Pope

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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. Catholics claim that the pope is infalliable when speaking ex cathedra, i.e. when declaring matters of faith. 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. The pope is elected by the College of Cardinals, a council of special bishops appointed by the pope himself.

List of popes

1st millennium

1st century

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

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

3rd century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

4th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

5th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

6th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

7th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

8th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

9th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

10th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

2nd millennium

11th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

12th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

13th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

14th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

15th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

16th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

17th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

18th century

Papal name	Personal name	Pontificate	Notes

19th century

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

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.
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

21st century

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