How Many Popes Are There? (From St. Peter To The Current Pontiff)

 

Have you ever wondered? How many Popes are there in the Apostolic Catholic Church, from St. Peter to the current Pontiff? What is their name? If you are looking for that, then you are in the right place!

The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ himself, who is the Second Person of Holy Trinity, Became Man for the salvation of Humankind. The New Testament records his earthly ministry and teaching, His appointment of the twelve Apostles, and His instructions to them to continue His Salvific Mission. The Catholic Church teaches that the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, in an event known as Pentecost, signaled the beginning of the public ministry of The Catholic Church by grace of Jesus Christ. Saint Peter was Rome's first bishop and the consecrator of Linus as its next bishop, thus starting the unbroken line which includes the current pontiff, Pope Francis. That is, the Catholic Church maintains the apostolic succession of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope – the successor to Saint Peter. This provide us compelling evidence that, the Catholic Church is not started by a Human Being and its Holy Traditions are ancient, predates the Canonization and Compilation of The Holy Bible.

Here is the list of all Popes:

1. St. Peter (the Apostle) (32-67)

2. St. Linus (67-76) mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21. Also Jude 3 “faith has been delivered once and for all to the saints.”

3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)

4. St. Clement I (88-97) mentioned in Philippians 4:3

5. St. Evaristus (97-105) St John was writing the book of Revelation in prison during this Papacy.

6. St. Alexander I (105-115)

7. St. Sixtus I (115-125)

8. St. Telesphorus (125-136)

9. St. Hyginus (136-140)

10. St. Pius I (140-155)

11. St. Anicetus (155-166)

12. St. Soter (166-175)

13. St. Eleutherius (175-189)

14. St. Victor I (189-199)

15. St. Zephyrinus (199-217)

16. St. Callistus I (217-22)

17. St. Urban I (222-30)

18. 18. St. Pontain (230-35)

