History is messy. If you look at the official roman catholic popes list today, it looks like a clean, unbroken chain stretching back two thousand years to a fisherman named Peter. It’s neat. It’s numbered. It feels solid. But honestly? If you actually dig into the Vatican’s own records—specifically the Annuario Pontificio—you’ll find that "official" is a relative term. There have been seasons where nobody knew who the real pope was. There were years with three guys all claiming the chair at once, excommunicating each other while the rest of Europe just watched in total confusion.
It’s wild.
We like to think of the papacy as this unchanging, ancient monolith. In reality, the list of popes has been revised, edited, and debated by historians for centuries. People have been scratched off the list. Others have been added back. Some "popes" were actually "antipopes," and the line between the two wasn't always clear when the swords were drawn.
The First Names on the Roman Catholic Popes List
Everything starts with Peter. But even that’s a bit complicated from a purely historical standpoint. While the Church identifies St. Peter as the first Bishop of Rome, the formal title of "Pope" (from papa, meaning father) didn’t really become the exclusive brand for the Roman bishop until much later.
In the early days, being on the roman catholic popes list was basically a death sentence. Linus, Cletus, Clement—these guys weren't living in marble palaces. They were running an illegal underground movement in the heart of an empire that occasionally used Christians as garden torches.
Check out the early succession. It’s a bit of a blur. We have the list from Irenaeus, writing around 180 AD, but even then, the dates are guesses. These were men operating in shadows.
The Mystery of St. Cletus and Anacletus
For a long time, people thought these were two different guys. You’d see Cletus at number three and Anacletus at number five. Later, historians realized they were likely the same person—Anacletus is just a more formal Greek version of the name. This is why if you look at an old roman catholic popes list from the 19th century and compare it to one from 2026, the numbering might be slightly off. They literally merged two people into one once the historical evidence got clearer.
When the List Gets Weird: The Middle Ages
If you want to see where the papacy turned into a high-stakes political thriller, look at the 9th and 10th centuries. This was the era of the "Saeculum Obscurum." It was brutal.
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Take Pope Formosus. He died in 896. You’d think that’s the end of his story, right? Not even close. His successor, Stephen VI, was so angry at him that he had Formosus's rotting corpse dug up, dressed in papal robes, and put on trial. They called it the Cadaver Synod. They literally sat a corpse on a throne and screamed questions at it. When the corpse "lost" the trial, they chopped off its blessing fingers and threw it in the Tiber River.
This is the kind of stuff they don't usually put in the Sunday school pamphlets.
The Problem of the Antipopes
You can't talk about the roman catholic popes list without mentioning the guys who didn't make the cut. An antipope is someone who claims to be pope but isn't recognized by the Church as legitimate.
The Great Western Schism (1378–1417) is the peak of this madness. At one point, you had:
- Gregory XII in Rome.
- Benedict XIII in Avignon.
- Alexander V (and later John XXIII) in Pisa.
All three claimed to be the real deal. All three had followers. It took the Council of Constance to finally fire everyone and start over with Martin V. If you look at the list today, the Pisan and Avignon lines are considered "antipopes," but at the time? Half of Europe thought they were the real thing. It makes the "unbroken chain" look a lot more like a tangled web.
The Renumbering Fiascos
Ever notice there is no John XX?
Seriously. Go look at a roman catholic popes list. It jumps from John XIX to John XXI. Why? Because in the 13th century, some historians got confused by the messy records of the previous Johns and thought there was another guy in there who didn't exist. By the time the next John came along, he took the number XXI to "fix" the mistake, not realizing he was actually skipping a number.
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And then there’s the "Popess Joan" myth. While most serious historians—including heavyweights like Eamon Duffy—agree she never existed, the legend persists because the list was so chaotic for so long that people actually believed a woman could have slipped onto the throne for a few years undetected.
The Evolution of How a Pope is Picked
The way you get on the roman catholic popes list has changed dramatically. In the beginning, the people of Rome basically just shouted for who they wanted. Then the local clergy took over. Then the Roman aristocrats turned it into a family business.
It wasn't until 1059 that Pope Nicholas II decided the Holy Roman Emperor and the local thugs should stay out of it. He gave the power to the Cardinals.
Even then, it wasn't always the "locked in a room" (Conclave) vibe we have now. That started because the people of Viterbo got so sick of the Cardinals taking three years to pick a guy that they locked them in a palace, ripped the roof off so they’d be exposed to the rain, and threatened to starve them until they made a choice.
Longest and Shortest Reigns
It’s not just about who was pope, but for how long.
- Pius IX: Held the chair for 31 years, 7 months, and 23 days. He saw the world transition into the modern era.
- Urban VII: He lasted 13 days. He died of malaria before he could even be inaugurated.
- John Paul II: The first non-Italian in 455 years, serving nearly 27 years.
The Most Influential Figures You Should Know
You can't just skim the roman catholic popes list; you have to look at the anchors.
Leo the Great is a massive one. When Attila the Hun was marching on Rome, Leo went out to meet him. We don't know exactly what he said, but Attila turned around. That moment solidified the Pope as not just a religious leader, but the protector of Western civilization.
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Then there’s Gregory the Great. He’s the one who sent missionaries to England. He basically invented the medieval papacy. He called himself the "Servant of the servants of God," a title popes still use today.
Fast forward to the 20th century. John XXIII changed everything with Vatican II. He was supposed to be a "caretaker" pope—an old guy who wouldn't do much—but he ended up opening the windows of the Church and letting the modern world in.
Why the List Still Matters Today
In a world that changes every five seconds, there's something fascinating about a list that goes back to the Roman Empire. It’s a record of survival. The papacy has survived the fall of Rome, the Black Death, the Reformation, the French Revolution, and two World Wars.
But the roman catholic popes list is also a record of human failure. You have saints on there, sure. But you also have Borgias who were more interested in power and poison than prayer. You have geniuses and you have men who were clearly in over their heads.
The nuance is what makes it interesting. If it were a perfect list of perfect people, it wouldn't be history—it would be propaganda. The fact that it's messy, that there are gaps, and that there are "missing" Johns makes the whole thing feel more real.
How to Use This Information
If you’re researching this for a project or just because you’re a history nerd, don’t just memorize the names. Look at the "Great Schisms." Look at the "Avignon Papacy," where the popes lived in France for 70 years like puppets of the French King.
The real value of the roman catholic popes list isn't the names themselves; it's the context of why those names changed the world.
Next Steps for Deeper Research:
- Check the Annuario Pontificio: This is the Vatican's official yearbook. If a name is added or removed, this is where it happens first.
- Read "Saints and Sinners" by Eamon Duffy: This is widely considered the gold standard for a one-volume history of the popes. It’s objective and doesn't shy away from the scandals.
- Visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls: If you're ever in Rome, this church has mosaic portraits of every single pope in a long line around the interior. There are still empty spots left for future popes.
- Investigate the "Antipopes": Looking into the lives of guys like Hippolytus (the first antipope, who actually ended up becoming a saint) gives you a much better grasp of early church politics than just looking at the "official" winners.
The list is a living document. Even now, historians are debating the roles of certain medieval figures. It’s a 2,000-year-old puzzle that we’re still putting together.