Few institutions have been so diversely interpreted as the papacy. With its hopes for the restoration of Christian unity, the Second Vatican Council stimulated renewed theological interest in papal primacy. As a result, many polemical and apologetical approaches to the papal office have yielded to more irenic attitudes which have produced an increasing consensus on the papacy's beneficial and providential role in the life of the Church. This book endeavors to reassess the key theological issues dealing with the origin and necessity of the papal ministry. It outlines the views of contemporary Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican theologians, the book explains the growing convergence in official ecumenical dialogues which recognize the significance of the Petrine function of the pope. Although full substantial agreement on the nature of papal primacy has not yet been reached, the theological foundation has been laid for a pope for all Christians.