List of popes



This chronological list of popes of the Catholic Church corresponds to that given in the Annuario Pontificio under the heading "I Sommi Pontefici Romani" (The Roman Supreme Pontiffs), excluding those that are explicitly indicated as antipopes. Published every year by the Roman Curia, the Annuario Pontificio no longer identifies popes by regnal number, stating that it is impossible to decide which pope represented the legitimate succession at various times. The 2001 edition of the Annuario Pontificio introduced "almost 200 corrections to its existing biographies of the popes, from St Peter to John Paul II". The corrections concerned dates, especially in the first two centuries, birthplaces and the family name of one pope.

The term pope is used in several churches to denote their high spiritual leaders (for example Coptic pope). This title in English usage usually refers to the head of the Catholic Church. The Catholic pope uses various titles by tradition, including Summus Pontifex, Pontifex Maximus, and Servus servorum Dei. Each title has been added by unique historical events and unlike other papal prerogatives, is not incapable of modification.

Hermannus Contractus may have been the first historian to number the popes continuously. His list ends in 1049 with Leo IX as number 154. Several changes were made to the list during the 20th century. Christopher was considered a legitimate pope for a long time but was removed due to how he obtained the papacy. Pope-elect Stephen was listed as Stephen II until the 1961 edition, when his name was removed. The decisions of the Council of Pisa (1409) were reversed in 1963 in a reinterpretation of the Western Schism, extending Gregory XII's pontificate to 1415 and classifying rival claimants Alexander V and John XXIII as antipopes.

A significant number of these popes have been recognized as saints, including 48 out of the first 50 consecutive popes, and others are in the sainthood process. Of the first 31 popes, 28 died as martyrs.

2nd century
c. 200 (1 year) NATALIVS
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 * c. 199 –
 * Natalius
 * style="font-size:85%"|Roma, Italia, Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"|Roman citizen, born in the capital of the Roman Empire. In opposition to pope Zephyrinus. Later reconciled.

3rd century
235 (18 years, 4 days) HIPPOLYTVS
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 * 217 –
 * St Hippolytus
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 170 Asia Minor, Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|47 / 65
 * style="font-size:85%"|Roman citizen of Greek descent (Constitutio Antoniniana). In opposition to Callixtus I, Urban I and Pontian. Later reconciled with Pontian (see below).

258 (7 years, 2 days) NOVATIANVS
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 * March 251 –
 * Novatian
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 200–20 Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|31–51 / 38–58
 * style="font-size:85%"| Roman citizen. Founder of Novatianism. In opposition to Cornelius, Lucius I, Stephen I and Sixtus II.

4th century
22 November 365 (10 years, 3 days) FELIX Secundus
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 * 355 –
 * Felix II
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 300 Rome, Italy, Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|55 / 65
 * style="font-size:85%"| Roman citizen. In opposition to Pope Liberius. Installed by Arian-leaning Emperor Constantius II.

16 November 367 (1 year, 46 days) VRSINVS
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 * 1 October 366 –
 * Ursinus
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Italy, Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"| Roman citizen. In opposition to Damasus I. Banished to Gallia by Emperor Valentinian II after a war between two sects and died after 384.

5th century
3 April 419 (97 days) EVLALIVS
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 * 27 December 418 –
 * Eulalius
 * style="font-size:85%"|350–80 Rome, Italy, Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|38–68 / 39–69 (†42–72)
 * style="font-size:85%"| Roman citizen. In opposition to Pope Boniface I. Elected on the eve of the election of Boniface, first benefited from the support of the emperor Honorius, but lost it quickly. Exiled in Campania, and died in 423.

Aug 506/8 (7 years, 253 days) LAVRENTIVS
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 * 22 November 498 –
 * Laurence
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 460 Rome, Italy, Western Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|38 / 46 (†48)
 * style="font-size:85%"| Roman citizen, later a subject of the (Ostrogothic) Kingdom of Italy. In opposition to Symmachus. Elected on the same day as Symachus, King Theodoric settled in favour of his adversary. Took control of Rome in 501 and remained pope in fact until he died in 506/08.

6th century
14 October 530 (22 days) DIOSCORVS
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 * 22 September 530 –
 * Dioscore
 * style="font-size:85%"|Alexandria, Aegyptus, Eastern Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"| (Eastern) Roman citizen of Greek descent. In opposition to Pope Boniface II. Candidate of the Byzantine party, elected by the majority of the cardinals and recognized by Constantinople, he died less than a month after his election.

