter’s importance but do not all accept the Catholic claim that he was the first pope in the later institutional sense.