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The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, the Bishop of Rome and head of state for the Vatican City State. Throughout history, Popes have used their position for the advancement of European imperialism and the promotion of bigotry.
According to Catholic doctrine, the pope is the successor of Peter, the apostle of Jesus, and therefore the representative of Jesus Christ on earth.[1] Catholics claim that the pope is infalliable when speaking ex cathedra, i.e. when declaring matters of faith.[1] These doctrines were formuated in the middle ages, with Pope Gregory VII establishing papal infalliability in the 11th century, and Pope Innocent III formulating his supremacy over the rest of the Catholic Church in the 13th century.[1] The pope is elected by the College of Cardinals, a council of special bishops appointed by the pope himself.[2]
List of popes[edit | edit source]
1st millennium[edit | edit source]
1st century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter | Shimon Bar Yonah | c. 30 – c. 64 | |
| Linus | Linos Romes | c. 64 – c. 76 | |
| Anacletus | Anakletos Romes | c. 76 – c. 88 | |
| Clement I | Klemes Romes | c. 88 – c. 97 | |
| Evaristus | Evaristos Bar Yehudah | c. 97 – c. 105 |
2nd century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
3rd century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
4th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
5th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
6th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
7th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
8th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
9th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
10th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
2nd millennium[edit | edit source]
11th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
12th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
13th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
14th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
15th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
16th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
17th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
18th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
19th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leo XII | Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga | 28 September 1823 – 10 February 1829 | |
| Pius VIII | Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni | 31 March 1829 – 30 November 1830 | |
| Gregory XVI | Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari | 2 February 1831 – 1 June 1846 | |
| Pius IX | Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti | 16 June 1846 – 7 February 1878 | |
| Leo XIII | Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci | 20 February 1878 – 20 July 1903 |
20th century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pius X | Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto | 4 August 1903 – 20 August 1914 | |
| Benedict XV | Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa | 3 September 1914 – 22 January 1922 | |
| Pius XI | Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti | 6 February 1922 – 10 February 1939 | Became the first leader of the Vatican City State when it was created in 1929.[2] |
| Pius XII | Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli | 2 March 1939 – 9 October 1958 | |
| John XXIII | Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli | 28 October 1958 – 3 June 1963 | |
| Paul VI | Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini | 21 June 1963 – 6 August 1978 | |
| John Paul I | Albino Luciani | 26 August 1978 – 28 September 1978 | |
| John Paul II | Karol Józef Wojtyła | 16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005 |
3rd millennium[edit | edit source]
21st century[edit | edit source]
| Papal name | Personal name | Pontificate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benedict XVI | Joseph Alois Ratzinger | 19 April 2005 – 28 February 2013 | |
| Francis | Jorge Mario Bergoglio | 13 March 2013 – 21 April 2025 | |
| Leo XIV | Robert Francis Prevost | 8 May 2025 – present |
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 S. D. Skazkin and M. P. Mchedlov (1973). Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.), vol. 11: 'Catholicism' (Russian: Boljšaja sovjetskaja enciklopjedija). [PDF] Moscow.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd ed.), vol. 4: 'Vatican' (1971) (Russian: Boljšaja sovjetskaja enciklopjedija). [PDF] Moscow.