8th century
25 March 752 (3 days) (Never took office as pope) STEPHANUS
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 * 22 March 752 –
 * Stephen
 * Stephen
 * Stephanus
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 700 Rome, Duchy of Rome, Exarchate of Ravenna, Eastern Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|52 / 52
 * style="font-size:85%"|(Eastern) Roman citizen. Was of Roman ethnicity. Previously known as Stephen II. Died three days after his election, having never received episcopal consecration. Some lists still include him. The Vatican sanctioned his addition in the sixteenth century; removed in 1961. He is no longer considered a pope by the Catholic Church.

10th century
January 904 (92 days) CHRISTOFORO
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 * October 903 –
 * Christopher
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"| Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Leo V.

26 February 964 (82 days) LEO Octavus
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 * 6 December 963 –
 * Leo VIII
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 915 Rome, Papal States
 * style="font-size:85%"|48 / 49
 * style="font-size:85%"| Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. Appointed antipope by Emperor Otto in 963 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V. His pontificate after the deposition of Benedict V is considered legitimate by the modern Catholic Church.

July 974
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 * July 974 –

BONFATIUS Septinus
 * Boniface VII
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States, born Francone Ferucci. In opposition to Benedict VI and Benedict VII.

20 July 985 (334 days) BONFATIUS Septinus
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 * 20 August 984 –
 * Boniface VII
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"| Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to John XIV and John XV

February 998 (306 days) IOANNES Sextus Decimus
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 * April 997 –
 * John XVI
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 941 Rossanum, Calabria, Italy, Eastern Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|55 / 56 (†60)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as an Eastern Roman citizen. In opposition to Gregory V

11th century
31 December 1012 (201 days) GREGORIVS Sextus
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 * 12 June 1012 –
 * Gregory VI
 * Gregory VI
 * Gregorio
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Benedict VIII

24 January 1059 (295 days) BENEDICTVS Decimus
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 * 4 April 1058 –
 * Benedict X
 * Benedict X
 * Giovanni Mincio di Tuscolo
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Nicholas II.

1072 (10 years, 187 days) HONORIVS Secundus
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 * 30 September 1061 –
 * Honorius II
 * Honorius II
 * Pietro Candalus
 * style="font-size:85%"|1010 Verona, March of Verona, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|61 / 72
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the March of Verona, was of Italian ethnicity (born after the Placiti Cassinesi was written). In opposition to Pope Alexander II

8 September 1100 (20 years, 79 days) CLEMENS Tertius
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 * 25 June 1080 –
 * Clement III - Antipope (cropped).jpg
 * Clement III
 * Guibert of Ravenna
 * style="font-size:85%"|1029 Ravenna, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|51 / 71
 * style="font-size:85%"|In opposition to Pope Gregory VII, Pope Victor III, Pope Urban II and Pope Paschal II.

January 1101 (115 days) THEODORICVS
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 * 8 September 1100 –
 * Theodoric
 * Theodoric
 * Teodorico
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 1030 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|70 / 71
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States, was of Lombard ethnicity. In opposition to Pope Paschal II

12th century
February 1102 (1 year, 31 days) ADALBERTVS O.S.B.
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 * January 1101 –
 * Adalbert
 * Adalbert
 * Adalberto
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States, was of Lombard ethnicity. In opposition to Pope Paschal II

11 April 1111 (5 years, 155 days) SILVESTER Quartus
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 * 8 November 1105 –
 * Sylvester IV
 * Sylvester IV
 * Maguinulf
 * style="font-size:85%"|1050 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|49 / 55 (†56)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States, was of German ethnicity. In opposition to Paschal II.


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20 April 1121 (3 years, 42 days) GREGORIVS Octavus
 * 10 March 1118 –
 * Gregory VIII
 * Gregory VIII
 * Maurice Baurdain
 * style="font-size:85%"|c. 1060 Limousin, Occitania, France
 * style="font-size:85%"|58 / 61 (†77)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France, was of Occitan ethnicity. In opposition to Gelasius II and Callixtus II.


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16 December 1124
 * 16 December 1124–

COELESTINVS Secundus
 * Celestine II
 * Celestine II
 * Teobaldo Boccapecora
 * style="font-size:85%"|1050 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|74 / 74 (†76)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Honorius II.


