Has the position of pope lost power over the centuries is the popes power dwindling?

Answer 1

The question is an intriguing one. What sort of power are we asking about? There is direct political power - the power to make and execute laws and compel compliance under penalty of punishment - and then there is also moral influence - "the bully pulpit", whereby even one without perhaps much direct political power may nevertheless possess world-class prestige, connections, and access to the most powerful people in the land, in the world, even. Thus, they are able to speak about certain matters to the right people, make their feelings known, frame a discussion, raise a question, get their message out, call attention to certain things, and get a response far above and beyond what even many political office holders could ever hope to achieve. Although indirect, this is a form of power which, if expertly wielded, may be as formidable in its own way as the other kind. The Roman Pontiff no longer holds territories or commands armies as he once did over the four million square miles of Renaissance Europe. Instead, today, he speaks to the hearts and consciences of over one billion Catholics living all over the globe, and is listened to by hundreds of millions more Christians and non-Christians alike. He influences them directly, through his encyclicals and other apostolic messages, and he influences them, too, by his selection and appointment of bishops and archbishops who, in turn, serve as shepherds of souls throughout the world. I suppose, when power is defined in the latter sense, it may be said that the Pope's today is more wide-ranging than it has ever been in the past.