Ever tried to count the popes? It’s not as straightforward as a simple tally. If you head over to the Vatican’s official archives or crack open the Annuario Pontificio, you’ll see the current leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, sits at the end of a very long, very complicated line.
He’s the first American to hold the office. That happened just last year in 2025. But before Robert Prevost took the name Leo XIV, there were centuries of drama, missing records, and guys who claimed to be pope but definitely weren't.
The official Vatican list of popes and the numbers game
The "official" count usually lands at 267. However, history is messy. You’ll find some sources saying 266, others 268. Why the discrepancy?
Basically, it comes down to a guy named Stephen. Back in 752, a priest was elected but died of a stroke just four days later, before he could be consecrated. For centuries, he was "Stephen II." Then, in 1961, the Vatican decided if you weren't consecrated, you weren't technically pope. They scrubbed him. Suddenly, every Stephen after him had to have their number adjusted in the vatican list of popes. It’s the kind of administrative headache that makes historians lose sleep.
The first few centuries were a blur
St. Peter is always #1. That’s the foundation. But after him? The names Linus, Cletus, and Clement appear, but the exact dates are honestly just educated guesses. We're talking about a time when being the Bishop of Rome was basically a death sentence. Most of the early guys on the list ended up as martyrs.
- St. Peter: The apostle, died around 64 or 67 AD.
- St. Linus: The second one, though some ancient lists swap him with others.
- St. Anacletus: Also called Cletus. This caused so much confusion that people once thought they were two different people. They aren't.
The weird, the bad, and the "Antipopes"
You can't talk about the vatican list of popes without mentioning the "Antipopes." These were men who claimed the Papacy in opposition to the person the Church later decided was the legitimate one. At one point in the late 1300s, there were actually three different guys all claiming to be the pope at the same time.
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Imagine the confusion for a peasant in Europe trying to figure out who actually held the keys to heaven.
The "Cadaver Synod"
If you think modern politics is wild, look up Pope Stephen VI. In 897, he was so angry at his predecessor, Pope Formosus, that he had the man's rotting corpse dug up, dressed in papal robes, and put on trial.
He literally sat a skeleton on a throne and yelled at it.
The skeleton "lost" the trial, obviously. They chopped off its blessing fingers and tossed it in the Tiber River. This is the kind of stuff that doesn't usually make it into the Sunday school version of the list, but it's right there in the historical record.
Transitioning into the modern era
The list stabilized significantly after the Council of Constance ended the Great Western Schism. We stopped having multiple popes and started having a clearer line of succession.
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In the last century, the pace of change has felt faster. We went from the long, globe-trotting reign of St. John Paul II to the intellectual powerhouse of Benedict XVI, who did something almost unheard of: he retired. Before him, the last pope to resign was Gregory XII in 1415.
Then came Pope Francis, the first from the Americas, who focused heavily on mercy and the environment. His passing in early 2025 led to the conclave that elected Leo XIV.
- Leo XIV (2025–Present): Robert Prevost, the first U.S. pope.
- Francis (2013–2025): Jorge Mario Bergoglio, from Argentina.
- Benedict XVI (2005–2013): Joseph Ratzinger, from Germany (Resigned).
- St. John Paul II (1978–2005): Karol Wojtyła, from Poland.
Why the list still matters today
The vatican list of popes isn't just a dusty record for theologians. It’s the "family tree" of the world’s largest religious organization. For over 1.3 billion Catholics, this list represents "apostolic succession"—the idea that there is an unbroken chain of authority going all the way back to Jesus and Peter.
It's also a mirror of world history. You see the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the digital age all reflected in the men who took these names.
How to use the official list
If you're researching this for a project or just out of curiosity, always look for the Annuario Pontificio. It’s the Vatican’s "Red Book." It’s updated annually and is the final word on who counts and who doesn’t.
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Don't get tripped up by the numbers of the Johns. There is no Pope John XX. They skipped it because of a numbering error in the 11th century. Seriously.
Actionable insights for history buffs
If you want to truly understand the Papal lineage, don't just memorize names. Look at the "Firsts."
- First Pope: Peter (Israel)
- First American Pope: Leo XIV (USA, 2025)
- First Jesuit Pope: Francis (Argentina)
- First Pope to resign in 600 years: Benedict XVI
To get the most out of your research, cross-reference the official Vatican list with the Liber Pontificalis (The Book of Popes). This ancient text provides the earliest biographies of the bishops of Rome. While some of its early entries are legendary, it provides the "vibe" of the early Church that a simple list of names can't capture.
Study the "interregnums" too—the gaps between popes. Some lasted days; one lasted nearly three years. That's where the real political maneuvering happened.