19. St. Anterus (235-36)

20. St. Fabian (236-50)

21. St. Cornelius (251-53)

22. St. Lucius I (253-54)

23. St. Stephen I (254-257)

24. St. Sixtus II (257-258)

25. St. Dionysius (260-268)

26. St. Felix I (269-274)

27. St. Eutychian (275-283)

28. St. Gaius (283-296)

29. St. Marcellinus (296-304)

30. St. Marcellus I (308-309)

31. St. Eusebius (309 or 310)

32. St. Miltiades (311-14)

33. St. Sylvester I (314-35) Council of Nicea defends the divinity of Christ

34. St. Marcus (336)

35. St. Julius I (337-52)

36. Liberius (352-66)

37. St. Damasus I (366-83) Council of Rome defined Canon of Scripture

38. St. Siricius (384-99)

39. St. Anastasius I (399-401)

40. St. Innocent I (401-17) St Jerome translates bible: ‘Latin Vulgate.’

41. St. Zosimus (417-18)

42. St. Boniface I (418-22)

43. St. Celestine I (422-32)

44. St. Sixtus III (432-40)

45. St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)

46. St. Hilarius (461-68)

47. St. Simplicius (468-83)

48. St. Felix III (II) (483-92)

49. St. Gelasius I (492-96)

50. Anastasius II (496-98)

51. St. Symmachus (498-514)

52. St. Hormisdas (514-23)

53. St. John I (523-26)

54. St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)

55. Boniface II (530-32)

56. John II (533-35)

57. St. Agapetus I (535-36) St.

58. Silverius (536-37)

59. Vigilius (537-55)

60. Pelagius I (556-61)

61. John III (561-74)

62. Benedict I (575-79)

63. Pelagius II (579-90)

64. St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)

65. Sabinian (604-606)

66. Boniface III (607)

67. St. Boniface IV (608-15) Mohammed starts Islam 610 AD (Heretical Religion Denies The Divinity of Jesus Christ).

68. St. Adeodatus I (615-18)

69. Boniface V (619-25)

70. Honorius I (625-38)

71. Severinus (640)

72. John IV (640-42)

73. Theodore I (642-49)

74. St. Martin I (649-55)

75. St. Eugene I (655-57)

76. St. Vitalian (657-72)

77. Adeodatus (II) (672-76)

78. Donus (676-78)

79. St. Agatho (678-81)

80. St. Leo II (682-83)

81. St. Benedict II (684-85)

82. John V (685-86)

83. Conon (686-87)

84. St. Sergius I (687-701)

85. John VI (701-05)

86. John VII (705-07)

87. Sisinnius (708)

88. Constantine (708-15)

89. St. Gregory II (715-31)

90. St. Gregory III (731-41)

91. St. Zachary (741-52)

92. Stephen II (752)

93. Stephen III (752-57)

94. St. Paul I (757-67)

95. Stephen IV (767-72)

96. Adrian I (772-95)

97. St. Leo III (795-816)

98. Stephen V (816-17)

99. St. Paschal I (817-24)

100. Eugene II (824-27)

101. Valentine (827)

102. Gregory IV (827-44)

103. Sergius II (844-47)

104. St. Leo IV (847-55)

105. Benedict III (855-58)

106. St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)

107. Adrian II (867-72)

108. John VIII (872-82)

109. Marinus I (882-84)

110. St. Adrian III (884-85)

111. Stephen VI (885-91)

112. Formosus (891-96)

113. Boniface VI (896)

114. Stephen VII (896-97)

115. Romanus (897)

116. Theodore II (897)

117. John IX (898-900)

118. Benedict IV (900-03)

119. Leo V (903)

120. Sergius III (904-11)

121. Anastasius III (911-13)

122. Lando (913-14)

123. John X (914-28)

124. Leo VI (928)

125. Stephen VIII (929-31)

126. John XI (931-35)

127. Leo VII (936-39)

128. Stephen IX (939-42)

129. Marinus II (942-46)

130. Agapetus II (946-55)

131. John XII (955-63)

132. Leo VIII (963-64)

133. Benedict V (964)

134. John XIII (965-72)

135. Benedict VI (973-74)

136. Benedict VII (974-83)

137. John XIV (983-84)

138. John XV (985-96)

139. Gregory V (996-99)

140. Sylvester II (999-1003)

141. John XVII (1003)

142. John XVIII (1003-09)

143. Sergius IV (1009-12)

144. Benedict VIII (1012-24)

145. John XIX (1024-32)

146. Benedict IX (1032-45)

147. Sylvester III (1045)

148. Benedict IX (1045)

149. Gregory VI (1045-46)

150. Clement II (1046-47)

151. Benedict IX (1047-48)

152. Damasus II (1048)

153. St. Leo IX (1049-54) Bishop Photius leaves Catholicism & starts Eastern Schism

154. Victor II (1055-57)

155. Stephen X (1057-58)

156. Nicholas II (1058-61)

157. Alexander II (1061-73)

158. St. Gregory VII (1073-85)

159. Blessed Victor III (1086-87)

160. Blessed Urban II (1088-99)

161. Paschal II (1099-1118)

162. Gelasius II (1118-19)

163. Callistus II (1119-24)

164. Honorius II (1124-30)

165. Innocent II (1130-43)

166. Celestine II (1143-44)

167. Lucius II (1144-45)

168. Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)

169. Anastasius IV (1153-54)

170. Adrian IV (1154-59)

171. Alexander III (1159-81)

172. Lucius III (1181-85)

173. Urban III (1185-87)

174. Gregory VIII (1187)

175. Clement III (1187-91)

176. Celestine III (1191-98)

177. Innocent III (1198-1216)

178. Honorius III (1216-27) Catholic Archbishop Stephen Langton divides bible into chapters.

179. Gregory IX (1227-41)

180. Celestine IV (1241)

181. Innocent IV (1243-54)

182. Alexander IV (1254-61)

183. Urban IV (1261-64)

184. Clement IV (1265-68)

185. Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)

186. Blessed Innocent V (1276)

187. Adrian V (1276)

188. John XXI (1276-77)

189. Nicholas III (1277-80)

190. Martin IV (1281-85)

191. Honorius IV (1285-87)

192. Nicholas IV (1288-92)

193. St. Celestine V (1294)

194. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)

195. Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)

196. Clement V (1305-14)

197. John XXII (1316-34)

198. Benedict XII (1334-42)

199. Clement VI (1342-52)

200. Innocent VI (1352-62)

201. Blessed Urban V (1362-70)

202. Gregory XI (1370-78)

203. Urban VI (1378-89)

204. Boniface IX (1389-1404)

205. Innocent VII (1404-06)

206. Gregory XII (1406-15)

207. Martin V (1417-31)

208. Eugene IV (1431-47)

209. Nicholas V (1447-55) Invention of printing press, John Gutenburg prints 1st book, the Catholic bible.

210. Callistus III (1455-58)

211. Pius II (1458-64)

212. Paul II (1464-71)

213. Sixtus IV (1471-84)

214. Innocent VIII (1484-92)

215. Alexander VI (1492-1503)

216. Pius III (1503)

217. Julius II (1503-13)

218. Leo X (1513-21) Martin Luther starts the Protestant Reformation (Revolt).

219. Adrian VI (1522-23)

220. Clement VII (1523-34)

221. Paul III (1534-49)

222. Julius III (1550-55)

223. Marcellus II (1555)

224. Paul IV (1555-59)

225. Pius IV (1559-65)

226. St. Pius V (1566-72)

227. Gregory XIII (1572-85)

228. Sixtus V (1585-90)

229. Urban VII (1590)

230. Gregory XIV (1590-91)

231. Innocent IX (1591)

232. Clement VIII (1592-1605)

233. Leo XI (1605)

234. Paul V (1605-21) King James Bible printed in 1611 – 1st Protestant bible.

235. Gregory XV (1621-23)

236. Urban VIII (1623-44)

237. Innocent X (1644-55)

238. Alexander VII (1655-67)

239. Clement IX (1667-69)

240. Clement X (1670-76)

241. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)

242. Alexander VIII (1689-91)

243. Innocent XII (1691-1700)

244. Clement XI (1700-21)

245. Innocent XIII (1721-24)

246. Benedict XIII (1724-30)

247. Clement XII (1730-40)

248. Benedict XIV (1740-58)

249. Clement XIII (1758-69)

250. Clement XIV (1769-74)

251. Pius VI (1775-99) George Washington becomes 1st President in 1788.

252. Pius VII (1800-23)

253. Leo XII (1823-29) British Bible Society takes out Deuterocanonical books entirely

254. Pius VIII (1829-30) “Rapture” invented in 1830 by John Nelson Darby (protestant minister)

255. Gregory XVI (1831-46)

256. Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)

257. Leo XIII (1878-1903)

258. St. Pius X (1903-14)

259. Benedict XV (1914-22)

260. Pius XI (1922-39)

261. Pius XII (1939-58)

262. Blessed John XXIII (1958-63)

263. Paul VI (1963-78)

264. John Paul I (1978)

265. John Paul II (the Great) (1978-2005)

266. Benedict XVI (2005-2013)

267. Pope Francis I (2013-2025)

268. Pope Leo XIV (2025-)

Reference:

1.     John N. D. Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford University Press, 1986.

2.    AA. VV., Enciclopedia dei Papi. Istituto dell'Enciclopedia italiana, 2000.

3.    Pontificia Amministrazione della Patriarcale Basilica di San Paolo, I Papi. Venti secoli di storia. Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2002., and Vatican News.

4.   Vatican.va