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The Pope

The dogmas of papal primacy and infallibility were promulgated as recently as Vatican I (1869 - 70), but they have a long history which Roman Catholics trace ultimately to the will of Christ (Matt. 16:18 - 19; Luke 22:32; John 21:15 - 17) and the roles exercised by the apostle Peter (fisherman, shepherd, elder, rock, etc.) in the NT church. In succeeding centuries the prestige of the church of Rome increased since it was located at the Imperial capital and because of its association with the apostles Peter and Paul. It was increasingly looked to as the arbiter of orthodoxy. Pope Leo I maintained that Peter continues to speak to the whole church through the bishop of Rome, the first known such claim. The rise of the pope's temporal power, which for over a millennium buttressed his claims to supremacy, is commonly traced to the middle of the eighth century, when a vacuum in civil leadership was created by the collapse of the Western Empire.
In 1234 Gregory IX combined and codified all previous papal decisions into the Five Books of Decretals. By now the church was understood primarily as a visible hierarchical organization with supreme power vested in the pope. Bishops were required to take an oath of obedience to the pope similar to the feudal oath binding a vassal to his lord. The supreme pontiff was no longer only consecrated; he was also crowned with the triple tiara used originally by the deified rulers of Persia. The coronation rite was continued until 1978, when John Paul I refused the crown, a symbolic action repeated by his successor, John Paul II. The height of papal pretensions was reached in 1302 with Boniface VIII's bull, Unam Sanctam, which decreed that the temporal power was subject to the spiritual, and that submission to the Roman pontiff "is absolutely necessary to salvation."

These papal claims were resisted not only by national rulers but by some scholars, notably William of Ockham and Marsilius of Padua, and by conciliarism, a movement in the church to subject the pope to the judgment and legislation of general councils. Its greatest triumph was the Council of Constance (1414 - 15) with its law Haec Sancta, decreeing the supremacy of a general council and the collegiality of bishops. Conciliarism was condemned by succeeding popes until Vatican I declared that the pope's authoritative teachings are not subject to the consent of the entire church. The pope was declared to be infallible (immune from error) when he speaks ex cathedra (from the chair) on matters of faith and morals with the intention of binding the whole church.

Vatican II stressed the role of the pope as "perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of the bishops and of the multitude of the faithful," a role received sympathetically by some Protestant churches since the council (see, e.g., R E Brown et al., Peter in the New Testament, sponsored by the United States Lutheran - Roman Catholic Dialogue). Vatican II also revived the collegiality of bishops, thus modifying the monarchical governance of the church: "Together with its head, the Roman Pontiff, and never without its head, the episcopal order is the subject of supreme and full power over the universal church."

Following are the names of all the Popes from the beginning to the current year :

1) St. Peter (42-67)
2) St. Linus (67-76)

3) St. Cletus (76-88)

4) St. Clement 1 (88-97)

5) St. Evaristus (97-105)

6) St. Alexander I (105-1l5)

7) St. Sixtus I (1l5-125)

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 (217-222)

Hippolytus St. (217-235)

17) St. Urban I (222-230)

18) St. Pontian (230-235)

19) St. Anterus (235-236)

20) St. Fabian (236-250)

21) St. Cornelius (251-253)

Novatianus (251)

22) St. Lucius I (253-254)

23) St. Stephen I (254-257)

24) St. Sixtus I1 (257-258)

25) St. Dionysius (256-268)

26) St. Felix I (269-274)

27) St. Eutychian (275-283)

28) St. Caius (283-296)

29) St. Marcellinus (296-304)

30) St. Marcellus I (308-309)

31) St. Eusebius (309)

32) St. Miltiades (31l-314)

or Melchiades

33) St. Sil Vester I (314-335)

34) St. Mark (336)

35) St. Julius I (337-352)

36) Liberius (352-366)

Felix II (355-365)

37) St. Damasus I (366-384)

Ursjnus (366-384)

38) St. Siricius (384-399)

39) St. Anastasius I (399-401)

40) St. Innocent I (401-417)

41) St. Zosimus (417-418)

42) St. Boniface I (418-422)

Eulallo (418-419)

43) St. Celestine I (422-432)

44) St. Sixtus III (432-440)

45) St. Leo I (440-461)

46) St. Hilarus (461-468)

47) St. Simplicius (468-483)

48) St. Felix III (483-492)

49) St. Gelasius I (492-496)

50) Anastasius II (496-498)

