A Chronological List of All Popes

This chronological list of all popes begins with Peter, and it uses A.D. 30 as his start date because that is the dating used by the Roman Catholic's Annuario Pontificio, the most official list of popes that exists.

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There is, of course, no way that Peter was the bishop of Rome in A.D. 30. In fact, it's only a possibility that Jesus, who was born no later than 4 B.C., was even crucified in the year 30.

It is important to know that the pope is, by definition, the bishop of Rome. Roman Catholic theology teaches that Peter was given the keys to the kingdom by Jesus in Matthew 16:19, went to Rome later in his life, and that those keys and Peter's leadership of God's visible kingdom on earth were passed on to the bishop of Rome.

According to Roman Catholicism, each bishop of Rome inherits that authority from his predecessor.

Historically, there's no doubt this doctrine is false. (That statement may be offensive to some, but since there's no question it's true, it's important for me to tell you so.)

Most Protestants would consider Gregory the Great (590 – 604) the first pope in the list of all popes. The Institute for Catholic Culture has a very interesting series of lectures concerning the medieval papacy which argues that Pope Gregory was the first to actually possess the kind of ecclesiastic and political power that they believe the pope ought to possess.

Is there a contradiction between Tertullian's dates, who has Clement being appointed by Peter on authority of the Roman church itself, and the dates below?

Not really. This is just one more piece of evidence, among many, that Rome had multiple bishops in the 1st century.

That said, here is the chronological list of all popes, per the Roman Catholic's Annuario Pontificio. There are 263 of them, though Benedict IX is listed 3 times due to 3 non-consecutive reigns.

The dates during the 1st and 2nd centuries are very questionable. For example, Tertullian says that Clement was appointed by Peter, which would make him a bishop of Rome as of A.D. 67 at the latest.

