pope
Where does the pope live?
How is the pope chosen?
What are some of the official titles of the pope?
How is the pope viewed doctrinally in the Roman Catholic Church?
What role does the pope play in the Roman Catholic Church’s central government?
News •
pope, (Latin papa, from Greek pappas, “father”), the title, since about the 9th century ce, of the bishop of Rome, who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The title was formerly given, especially from the 3rd to the 5th century, to any bishop and sometimes to priests as an ecclesiastical title expressing affectionate respect. In Eastern Orthodox churches, the title is still used for the patriarch of Alexandria and for Orthodox priests. (See also papacy.)
(Read Britannica’s article “How Is the Pope Elected?”)
Doctrinally, in the Roman Catholic Church, the pope is regarded as the successor of St. Peter, who was head of the Apostles of Jesus. As bishop of Rome, the pope is thus seen to have full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the universal church in matters of faith and morals, as well as in church discipline and government. The basis of this doctrine of papal primacy is twofold, involving the place of St. Peter in the New Testament (in which there are various metaphors expressing Peter’s authority) and the place of the Roman church in history. The understanding of papal primacy developed as the church developed, two notable factors being the role of Rome as the imperial city until the 5th century and the religious and political role of the bishop of Rome afterward. For more information about papal primacy, see Petrine theory.
Why hasn’t there been an American pope?
The pope, as the bishop of Rome, is the head of the Holy See, the Roman Catholic Church’s central government, which in turn is assisted by the various departments of the Roman Curia. The pope thus makes decisions on issues of faith and morality for Catholics throughout the world, a population of about 1.3 billion. In the 20th century the role of the pope evolved with church teaching on the role of bishops. The changes made by the ecumenical Second Vatican Council (1962–65) counterbalanced the emphasis on papal prerogatives while maintaining the view that the authority of the bishops as a single collegial body cannot be separated from that of the pope as the head of that body. Although the Eastern Orthodox Church has long been willing to give the bishop of Rome the primacy of honor accorded to patriarchs, and although many Protestants have appreciated the moral leadership shown by some recent popes, the Catholic doctrine of papal primacy was still a major obstacle to ecumenical efforts that began in the 20th century. In 2025, the church made a historic choice when Cardinal Robert Prevost became the first American pope. He took the name Pope Leo XIV.
(Who are the most influential popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church?)
The Annuario Pontificio, the official directory of the Holy See, describes the office of the pope by the following titles:
- Bishop of Rome
- Vicar of Jesus Christ
- Successor of the Prince of the Apostles
- Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church
- Patriarch of the West
- Primate of Italy
- Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Rome
- Sovereign of the State of Vatican City
- Servant of the Servants of God
The title pope or papa (abbreviated PP.) is officially used only as a less solemn style. Papabile refers to someone who is a likely or worthy contender for the papacy.
The pope is elected to his position by a procedure known as the papal conclave, in which cardinal electors gather in Vatican City and sequester themselves to vote for the next pope. This assembly takes place after a pope dies or resigns. In brief, only cardinals under 80 years old are allowed to vote in a conclave. They choose from among their fellow cardinals, although there is no rule that states a pope must be a cardinal. Typically, several rounds of voting occur before the cardinals reach the two-thirds majority required to elect a pope. After he is selected, the new pope chooses a papal name, and his election is announced to the public. For further details on this procedure, see papal conclave and How Is the Pope Elected?
(Read Britannica’s article “What Do Cardinals and Popes Wear?”)
The pope lives in Vatican City, an ecclesiastical state and enclave surrounded by Rome. Traditionally, the pope resides inside the Vatican Palace. However, Pope Francis (reigned 2013–25) broke from this tradition by opting for a two-room apartment in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a guesthouse in Vatican City normally used by cardinal electors during the papal conclave. Castel Gandolfo is a castle in central Italy that has been used as a summer residence by some popes.
