Is the Pope a Catholic?

It's one of those rhetorical questions that's used as a statement of something being totally obvious. But is it as clear as it first appears? In fact, the chance of any pope selected at random being a Roman Catholic is only one in three as there are currently three holders of the title "pope". They are:

• Pope Benedict XVI - Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria - Pope of the Coptic Orthodox church of Alexandria.
• Pope and Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria - Pope of the Greek Orthodox Church.

So the next time someone asks you "is the pope a catholic?" please take it with a pinch of salt. The answer is more than likely "no".