51) St. Symmachus (498-514)

Laurence (498-501-505)

52) St. Hormisdas (514-523)

53) St. John I (523-526)

54) St. Felix IV (526-530)

55) Boniface II (530-532)

Dioscoro (530)

56) John II (533-535)

57) Agapitus I (535-536)

58) St. Silverius (536-537)

59) Vigilius (537.555)

60) Pelagius I (556-561)

61) John III (561-574)

62) Benedict I (575-579)

63) Pelagius II (579-590)

64) St. Gregory I (590-604)

65) Sabinian (604-606)

66) Boniface III (607)

67) St. Boniface IV (608-615)

68) St. Adeodatus (615-618)

or Deusdeit I

69) Boniface V (619-625)

70) Honorius I (625-638)

71) Severinus (640)

72) John IV (640-642)

73) Theodore I (642-649)

74) St. Martin I (649-655)

75) St. Eugene I (654-657)

76) St. Vitalian (657-672)

77) Adeodatus II (672-676)

78) Donus (676-678)

79) St. Agatho (678-681)

80) St. Leo II (682-683)

81) St. Benedict II (684-685)

82) John V (685-686)

83) Conon (686-687)

Theodore (687)

Paschal (687)

84) St. Sergius I (687-701)

85) John VI (701-705)

86) John VII (705-707)

87) Sissinius (708)

88) Constantine (708-715)

89) St. Gregory II (715-731)

90) St. Gregory III (731-741)

91) St. Zacharias (741-752)

92) Stephen II (752-757)

93) St. Paul I (757-767)

Constantine (767-769)

Philip (768)

94) Stephen III (768-772)

95) Hadrian I (772-795)

96) St. Leo III (795-816)

97) Stephen IV (816-817)

98) St. Paschal I (817-824)

99) Eugene II (824-827)

100) Valentine (827)

101) Gregory IV (827-844)

John (844)

102) Sergius II (844-847)

103) St. Leo IV (847-855)

104) Benedict III (855-858)

Anastasius (855-880)

105) St. Nicholas (858-867)

106) Hadrian II (867-872)

107) John VIII (872-882)

108) Marinus I (882-884)

109) St. Hadrian III (884-885)

110) Stephen V (885-891)

111) Formosus (891-896)

112) Boniface VI (896)

113) Stephen VI (896-897)

114) Romanus (897)

115) Theodore II (897)

116) John IX (898-900)

117) Benedict IV (900-903)

118) Leo V (903)

Christopher (903-904)

119) Sergius III (904-91l)

120) Anastasius III (91l-913)

121) Lando (913-914)

122) John X (914-928)

123) Leo VI (928)

124) Stephen VII (928-931)

125) John XI (931-935)

126) Leo VII (936-939)

127) Stephen VIII (939-942)

128) Marinus II (942-946)

129) Agapitus II (946-955)

130) John XII (955-964)

131) Leo VIII (963-965)

132) Benedict V (964-966)

133) John XIII (965-972)

134) Benedict VI (973-974)

Boniface VII (974-985)

135) Benedict VII (974-983)

136) John XIV (983-984)

137) John XV (985-996)

138) Gregory V (996-999)

John XVI (997-998)

139) Silvester II (999-1003)

140) John XVII (1003)

141) John XVIII (1004-1009)

142) Sergius IV (1009-1012)

143) Benedict VIII (1012-1024)

Gregory (1012)

144) John XIX (1024-1032)

145) Benedict IX (1032-1044)

146) Silvester III (1045)

147) Benedict IX (1045)

148) Gregory VI (1045-1046)

149) Clement II (1046-1047)

150) Benedict IX (1047-1048)

151) Damasus II (1048)

152) St. Leo IX (1049-1054)

153) Victor II (1055-1057)

154) Stephen IX (1057-1058)

Bened1ct X (1058-1059)

155) Nicholas II (1059-1061)

156) Alexander II (1061-1073)

Honorius II (1061-1072)

157) St. Gregory VII (1073-1085)

Clement III (1084-1100)

158) Bl. Victor III (1086-1087)

159) Bl. Urban II (1088-1099)

160) Paschal II (1099-1118)

Theodoric (1100-1102)

Albert (1102)

Sylvester IV (1105-1111)

161) Gelasius II (1118-1119)

Gregory VII (1118-1121)

162) Callistus II (1119-1124)

163) Honorius II (1124-1130)

Celestine II (1124)

