List of popes: Encyclopedia - List of popes

List of popes

For a graphical representation of this list, see list of popes (graphical).

This is a list of Popes of the Roman Catholic Church.

While the term "Pope" (Latin: papa "father'") is used in several churches to denote their high spiritual leaders, this title in English usage generally refers to the supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. The title itself has been used officially by the head of the Roman Catholic Church since the tenure of Pope Siricius.

There is no official list of popes, but the Annuario Pontificio, published every year by the Vatican, contain a list that is generally considered to be the most authoritative. There have been 265 according to the list of the Annuario pontificio. A man elected in 752 and dead three days after was listed on this list as Stephen II, but he has been erased since the 1961 edition. Some lists still include him, despite the recent change. That would make a list of 266 popes, but other choices of the Annuario pontificio are far most questionable.

The pope also bears the spiritual titles Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province and Servant of the Servants of God. Since 1929, the pope's temporal title has been Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City (the Holy See).

List of popes - List of popes

List of popes - AD 30-250

List of popes - AD 250-500

List of popes - AD 500-750

List of popes - AD 750-1000

List of popes - AD 1000-1250

List of popes - AD 1250-1500

List of popes - AD 1500-1750

List of popes - AD 1750-2000

List of popes - From AD 2000

List of popes - Notes on numbering of popes

Hermannus Contractus may have been the first historian to number the popes continuously. His list ends in 1049 with Pope Leo IX as the number 154. On that basis, the current Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th pope.

A number of anomalies in the list given above need further explanation:

• Felix II (356-357), Boniface VII (974, 984-985), John XVI (997-998), Benedict X (1058-1059) and Alexander V (1409-1410) are not listed because they are considered antipopes.
• The numbering of popes named Felix has been amended to omit antipope Felix II. However, most lists still call the last two Felixes Felix III and Felix IV. Additionally, there was an antipope Felix V.
• There has never been a pope John XX as a result of confusion of the numbering system in the 11th century.
• Stephen II, who died before being consecrated, is listed above and in the Catholic Encyclopedia, but is not on the Vatican's official list of popes. The numbering of his successors with the same name are sometimes given as Stephen II to Stephen IX, or as Stephen III to Stephen X.
• When Simon de Brion became pope in 1281, he chose to be called Martin. At that time, Marinus I and Marinus II were mistakenly considered to be Martin II and Martin III respectively, and so, somewhat erroneously, Simon de Brion became Pope Martin IV.
• In legend, an English woman reigned as Pope Joan following the death of Leo IV, from 855 to 858. However, this is impossible: Leo IV was immediately succeeded by Benedict III and was challenged by an antipope during that time.
• Pope Donus II, said to have reigned about 974, never existed. The belief resulted from the confusion of the title dominus (lord) with a proper name.

See also

• List of antipopes
• List of popes sorted alphabetically
• Liber Pontificalis
• List of sexually active popes
• List of 10 longest-reigning popes
• List of 10 shortest-reigning popes
• List of ages of popes
• Prophecy of the Popes
• List of German popes
• List of French popes
• African popes
• Links between popes
• List of popes (graphical)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "List of popes", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki