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Belonging to the pope, as a father figure (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

papal

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'belonging to the' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'pope as a father figure' is the wordplay.
'pope as' becomes 'pa' (this could be a standard abbreviation I've not previously seen).
'a father' becomes 'pa' (pa can mean dad or father).
'figure' becomes 'l' (I've seen this in other clues).
'pa'+'pa'+'l'='PAPAL'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for papal that I've seen before include "Of the RC leader" , "Relating to the Pope" , "Like some bulls" , "Relating to the Pontiff" , "Of the highest Vatican authority" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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