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25 January 1138 (7 years, 347 days) ANACLETUS Secundus O.S.B.
 * 14 February 1130 –
 * Anacletus II
 * Anacletus II
 * Pietro Pierleoni
 * style="font-size:85%"|1090 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|40 / 48
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Innocent II.


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29 May 1138 (75 days) VICTOR Quartus
 * 15 March 1138 –
 * Victor IV
 * Victor IV
 * Gregorio Conti
 * style="font-size:85%"|Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|—
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of throne the Papal States. In Opposition to Pope Innocent II


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20 April 1164 (4 years, 227 days) VICTOR Quartus
 * 7 September 1159 –
 * Victor IV
 * Victor IV
 * Ottaviano dei Crescenzi Ottaviani di Monticelli
 * style="font-size:85%"|1095 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|64 / 69
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Pope Alexander III.


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22 September 1168 (4 years, 148 days) PASCALIS Tertius
 * 28 April 1164 –
 * Paschal III
 * Paschal III
 * Guido di Crema
 * style="font-size:85%"|1110 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|54 / 58
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Alexander III.


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29 August 1178 (9 years, 335 days) CALLIXTVS Tertius O.S.B.
 * 30 September 1168 –
 * Callixtus III
 * Callixtus III
 * Giovanni di Struma
 * style="font-size:85%"|1090 Rome, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|78 / 88
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Alexander III.


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January 1180 (124 days) INNOCENTIVS Tertius
 * 29 September 1179 –
 * Innocent III
 * Innocent III
 * Lando di Sezze (or Lanzo)
 * style="font-size:85%"|1120 Sezze, Papal States, Holy Roman Empire
 * style="font-size:85%"|59 / 60 (†63)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to Alexander III.

14th century

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25 July 1330 (2 years, 74 days) NICOLAVS Quintus O.F.M.
 * 12 May 1328–
 * Antipope-Nicholas V.jpg
 * Nicholas V
 * Pietro Rainalducci,
 * style="font-size:85%"|1260 Corvaro, Papal States
 * style="font-size:85%"|68 / 70 (†73)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Subject and later the claimant of the throne of the Papal States. In opposition to John XXII.

16 September 1394 (15 years, 357 days) CLEMENS Septimus
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 * 20 September 1378 –
 * GiacMaster Clement VII.jpg
 * Clement VII
 * Robert de Genève
 * style="font-size:85%"|1342 Chateau d'Annecy, County of Savoy, H.R.E.
 * style="font-size:85%"|36 / 52
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France. In opposition to Urban VI (1378–89) and Boniface IX (1389–1404)

23 May 1423 (28 years, 243 days) BENEDICTVS Tertius Decimus
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 * 28 September 1394 –
 * Antipope Benedictus XIII.jpg
 * Benedict XIII
 * Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor
 * style="font-size:85%"|25 November 1328 Illueca, Aragon
 * style="font-size:85%"|66 / 94
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the Kingdom of Aragon. In opposition to Boniface IX (1389–1404), Innocent VII (1404–06), Gregory XII (1406–15), Martin V (1417–31) and Pisan Antipopes Alexander V (1409–10) and John XXIII (1410–15)

15th century
3 May 1410 (307 days) ALEXANDER Quintus O.F.M.
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 * 30 June 1409 –
 * Nuremberg Chronicles f 235v 3 (Alexander V).jpg
 * Alexander V
 * Pétros Philárgēs,
 * style="font-size:85%"|1339 Neapoli, Candia, Republic of Venice
 * style="font-size:85%"|70 / 71
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a citizen of the Republic of Venice. Was of Greek ethnicity. Western Schism. In opposition to Gregory XII. Considered a legitimate pope until 1963 and is numbered as such to this day.

30 May 1415 (5 years, 6 days) IOANNES Vicesimus Tertius
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 * 25 May 1410 –
 * Johannes XXIII. Gegenpapst 2.jpg
 * John XXIII
 * Baldassarre Cossa
 * style="font-size:85%"|1365 Procida, Naples
 * style="font-size:85%"|45 / 50 (†54)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the Kingdom of Naples. Western Schism. In opposition to Gregory XII. Convened Council of Constance. Deposed. Became dean of the College of Cardinals in 1417. Was considered a legitimate pope until 1958.