30 – 64Peter (the apostle)
64 – 78Linus
78 – 88Anacletus
90 – 99Clement I (aka Clement of Rome)
99 – 106Evaristus
106 – 116Alexander I
116 – 125Sixtus I
125 – 137Telephorus
137 – 141Hyginus
141 – 155Pius I
155 – 166Anicetus
166 – 175Soter
175 – 189Eleutherius
189 – 199Victor
199 – 217Zephyrinus
217 – 223Callistus I (Hippolytus split and formed his own congregation in Rome when Callistus took office)
223 – 230Urban 1
Jul. 230 – Sept. 235Pontian
Nov. 235 – Jan. 236Anterus
Nov. 236 – Jan. 250Fabian
Mar. 251 – Jun. 253Cornelius (Novatian left the church during Cornelius' reign, and Novatianism spread and lasted until late in the 4th century, when the end of persecution made their division unnecessary)
Jun. 253 – Mar. 254Lucius I
May 254 – Aug. 257Stephen I (had much dissension with St. Cyprian of Carthage over the rebaptism of heretics)
Aug. 257 – Aug. 258Sixtus II
Jul. 259 – Dec. 268Dionysius
Jan. 269 – Dec. 274Felix I
Jan. 275 – Dec. 283Eutychian
Dec. 283 – Apr. 296Caius (or Gaius)
Jun. 296 – Apr. 304Marcellinus
308 – 309Marcellus I
309 – 310Eusebius (NOT the historian, nor the Arius supporter)
Jul. 311 – Jan. 314Miltiades
Jan. 314 – Dec. 335Sylvester I (Council of Nicea happened, and he's the pope mentioned in the forged Donation of Constantine; Constantine was emperor during all of Sylvester's rule)
Jan. 336 – Oct. 336Mark
Feb. 337 – Apr. 352Julius I
May 352 – Sept. 366Liberius (was banished by Constantius II for 2 years from 355 to 357 for rejecting Arian doctrine and refusing to support the condemnation of Athanasius, during which time the deacon Felix, known to the Roman Catholic Church as "antipope" Felix II, was made bishop)
Oct. 366 – Dec. 384Damasus I (Ursicinus was elected pope at the same time as Damasus; Damasus won out with the support of the Roman prefect after rioting and bloodshed, and Ursicinus was banished)
Dec. 384 – Nov. 399Siricius (St. Augustine was bishop of Hippo in Africa during this time)
Nov. 399 – Dec. 401Anastasius I
Dec. 401 – Mar. 417Innocent I
Mar. 417 – Dec. 418Zosimus
Dec. 418 – Sept. 422Boniface I
Sept. 422 – Jul. 432Celestine I
Jul. 432 – 440Sixtus III
Sept. 440 – Nov. 461Leo I (the Great)
Nov. 461 – Feb. 468Hilarius
Mar. 468 – Mar. 483Simplicius
Mar. 483 – Mar. 492Felix III (Felix II was a temporary pope installed by the emperor Constantius II while Liberius was banished from 355 – 357, thus Schaff's History of the Christian Church lists this pope as Felix II and likewise drops the number on all subsequent Pope Felixes)
Jan. 492 – Nov. 496Gelasius I
Nov. 496 – Nov. 498Anastasius II
Nov. 498 – Jul. 514Symmachus
Jul. 514 – Jul. 523Hormisdas
Aug. 523 – May 526John I
Jul. 526 – Sept. 530Felix IV
Sept. 530 – Oct. 532Boniface II
Jan. 533 – May 535John II (Schaff's History of the Christian Church makes it 532, and the Catholic Encyclopedia lists the time with a question mark)
May 535 – Apr. 536Agapetus I
Jun. 536 – Nov. 537Silverius
Mar. 537 – Jun. 555Vigilius (obviously there's an overlap with Silverius, and Vigilius had some questionable circumstances surrounding his rise to the papacy)
Apr. 556 – Mar. 561Pelagius I
Jul. 561 – Jul. 574John III
Jun. 575 – Jul. 579Benedict I
Nov. 579 – Feb. 590Pelagius II
Sept. 590 – Mar. 604Gregory I (the Great; Protestant historians often consider him the first pope)
Sept. 604 – Feb. 606Sabinian
Feb. 607 – Nov. 607Boniface III
Aug. 608 – May 615Boniface IV
Oct. 615 – Nov. 618Adeodatus I
Dec. 619 – Oct. 625Boniface V
Oct. 625 – Oct. 638Honorius I
Oct. 638 – Aug. 640Severinus
