The religious head of the Roman Catholic Church is called the Pope. He is also the Bishop of Rome. He is elected by the College of Cardinals which is the pope's chief advisory body and are the ones responsible to elect his successor for life upon his death or retirement. They (as a group) are ranked next to the Pope in ecclesiastical authority. Members of the College of Cardinals who are less than 80 years old elect the Pope for life. In order for someone to be elected as a new Pope, he must be named on two-thirds of the ballots cast, where each member of the College of Cardinals must vote. After which, he must be asked by the dean of cardinals if he accepts such a post. If he accepts, he is then asked to choose a name.
This list of popes is arranged in chronological order along with their years of reign (the years of their papacies). Included in this list also are (names written in Italics that represent) Popes that have never been acknowledged and are thus considered to be Anti-popes. Anti-pope is a person claiming to be or elected pope in opposition to the one chosen by church law, as during a schism. Those claims are treated as invalid today by the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican’s official list of popes is called the Annuario Pontificio and there have been 265 Popes according to this list. These are ones who are validly considered to be the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. However, this list will be 266. There was a man elected in 752 for Pope but died three days afterwards. He was listed on the Vatican’s official list as Stephen II until 1960, but he has been erased since the 1961 edition. Stephen II can be found in the 1913 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia.The list starts with Peter (St. Peter the Apostle), who is traditionally believed and considered by the Roman Catholics to be the first Pope because of his appointment by Jesus where he received the keys to the kingdom of heaven and his role in organizing the Church. According to the Holy Bible Matthew 16:18-19. "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" Matt 16:18. As such, this plays an important tradition for the Catholics who believe that the pope has jurisdiction over the entire Christian church in matters of faith, morals and church government. This list ends with Benedict XVI, the most recent pope.
================================================================
Note: You can find books on the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church here:Books on Roman Catholic Popes
| Catholicism For Dummies================================================================
1. St. Peter (32-67)
2. St. Linus (67-76)
3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
4. St. Clement I (88-97)
5. St. Evaristus (97-105)
6. St. Alexander I (105-115)
7. St. Sixtus I (115-125) -- also called Xystus I
8. St. Telesphorus (125-136)
9. St. Hyginus (136-140)
10. St. Pius I (140-155)
11. St. Anicetus (155-166)
12. St. Soter (166-175)
13. St. Eleutherius (175-189)
14. St. Victor I (189-199)
15. St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
16. St. Callistus I (217-22)
St. Hippolytus 217-235
17. St. Urban I (222-30)
18. St. Pontain (230-35)
19. St. Anterus (235-36)
20. St. Fabian (236-50)
21. St. Cornelius (251-53)
Novatianus 251
22. St. Lucius I (253-54)
23. St. Stephen I (254-257)
24. St. Sixtus II (257-258)
25. St. Dionysius (260-268)
26. St. Felix I (269-274)
27. St. Eutychian (275-283)
28. St. Caius (283-296) -- also called Gaius
29. St. Marcellinus (296-304)
30. St. Marcellus I (308-309)
31. St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
32. St. Miltiades (311-14)
33. St. Sylvester I (314-35)
34. St. Marcus (336)
35. St. Julius I (337-52)
36. Liberius (352-66)
Felix, 355–65
37. St. Damasus I (366-83)
Ursinus, 366–67
38. St. Siricius (384-99)
39. St. Anastasius I (399-401)
40. St. Innocent I (401-17)
41. St. Zosimus (417-18)
42. St. Boniface I (418-22)
Eulalius, 418–19
43. St. Celestine I (422-32)
44. St. Sixtus III (432-40)
45. St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
46. St. Hilarius (461-68)
47. St. Simplicius (468-83)
48. St. Felix III (II) (483-92)
49. St. Gelasius I (492-96)
50. Anastasius II (496-98)
51. St. Symmachus (498-514)
Lawrence, 498–505
52. St. Hormisdas (514-23)
53. St. John I (523-26)
54. St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)
55. Boniface II (530-32)
Dioscurus, 530
56. John II (533-35)
57. St. Agapetus I (535-36) -- also called Agapitus I
58. St. Silverius (536-37)
59. Vigilius (537-55)
60. Pelagius I (556-61)
61. John III (561-74)
62. Benedict I (575-79)
63. Pelagius II (579-90)
64. St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
65. Sabinian (604-606)
66. Boniface III (607)
67. St. Boniface IV (608-15)
68. St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
69. Boniface V (619-25)
70. Honorius I (625-38)
71. Severinus (640)
72. John IV (640-42)
73. Theodore I (642-49)
74. St. Martin I (649-55)
75. St. Eugene I (655-57)
76. St. Vitalian (657-72)
77. Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
78. Donus (676-78)
79. St. Agatho (678-81)
80. St. Leo II (682-83)
81. St. Benedict II (684-85)
82. John V (685-86)
83. Conon (686-87)
Theodore, 687
Paschal, 687
84. St. Sergius I (687-701)
85. John VI (701-05)
86. John VII (705-07)
87. Sisinnius (708)
88. Constantine (708-15)
89. St. Gregory II (715-31)
90. St. Gregory III (731-41)
91. St. Zachary (741-52)
92. Stephen (or II) (752) -- He died before being consecrated. Because of this, some lists (including the Vatican's official list) omit him.