A list of popes and antipopes is provided in the table.
| Popes and antipopes1 | |
|---|---|
| 1Antipopes are in italics. Until the 4th century the popes were usually known only as bishops of Rome. | |
| 2The higher number is used if Felix (II), who reigned from 355 to 358 and is ordinarily classed as an antipope, is counted as a pope. | |
| 3Though elected on March 23, 752, Stephen (II) died two days later, before he could be consecrated, and thus is ordinarily not counted. The issue has made the numbering of subsequent Stephens somewhat irregular. | |
| 4Either Leo VIII or Benedict V may be considered an antipope. | |
| 5A confusion in the numbering of popes named John after John XIV (reigned 983–984) resulted because some 11th-century historians mistakenly believed that there had been a pope named John between antipope Boniface VII and the true John XV (reigned 985–996). Therefore they mistakenly numbered the real popes John XV to XIX as John XVI to XX. These popes have since customarily been renumbered XV to XIX, but John XXI and John XXII continue to bear numbers that they themselves formally adopted on the assumption that there had indeed been 20 Johns before them. In current numbering there thus exists no pope by the name of John XX. | |
| 6Sylvester III is considered an antipope by those who believe that Benedict IX's forcible removal in 1044 was illegitimate. | |
| 7In the 13th century the papal chancery misread the names of the two popes Marinus as Martin, and, as a result of this error, Simon de Brie in 1281 assumed the name of Pope Martin IV instead of Martin II. The enumeration has not been corrected, and thus there exist no Martin II and Martin III. | |
| Peter | ?-c. 64 |
| Linus | c. 67–76/79 |
| Anacletus | 76–88 or 79–91 |
| Clement I | 88–97 or 92–101 |
| Evaristus | c. 97–c. 107 |
| Alexander I | 105–115 or 109–119 |
| Sixtus I | c. 115–c. 125 |
| Telesphorus | c. 125–c. 136 |
| Hyginus | c. 136–c. 140 |
| Pius I | c. 142–c. 155 |
| Anicetus | c. 155–c. 166 |
| Soter | c. 166–c. 175 |
| Eleutherius | c. 175–189 |
| Victor I | c. 189–198/199 |
| Zephyrinus | c. 199–217 |
| Calixtus I (Callistus) | 217?–222 |
| Hippolytus | 217/218–235 |
| Urban I | 222–230 |
| Pontian | 230–235 |
| Anterus | 235–236 |
| Fabian | 236–250 |
| Cornelius | 251–253 |
| Novatian | 251 |
| Lucius I | 253–254 |
| Stephen I | 254–257 |
| Sixtus II | 257–258 |
| Dionysius | 259/260–268 |
| Felix I | 269–274 |
| Eutychian | 275–283 |
| Gaius | 283–296 |
| Marcellinus | 291/296–304 |
| Marcellus I | 306–308 or 308–309 |
| Eusebius | 309/310 |
| Miltiades (Melchiades) | 311–314 |
| Sylvester I | 314–335 |
| Mark | 336 |
| Julius I | 337–352 |
| Liberius | 352–366 |
| Felix (II) | 355–365 |
| Damasus I | 366–384 |
| Ursinus | 366–367 |
| Siricius | 384–399 |
| Anastasius I | 399–401 |
| Innocent I | 401–417 |
| Zosimus | 417–418 |
| Boniface I | 418–422 |
| Eulalius | 418–419 |
| Celestine I | 422–432 |
| Sixtus III | 432–440 |
| Leo I | 440–461 |
| Hilary | 461–468 |
| Simplicius | 468–483 |
| Felix III (or II)2 | 483–492 |
| Gelasius I | 492–496 |
| Anastasius II | 496–498 |
| Symmachus | 498–514 |
| Laurentius | 498, 501– c. 505/507 |
| Hormisdas | 514–523 |
| John I | 523–526 |
| Felix IV (or III)2 | 526–530 |