Dec. 640 – Oct. 642John IV
Nov. 642 – May 649Theodore I
Jul. 649 – Sept. 655Martin I (exiled in 653 by Emperor Constans II for opposing the monothelitism—one will rather than a divine and human will in Christ—espoused by the patriarchs of Constantinople)
Aug. 654 – Jun. 657Eugene I (the overlap between Eugene and Martin is because a successor was chosen before Pope Martin I died in exile—Maybe the emperor should have had the title of pope!)
Jul. 657 – Jan. 672Vitalian
Apr. 672 – Jun. 676Adeodatus II
Nov. 676 – Apr. 678Donus
Jun. 678 – Jan. 681Agatho
Dec. 681 – Jul. 683Leo II
Jun. 684 – May 685Benedict II (Emperor Constantine IV was unavailable to approve the nomination of Benedict, so it was many months before he could be ordained)
Jul. 685 – Aug. 686John V
Oct. 686 – Sept. 687Conon
Dec. 687 – Sept. 701Sergius I
Oct. 701 – Jan. 705John VI
Mar. 705 – Oct. 707John VII
Jan. 708 – Feb. 708Sisinnius
Mar. 708 – Apr. 715Constantine
May 715 – Feb. 731Gregory II
Mar. 731 – Nov. 741Gregory III
Dec. 741 – Mar. 752Zachary
Mar. 752 – Mar. 752Pope-elect Stephen was elected but died before he could take office; included just for your information
Mar. 752 – Apr. 757Stephen II
May 757 – Jun. 767Paul I
Aug. 767 – Jan. 772Stephen III
Feb. 772 – Dec. 795Adrian I
Dec. 795 – Jun. 816Leo III
Jun. 816 – Jan. 817Stephen IV
Jan. 817 – Feb. 824Paschal I
May 824 – Aug. 827Eugene II
Aug. 827 – Sep. 827Valentine
827 – Jan. 844Gregory IV
Jan. 844 – Jan. 847Sergius II
Jan. 847 – Jul. 855Leo IV
855 – Apr. 858Benedict III
Apr. 858 – Nov. 867Nicholas I (the Great)
Dec. 867 – Dec. 872Adrian II
Dec. 872 – Dec. 882John VIII
Dec. 882 – May 884Marinus I
May 884 – Sept. 885Adrian III
885 – Sept. 891Stephen V
Sept. 891 – Apr. 896Formosus
Apr. 896 – Apr. 896Boniface VI
May 896 – Aug. 897Stephen VI
Aug. 897 – Nov. 897Romanus
Dec. 897 – Dec. 897Theodore II
Jan. 898 – Jan. 900John IX
900 – 903Benedict IV
Jul. 903 – Sept. 903Leo V
Jan. 904 –Apr. 911Sergius III (This began an awful time for the papacy, that non-Catholic historians have referred to as "the rule of the harlots"; it continued through John XII, who died in 964—link coming)
Apr. 911 – Jun. 913Anastasius III
Jul. 913 – Feb. 914Lando
Mar. 914 – May 928John x
May 928 – Dec. 928Leo VI
Dec 928 – Feb. 931Stephen VII
Feb. 931 – Dec. 935John XI
Jan 936 – Jul. 939Leo VII O. S. B.
Jul. 939 – Oct 942Stephen VIII
Oct 942 – May 946Marinus II
May 946 – Dec 955Agapetus II
Dec 955 – May 964John XII
May 964 – Jun 964Benedict V
July 964 – Mar 965Leo VIII
Oct 965 – Sept 972John XIII
Jan 973 – Jun 974Benedict VI
Oct 974 – Jul 983Benedict VII
Dec 983 – Aug 984 John XIV
Aug 985 – Mar 996John XV
May 996 – Feb 999Gregory V
Apr 999 – May 1003Sylvester II
Jun 1003 – Dec 1003John XVII
Dec 1003 – 1009John XVIII
Jul 1009 – May 1012Sergius IV
May 1012 – Apr. 1024Benedict VIII
April 1024 – Oct 1032John XIX
1032 – 1044Benedict IX
1045Sylvester III
1045 –1046Benedict IX
Apr. 1045 – Dec 1046Gregory VI
Dec 1046 – Oct 1047Clement II
Nov. 1047 – 1048Benedict IX
Jul. 1048 – Aug 1048Damasus II
Feb. 1049 – Apr. 1054Leo IX
Aug. 1057 – Mar. 1058Stephen IX
Dec 1058 – Jul. 1061Nicholas II
Sep. 1061 – Apr. 1073Alexander II
Apr. 1073 – May 1085Gregory VII
May 1086 – Sep. 1087Victor III
March 1088 – Jul. 1090Urban II
Aug 1099 –Jan 1118Paschal II
Jan 1118 – Jan. 1119Gelasius II
Feb 1119 – Dec 1124Calllixitus II
Dec 1124 – Feb. 1130Honorius II
Feb 1130 – Sep. 1143Innocent II
Sep. 1143 – Mar. 1144Celestine II
Mar. 1144 – Feb. 1145Lucius II