93. Stephen II (or III) (752-57)
94. St. Paul I (757-67)
Constantine, 767–69
Philip, 768
95. Stephen III (or IV) (767-72)
96. Adrian I (772-95)
97. St. Leo III (795-816)
98. Stephen IV (or V) (816-17)
99. St. Paschal I (817-24)
100. Eugene II (824-27)
101. Valentine (827)
102. Gregory IV (827-44)
John, 844
103. Sergius II (844-47)
104. St. Leo IV (847-55)
105. Benedict III (855-58)
Anastasius, 855
106. St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
107. Adrian II (867-72)
108. John VIII (872-82)
109. Marinus I (882-84)
110. St. Adrian III (884-85)
111. Stephen V (or VI) (885-91)
112. Formosus (891-96)
113. Boniface VI (896)
114. Stephen VI (or VII) (896-97)
115. Romanus (897)
116. Theodore II (897)
117. John IX (898-900)
118. Benedict IV (900-03)
119. Leo V (903)
Christopher, 903–4
120. Sergius III (904-11)
121. Anastasius III (911-13)
122. Lando (913-14)
123. John X (914-28)
124. Leo VI (928)
125. Stephen VII (or VIII) (929-31)
126. John XI (931-35)
127. Leo VII (936-39)
128. Stephen VIII (or IX) (939-42)
129. Marinus II (942-46)
130. Agapetus II (946-55)
131. John XII (955-63)
132. Leo VIII (963-64)
133. Benedict V (964)
134. John XIII (965-72)
135. Benedict VI (973-74)
Boniface VII, 974, 984–85
136. Benedict VII (974-83)
137. John XIV (983-84)
138. John XV (985-96)
139. Gregory V (996-99)
John XVI, 997–98
140. Sylvester II (999-1003)
141. John XVII (1003)
142. John XVIII (1003-09)
143. Sergius IV (1009-12)
144. Benedict VIII (1012-24)
Gregory, 1012
145. John XIX (1024-32)
146. Benedict IX (1032-45)
147. Sylvester III (1045) -- Considered by some to be an antipope
148. Benedict IX (1045)
149. Gregory VI (1045-46)
150. Clement II (1046-47)
151. Benedict IX (1047-48)
152. Damasus II (1048)
153. St. Leo IX (1049-54)
154. Victor II (1055-57)
155. Stephen IX (or X) (1057-58)
Benedict X, 1058–59
156. Nicholas II (1058-61)
157. Alexander II (1061-73)
Honorius II, 1061–72
158. St. Gregory VII (1073-85)
Clement III, 1080–1100
159. Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
160. Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
161. Paschal II (1099-1118)
Theodoric, 1100
Albert, 1102
Sylvester IV, 1105–11
162. Gelasius II (1118-19)
Gregory VIII, 1118–21
163. Callistus II (1119-24)
164. Honorius II (1124-30)
Celestine II, 1124
165. Innocent II (1130-43)
Anacletus II, 1130–38
Victor IV, 1138
166. Celestine II (1143-44)
167. Lucius II (1144-45)
168. Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
169. Anastasius IV (1153-54)
170. Adrian IV (1154-59)
171. Alexander III (1159-81)
Victor IV, 1159–64
Paschal III, 1164–68
Calixtus III, 1168–78
Innocent III, 1179–80
172. Lucius III (1181-85)
173. Urban III (1185-87)
174. Gregory VIII (1187)
175. Clement III (1187-91)
176. Celestine III (1191-98)
177. Innocent III (1198-1216)
178. Honorius III (1216-27)
179. Gregory IX (1227-41)
180. Celestine IV (1241)
181. Innocent IV (1243-54)
182. Alexander IV (1254-61)
183. Urban IV (1261-64)
184. Clement IV (1265-68)
185. Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
186. Blessed Innocent V (1276)
187. Adrian V (1276)
188. John XXI (1276-77)
189. Nicholas III (1277-80)
190. Martin IV (1281-85)
191. Honorius IV (1285-87)
192. Nicholas IV (1288-92)
193. St. Celestine V (1294)
194. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
195. Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)
196. Clement V (1305-14)
197. John XXII (1316-34)
Nicholas V, 1328–30
198. Benedict XII (1334-42)
199. Clement VI (1342-52)
200. Innocent VI (1352-62)
201. Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