164) Innocent II (1130-1143)

Cletus II (1130-1138)

Victor IV (1138)

165) Celestine II (1143-1144)

166) Lucius II (1144-1145)

167) Bl. Eugene III (1145-1153)

168) Anastasius IV (1153-1154)

169) Hadrian IV (1154-1159)

170) Alexander III (1159-1181)

Victor IV (1159-1164)

Paschal III (1164-1168)

Callistus III (1168-1178)

Innocent III (1179-1180)

17l) Lucius III (1181-1185)

172) Urban III (1185-1187)

173) Gregory VIII (1187)

174) Clement III (1187-1191)

175) Celestine III (1191-1198)

176) Innocent III (1198-1216)

177) Honorius III (1216-1227)

178) Gregory IX (1227-1241)

179) Celestine IV (1241)

180) Innocent IV (1243-1254)

181) Alexander IV (1254-1261)

182) Urban IV (1261-1264)

183) Clement IV (1265-1268)

184) Bl. Gregory X (1272-1276)

185) Bl. Innocent V (1276)

186) Hadrian V (1276)

187) John XXI (1276-1277)

188) Nicholas III (1277-1280)

189) Martin IV (1281-1285)

190) Honorius IV (1285-1287)

191) Nicholas IV (1288-1292)

192) St. Celestine V (1294)

193) Boniface VIII (1294-1303)

194) Bl. Benedict XI (1303-1304)

195) Clement V (1305-1314)

196) John XXII (1316-1334)

Nicholas V (1328-1333)

197) Benedict XII (1335-1342)

198) Clement VI (1342-1352)

199) Innocent VI (1352-1362)

200) Bl. Urban V (1362-1370)

201) Gregory XI (1371-1378)

202) Urban VI (1378-1389)

203) Boniface IX (1389-1404)

204) Innocent VII (1404-1406)

205) Gregory XII (1406-1415) Clement VII (1378-1394)

Benedict XII1 (1394-1423) Alexander V (1409-1410)

John XXI11 (1410-1415)

206) Martin V (1417-1431)

207) Eugene IV (1431-1447)

Felix V (1440-1449)

208) Nicholas V (1447-1455)

209) Calixtus III (1455-1458)

210) Pius II (1458-1464)

211) Paul II (1464-1471)

212) Sixtus IV (1471-1484)

213) Innocent VIII (1484-1492)

214) Alexander VI (1492-1503)

215) Pius III (1503)

216) Julius II (1503-1513)

217) Leo X (1513-1521)

218) Hadrian VI (1522-1523)

219) Clement VII (1523-1534)

220) Paul III (1534-1549)

221) Jules III (1550-1555)

222) Marcellus II (1555)

223) Paul IV(1555-1559)

224) Pius IV (1560-1565)

225) St. Pius V (1566-1572)

226) Gregory XIII (1572-1585)

227) Sixtus V (1585-1590)

228) Urban VII (1590)

229) Gregory XIV (1590-1591)

230) Innocent IX (1591)

231) Clement VIII (1592-1605)

232) Leo XI (1605)

233) Paul V (1605.1621)

234) Gregory XV (1621-1623)

235) Urban VIII (1623-1644)

236) Innocent X (1644-1655)

237) Alexander VII (1655-1667)

238) Clement IX (1667-1669)

239) Clement X (1669-1676)

240) Bl. Innocent XI (1676-1689)

241) Alexander VIII (1689-1691)

242) Innocent XII (1691-1700)

243) Clement XI (1700-1721)

244) Innocent XIII (1721-1724)

245) Benedict XIII (1724-1730)

246) Clement XII (1730-1740)

247) Benedict XIV (1740-1758)

248) Clement XIII (1758-1769)

249) Clement XIV (1769-1774)

250) Pius VI (1775-1799)

251) Pius VII (1800-1823)

252) Leo XII (1823-1829)

253) Pius VIII (1829-1830)

254) Gregory XVI (1831-1846)

255) Pius IX (1846-1878)

256) Leo XIII (1878-1903)

257) St. Pius X (1903-1914)

258) Benedict XV (1914-1922)

259) Pius XI (1922-1939)

260) Pius XII (1939-1958)

261) Bl. John XXIII (1959-1963)

262) Paul VI (1963-1978)

263) John Paul I (1978)

264) John Paul II (1978- 2005)

265) Benedict XVI (2005-till present)

Source ::: popechart.com