26 July 1429 (6 years, 38 days) CLEMENS Octavus
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 * 10 or 20 June 1423 –
 * Palma Antipapa Clemens VIII.JPG
 * Clement VIII
 * Gil Sánchez Muñoz y Carbón
 * style="font-size:85%"|1369 Teruel, Aragon
 * style="font-size:85%"|54 / 60 (†77)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the Kingdom of Aragon. Western Schism. In opposition to Martin V.

1429
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 * 1424 –


 * Antipope Benedict XIV
 * Bernard Garnier
 * style="font-size:85%"|France
 * style="font-size:85%"|
 * style="font-size:85%"| Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France. Two antipope claimants
 * style="font-size:85%"| Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France. Two antipope claimants

1437
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 * 1430 –


 * Antipope Benedict XIV
 * Jean Carrier
 * style="font-size:85%"|France
 * style="font-size:85%"|
 * style="font-size:85%"| Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France. Two antipope claimants
 * style="font-size:85%"| Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France. Two antipope claimants

7 April 1449 (9 years, 156 days) FELIX Quintus
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 * 5 November 1439 –
 * Portrait of Antipope Felix V.jpg
 * Felix V
 * Amadeus
 * style="font-size:85%"|4 September 1383 Chambéry, France
 * style="font-size:85%"|56 / 65 (†67)
 * style="font-size:85%"|Born as a subject of the Kingdom of France. In opposition to Eugene IV and Nicholas V. Also ruled as count of Savoy.

21st century
Longest-lived pope on record. Died on 31 December 2022, in Vatican.

Religious orders
51 popes and 6 antipopes (in italics) have been members of religious orders, including 12 members of third orders. They are listed by order as follows:

Numbering of popes
Regnal numbers follow the usual convention for European monarchs. The first pope who chooses a unique name is not usually identified by an ordinal, John Paul I being the exception. Antipopes are treated as pretenders, and their numbers are reused by those considered to be legitimate popes. However, there are anomalies in the numbering of the popes. Several numbers were mistakenly increased in the Middle Ages because the records were misunderstood. Several antipopes were also kept in the sequence, either by mistake or because they were previously considered to be true popes.


 * Alexander: Antipope Alexander V (1409–1410) was listed in the Annuario Pontificio as a legitimate pope until the 20th century, when the Pisan popes were reclassified as antipopes. There had already been three more Alexanders by then, so there is now a gap in the numbering sequence.
 * Benedict: Antipope Benedict X (1058–1059) was kept in the numbering sequence.
 * Boniface: Antipope Boniface VII (974 and 984–985) was kept in the numbering sequence.
 * Donus: The name has only been used by one pope. The apocryphal Pope Donus II resulted from confusion between the Latin word dominus (lord) and the name Donus.
 * Felix: Antipope Felix II (356–357) was kept in the numbering sequence.
 * John: The numbering of the Popes John is particularly confused. In the modern sequence, they are identified by the numbers they used during their reigns.
 * Antipope John XVI (997–998) was kept in the numbering sequence.
 * Pope John XXI (1276–1277) chose to skip the number XX, believing that there had been another Pope John between XIV and XV. In reality, John XIV had been counted twice.
 * By the 16th century, the numbering error had been conflated with legends about a female Pope Joan, whom some authors called John VIII. She was never listed in the Annuario Pontificio.
 * Antipope John XXIII (1410–1415) was listed in the Annuario Pontificio as a legitimate pope until the 20th century. After the Pisan popes were classified as antipopes, Pope John XXIII (1958–1963) chose to reuse the number, citing "twenty-two [sic] Johns of indisputable legitimacy."
 * Martin: Pope Martin I (649–655) is followed by Martin IV (1281–1285). Due to the similarity between the Latin names Marinus and Martinus, Marinus I and Marinus II were mistakenly considered to be Martin II and III.
 * Stephen: Pope-elect Stephen (752) died before being consecrated. He was previously known as Stephen II, but the Vatican removed him from the official list of popes in 1961. The remaining Stephens are now numbered Pope Stephen II (752–757) to Pope Stephen IX (1057–1058).

Lists

 * List of canonized popes
 * List of murdered popes
 * List of popes by nationality
 * List of popes from the Borgia family
 * List of popes from the Conti family
 * List of popes from the Medici family
 * List of popes sorted alphabetically
 * List of sexually active popes
 * List of Sovereigns of the Vatican City State
 * List of popes (graphical)