papacy

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Vatican City: St. Peter's Basilica

Where do the cardinal electors come from?

Pope Francis: A Life in Pictures

Who was St. Peter the Apostle?

Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church

St. Gregory the Great

The crowning of Charlemagne

Expulsion of Pope Gregory VII and excommunication of King Henry IV

Innocent III: one of the youngest popes to ascend the throne

For Students

St. Peter's Basilica

papacy: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 09, 2025

Facts

Also Known As	bishop of Rome

Photos and Videos

Vatican City: St. Peter's Basilica

Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church

St. Gregory the Great

The crowning of Charlemagne

Expulsion of Pope Gregory VII and excommunication of King Henry IV

Innocent III: one of the youngest popes to ascend the throne

St. Peter's Basilica

The globe-trotting Pope John Paul II

Certifying the pope's death

Who was St. Peter the Apostle?

History of the Avignon papacy

The Western Schism and the Roman Catholic Church

How is a pope elected?

How Pope Francis guided the Roman Catholic Church?

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Topics

papal primacy papal document Josephinism Who Were the Most Influential Popes?pope Why the Name a Pope Chooses Matters Why Hasn’t There Been an American Pope?antipope How Is the Pope Elected?papal infallibility cardinal Sacred College of Cardinals Roman Curia legate worker-priest

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Key People

Anacletus

antipope

Christopher

duke of Württemberg

St. Gregory the Great

St. Gregory the Great

pope

Cesare Borgia

Cesare Borgia

Italian noble

Alexander III

Alexander III

pope

Choiseul, Étienne-François de Choiseul, duc de

Étienne-François de Choiseul, duke de Choiseul

French foreign minister

Pelagius I

Pelagius I

pope

Innocent II, detail from a mosaic, 12th century; in the apse of the basilica of Sta. Maria in Trastevere, Rome

Innocent II

pope

Saint Sergius I

pope

Saint Symmachus

pope

Saint Hippolytus of Rome

antipope

Liberius

Liberius

pope

Benedict IX

pope

Sergius III

pope

Paschal II

pope

Blessed Victor III

pope

Sergius II

pope

Giovanni de' Medici

Giovanni de’ Medici

Italian leader

Benedict

antipope

Myron C. Taylor

American financier and diplomat

Saint Gregory I or Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), pope from 590 to 604. Undated copperplate engraving by Adrian Collaert (c.1520-67).

Popes and Antipopes

Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday

Christianity Quiz