Feb 1145 – Jul. 1153Eugene III
Jul. 1153 – Dec. 1154Anastasius IV
Dec 1154 – Sep. 1159Adrian IV
Sept 1159 – Aug. 1181Alexander III
Sep. 1181 – Nov. 1185Lucius III
Nov. 1185 – Oct 1187Urban III
Oct 1187 – Dec 1187Gregory VIII
Dec. 1187 – Mar. 1191Clement III
Mar. 1197 – Jan. 1198Celestine III
Jan 1198 – Jul. 1216Innocent III
Jul. 1216 – Mar. 1227Honorius III
Mar. 1227 – Aug 1241Gregory IX
Oct 1241 – Nov. 1241Celestine IV
Jun. 1243 – Dec. 1254Innocent IV
Dec. 1254 – May 1261Alexander IV
Aug. 1261 – Oct 1264Urban IV
Feb. 1265 – Nov. 1268Clement IV
Sep. 1271 – Jan 1276Gregory X
Jan. 1276 – Aug. 1276Adrian V
Sep. 1276 – May 1277John XXI
Nov. 1277 – 1280Nicholas III
Feb. 1281 – Mar. 1285Martin IV
Apr. 1285 – Apr. 1287Honorius IV
Feb 1288 – Apr. 1292Nicholas IV
Jul. 1294 – Dec. 1294Celestine V
Dec. 1294 – Oct.1303Boniface VIII
Oct. 1303 – Jul. 1304Benedict XI
Jun. 1305 – Apr. 1314Clement V
Aug. 1316 – Dec 1334John XXII
Dec. 1334 – Apr. 1342Benedict XII
May 1342 – Dec. 1352Clement VI
Dec. 1252 – Sep. 1362Innnocent VI
Sep. 1362 – Dec. 1370Urban V
Dec 1370 – Mar. 1378Gregory XI
Apr. 1378 – Oct. 1389Urban VI
Nov. 1389 – Oct. 1404Boniface IX
Oct. 1404 – Nov. 1406Innocent VIi
Nov. 1406 – Jul. 1415Gregory XII
Nov. 1407 – Feb. 1431Martin V
Mar. 1432 – Feb. 1447Eugene IV
Mar. 1447 – Mar. 1455Nicholas V
Apr. 1455 – Aug. 1458Callixtus III
Aug. 1458 – Aug. 1464Pius II
Aug. 1464 – Jul. 1471Paul II
Aug. 1471 – Aug. 1484Sixtus IV
Aug. 1484 – Jul. 1492Innocent VIII
Sep. 1503 – Oct. 1503Pius III
Oct. 1503 – Feb. 1513Julius II
Mar. 1513 – Dec 1521Leo X
Jan. 1522 – Sep. 1523Adrian VI
Nov. 1523 – Sep. 1534Clement VII
Oct. 1534 – Nov. 1549Paul III
Feb. 1550 – Mar. 1555Julius III
Apr. 1555 – May 1555Marcellus II
May 1555 – Aug. 1559Paul IV
Dec. 1559 – Dec. 1565Pius IV
Jan 1566 – May 1572St Pius V
May 1572 – Apr. 1585Gregory XIII
Apr. 1585 – Aug. 1590Sixtus V
Sep. 1590 – Sep. 1590Urban VII
Dec. 1590 – Oct. 1591Gregory XIV
Oct. 1591 – Dec. 1591Innocent IX
Jan. 1592 – Mar. 1605Clement VIII
Apr. 1605 – Apr. 1605Leo XI
May 1605 – Jan. 1621Paul V
Feb. 1621 – Jul. 1623Gregory XV
Aug. 1623 – Jul. 1624Urban VIII
Sept. 1644 – Jan. 1655Innocent X
Apr. 1655 – May 1667Alexander VII
Jun. 1667 – Dec. 1669Clement IX
Apr. 1670 – Jul. 1676Clement X
Sep. 1676 – Aug. 1689Innocent XI
Oct. 1689 – Feb. 1691Alexander VIII
Jul. 1691 – Sep. 1700Innocent XII
Nov. 1700 – Mar. 1721Clement XI
May 1721 – Mar. 1724Innocent XIII
May 1724 – Feb. 1730Benedict XIII
Jul. 1730 – Feb. 1740Clement XII
Aug. 1740 – May 1758Benedict XIV
Jul. 1758 – Feb. 1769Clement XIII
May 1769 – Sep. 1774Clement XIV
Feb. 1775 – Aug. 1799Pius VI
Mar. 1800 – Aug. 1823Pius VII
Sep. 1823 – Feb. 1829Leo XII
Mar. 1829 – Dec. 1830Pius VIII
Feb. 1831 – Jun. 1846Gregory XVI
Feb. 1846 – Feb. 1878Pius IX
Feb. 1878 – Jul. 1903Leo XIII
Aug. 1903 – Aug. 1914St. Pius X
Sep. 1914 – Jan 1922Benedict XV
Feb. 1922 – Feb. 1939Pius XI
Mar. 1939 – Oct. 1958Pius XII
Oct. 1958 – Jun. 1963John XXIII
Jun. 1963 – Aug. 1978Paul VI
Aug. 1978 – Sept. 1978John Paul I
Oct. 1978 – Apr. 2005John Paul II
Apr. 2005 – Feb. 28, 2013Benedict XVI
Mar. 13, 2013 – presentFrancis

That's the chronological list of all popes. The links above are for the more controversial or more interesting stories.

When I write about Roman Catholicism I never fail to make some Roman Catholics angry; sometimes very angry. I am accused regularly of being angry and bitter and of being on a vendetta against "the church."

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