| Dioscorus | 530 |
| Boniface II | 530–532 |
| John II | 533–535 |
| Agapetus I | 535–536 |
| Silverius | 536–537 |
| Vigilius | 537–555 |
| Pelagius I | 556–561 |
| John III | 561–574 |
| Benedict I | 575–579 |
| Pelagius II | 579–590 |
| Gregory I | 590–604 |
| Sabinian | 604–606 |
| Boniface III | 607 |
| Boniface IV | 608–615 |
| Deusdedit (also called Adeodatus I) | 615–618 |
| Boniface V | 619–625 |
| Honorius I | 625–638 |
| Severinus | 640 |
| John IV | 640–642 |
| Theodore I | 642–649 |
| Martin I | 649–653 |
| Eugenius I | 654–657 |
| Vitalian | 657–672 |
| Adeodatus II | 672–676 |
| Donus | 676–678 |
| Agatho | 678–681 |
| Leo II | 682–683 |
| Benedict II | 684–685 |
| John V | 685–686 |
| Conon | 686–687 |
| Sergius I | 687–701 |
| Theodore | 687 |
| Paschal | 687 |
| John VI | 701–705 |
| John VII | 705–707 |
| Sisinnius | 708 |
| Constantine | 708–715 |
| Gregory II | 715–731 |
| Gregory III | 731–741 |
| Zacharias (Zachary) | 741–752 |
| Stephen (II)3 | 752 |
| Stephen II (or III)3 | 752–757 |
| Paul I | 757–767 |
| Constantine(II) | 767–768 |
| Philip | 768 |
| Stephen III (or IV)3 | 768–772 |
| Adrian I | 772–795 |
| Leo III | 795–816 |
| Stephen IV (or V)3 | 816–817 |
| Paschal I | 817–824 |
| Eugenius II | 824–827 |
| Valentine | 827 |
| Gregory IV | 827–844 |
| John | 844 |
| Sergius II | 844–847 |
| Leo IV | 847–855 |
| Benedict III | 855–858 |
| Anastasius (Anastasius the Librarian) | 855 |
| Nicholas I | 858–867 |
| Adrian II | 867–872 |
| John VIII | 872–882 |
| Marinus I | 882–884 |
| Adrian III | 884–885 |
| Stephen V (or VI)3 | 885–891 |
| Formosus | 891–896 |
| Boniface VI | 896 |
| Stephen VI (or VII)3 | 896–897 |
| Romanus | 897 |
| Theodore II | 897 |
| John IX | 898–900 |
| Benedict IV | 900–903 |
| Leo V | 903 |
| Christopher | 903–904 |
| Sergius III | 904–911 |
| Anastasius III | 911–913 |
| Lando | 913–914 |
| John X | 914–928 |
| Leo VI | 928 |
| Stephen VII (or VIII)3 | 928–931 |
| John XI | 931–935 |
| Leo VII | 936–939 |
| Stephen VIII (or IX)3 | 939–942 |
| Marinus II | 942–946 |
| Agapetus II | 946–955 |
| John XII | 955–964 |
| Leo VIII4 | 963–965 |
| Benedict V4 | 964 |
| John XIII | 965–972 |
| Benedict VI | 973–974 |
| Boniface VII (1st time) | 974 |
| Benedict VII | 974–983 |
| John XIV | 983–984 |
| Boniface VII (2nd time) | 984–985 |
| John XV (or XVI)5 | 985–996 |
| Gregory V | 996–999 |
| John XVI (or XVII)5 | 997–998 |
| Sylvester II | 999–1003 |
| John XVII (or XVIII)5 | 1003 |
| John XVIII (or XIX)5 | 1003–09 |
| Sergius IV | 1009–12 |
| Gregory (VI) | 1012 |
| Benedict VIII | 1012–24 |
| John XIX (or XX)5 | 1024–32 |
| Benedict IX (1st time) | 1032–44 |
| Sylvester III6 | 1045 |
| Benedict IX (2nd time) | 1045 |
| Gregory VI | 1045–46 |
| Clement II | 1046–47 |
| Benedict IX (3rd time) | 1047–48 |
| Damasus II | 1048 |
| Leo IX | 1049–54 |
| Victor II | 1055–57 |
| Stephen IX (or X)3 | 1057–58 |
| Benedict X | 1058–59 |
| Nicholas II | 1059–61 |
| Alexander II | 1061–73 |
| Honorius (II) | 1061–64 |
| Gregory VII | 1073–85 |
| Clement (III) | 1080–1100 |
| Victor III | 1086–87 |
| Urban II | 1088–99 |
| Paschal II | 1099–1118 |
| Theodoric | 1100–01 |
| Albert (also called Aleric) | 1101 |
| Sylvester (IV) | 1105–11 |
| Gelasius II | 1118–19 |
| Gregory (VIII) | 1118–21 |