202. Gregory XI (1370-78)
203. Urban VI (1378-89)
204. Boniface IX (1389-1404)
205. Innocent VII (1404-06)
206. Gregory XII (1406-15)
Clement VII, 1378–94
Benedict XIII, 1394–1423
Clement VII, 1423–29
Benedict XIV, 1425–30
Alexander V, 1409–10
John XXIII, 1410–15
207. Martin V (1417-31)
208. Eugene IV (1431-47)
Felix V, 1439–49
209. Nicholas V (1447-55)
210. Callistus III (1455-58)
211. Pius II (1458-64)
212. Paul II (1464-71)
213. Sixtus IV (1471-84)
214. Innocent VIII (1484-92)
215. Alexander VI (1492-1503)
216. Pius III (1503)
217. Julius II (1503-13)
218. Leo X (1513-21)
219. Adrian VI (1522-23)
220. Clement VII (1523-34)
221. Paul III (1534-49)
222. Julius III (1550-55)
223. Marcellus II (1555)
224. Paul IV (1555-59)
225. Pius IV (1559-65)
226. St. Pius V (1566-72)
227. Gregory XIII (1572-85)
228. Sixtus V (1585-90)
229. Urban VII (1590)
230. Gregory XIV (1590-91)
231. Innocent IX (1591)
232. Clement VIII (1592-1605)
233. Leo XI (1605)
234. Paul V (1605-21)
235. Gregory XV (1621-23)
236. Urban VIII (1623-44)
237. Innocent X (1644-55)
238. Alexander VII (1655-67)
239. Clement IX (1667-69)
240. Clement X (1670-76)
241. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
242. Alexander VIII (1689-91)
243. Innocent XII (1691-1700)
244. Clement XI (1700-21)
245. Innocent XIII (1721-24)
246. Benedict XIII (1724-30)
247. Clement XII (1730-40)
248. Benedict XIV (1740-58)
249. Clement XIII (1758-69)
250. Clement XIV (1769-74)
251. Pius VI (1775-99)
252. Pius VII (1800-23)
253. Leo XII (1823-29)
254. Pius VIII (1829-30)
255. Gregory XVI (1831-46)
256. Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
257. Leo XIII (1878-1903)
258. St. Pius X (1903-14)
259. Benedict XV (1914-22)
260. Pius XI (1922-39)
261. Pius XII (1939-58)
262. Blessed John XXIII (1958-63)
263. Paul VI (1963-78)
264. John Paul I (1978)
265. John Paul II (1978-2005)
266. Benedict XVI (2005— present)
I remember as a child flipping through the encyclopedia reading random articles. I learned a lot that way. Your blog reminds me of that. Lots of information that you just never know when it will come in handy!
ReplyDeleteSorry I don't take the time to comment and let you know how much I enjoy your blog, as I read every post you make.
PS. I'd like to invite you to join our brand new, family friendly BLOG VILLAGE TopList at http://blogvillage.gotop100.com/ .
Thanks very much for the compliment! I use to do the same thing as a child and still continue to read about lots of stuff from all subject areas. Now, because of my knowledge background and training, I thought it would be much fun to impart this in a blog format to others who might find it interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks also for taking the time to read my blog on a regular basis. It is very much appreciated :) There is no need for you to apologize since I’m guilty of the same thing. I do read your two blogs once in while but usually don’t have any worthwhile comment to contribute so I don’t.
Thanks for the invitation. I’ll check it out later :)
I just might like this blog, fits me. Oh, what were the 'popes' (used loosly) of the Great Schisim?- An Onymous man
ReplyDeleteHello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks you. Very good post.Unless they can offer a really compelling reason for users to come back, it will be the next Bebo, MySpace
ReplyDeleteThanks for this educational and acknowledged article! Many thanks for sharing this report with everyone! Hire the most professional paper writers in order to get your articles well-written!
ReplyDelete