| Calixtus II (Callistus) | 1119–24 |
| Honorius II | 1124–30 |
| Celestine (II) | 1124 |
| Innocent II | 1130–43 |
| Anacletus (II) | 1130–38 |
| Victor (IV) | 1138 |
| Celestine II | 1143–44 |
| Lucius II | 1144–45 |
| Eugenius III | 1145–53 |
| Anastasius IV | 1153–54 |
| Adrian IV | 1154–59 |
| Alexander III | 1159–81 |
| Victor (IV) | 1159–64 |
| Paschal (III) | 1164–68 |
| Calixtus (III) | 1168–78 |
| Innocent (III) | 1179–80 |
| Lucius III | 1181–85 |
| Urban III | 1185–87 |
| Gregory VIII | 1187 |
| Clement III | 1187–91 |
| Celestine III | 1191–98 |
| Innocent III | 1198–1216 |
| Honorius III | 1216–27 |
| Gregory IX | 1227–41 |
| Celestine IV | 1241 |
| Innocent IV | 1243–54 |
| Alexander IV | 1254–61 |
| Urban IV | 1261–64 |
| Clement IV | 1265–68 |
| Gregory X | 1271–76 |
| Innocent V | 1276 |
| Adrian V | 1276 |
| John XXI5 | 1276–77 |
| Nicholas III | 1277–80 |
| Martin IV7 | 1281–85 |
| Honorius IV | 1285–87 |
| Nicholas IV | 1288–92 |
| Celestine V | 1294 |
| Boniface VIII | 1294–1303 |
| Benedict XI | 1303–04 |
| Clement V (at Avignon from 1309) | 1305–14 |
| John XXII5 (at Avignon) | 1316–34 |
| Nicholas (V) at Rome) | 1328–30 |
| Benedict XII (at Avignon) | 1334–42 |
| Clement VI (at Avignon) | 1342–52 |
| Innocent VI (at Avignon) | 1352–62 |
| Urban V (at Avignon) | 1362–70 |
| Gregory XI (at Avignon, then Rome from 1377) | 1370–78 |
| Urban VI | 1378–89 |
| Clement (VII) (at Avignon) | 1378–94 |
| Boniface IX | 1389–1404 |
| Benedict (XIII) (at Avignon) | 1394–1423 |
| Innocent VII | 1404–06 |
| Gregory XII | 1406–15 |
| Alexander (V) (at Bologna) | 1409–10 |
| John (XXIII) (at Bologna) | 1410–15 |
| Martin V7 | 1417–31 |
| Clement (VIII) | 1423–29 |
| Eugenius IV | 1431–47 |
| Felix (V) (also called Amadeus VIII of Savoy) | 1439–49 |
| Nicholas V | 1447–55 |
| Calixtus III (Callistus) | 1455–58 |
| Pius II | 1458–64 |
| Paul II | 1464–71 |
| Sixtus IV | 1471–84 |
| Innocent VIII | 1484–92 |
| Alexander VI | 1492–1503 |
| Pius III | 1503 |
| Julius II | 1503–13 |
| Leo X | 1513–21 |
| Adrian VI | 1522–23 |
| Clement VII | 1523–34 |
| Paul III | 1534–49 |
| Julius III | 1550–55 |
| Marcellus II | 1555 |
| Paul IV | 1555–59 |
| Pius IV | 1559–65 |
| Pius V | 1566–72 |
| Gregory XIII | 1572–85 |
| Sixtus V | 1585–90 |
| Urban VII | 1590 |
| Gregory XIV | 1590–91 |
| Innocent IX | 1591 |
| Clement VIII | 1592–1605 |
| Leo XI | 1605 |
| Paul V | 1605–21 |
| Gregory XV | 1621–23 |
| Urban VIII | 1623–44 |
| Innocent X | 1644–55 |
| Alexander VII | 1655–67 |
| Clement IX | 1667–69 |
| Clement X | 1670–76 |
| Innocent XI | 1676–89 |
| Alexander VIII | 1689–91 |
| Innocent XII | 1691–1700 |
| Clement XI | 1700–21 |
| Innocent XIII | 1721–24 |
| Benedict XIII | 1724–30 |
| Clement XII | 1730–40 |
| Benedict XIV | 1740–58 |
| Clement XIII | 1758–69 |
| Clement XIV | 1769–74 |
| Pius VI | 1775–99 |
| Pius VII | 1800–23 |
| Leo XII | 1823–29 |
| Pius VIII | 1829–30 |
| Gregory XVI | 1831–46 |
| Pius IX | 1846–78 |
| Leo XIII | 1878–1903 |
| Pius X | 1903–14 |
| Benedict XV | 1914–22 |
| Pius XI | 1922–39 |
| Pius XII | 1939–58 |
| John XXIII | 1958–63 |
| Paul VI | 1963–78 |
| John Paul I | 1978 |
| John Paul II | 1978–2005 |
| Benedict XVI | 2005–13 |
| Francis I | 2013–25 |
| Leo XIV | 2025– |
