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Popes: Roman Catholic
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With the election of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, there have been 265 popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope is the spiritual leader of Roman Catholicism and the visible head of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the successor to St. Peter, the first among the apostles and the first pope of Rome. Taken together, the following articles provide a comprehensive list of all the popes of the Roman Catholic Church, divided up by historical era, as well as the years that they reigned. Biographies of the popes will be linked off of each article; check back often to see which biographies have been added.
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The Donation of Pepin and the subsequent crowning of Charlemagne as Roman Emperor gave the Popes ideas. A document was manufactured, the "Donation of Constantine," whereby secular authority over the entire Western Roman Empire had been given to the Pope by Constantine the Great. This became the basis of Mediaeval Papal claims of authority over all secular rulers in Francia. Papal claims were occasionally enforced with some success, against the Emperors and even against the Kings of France and England; but they came to a bad end when Boniface VIII had to face the ruthlessness of King Philip IV of France. The subsequent Babylonian Captivity and Great Schism, not to mention the Reformation and the exposure of the Donation of Constantine as a forgery, put the Papacy at such disadvantages that it never again had as much leverage as before over secular rulers.
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Viterbo was the central point of the extensive grant called the "patrimony of St. Peter" and is frequently mentioned in history as the residence of the popes and the scene of the papal elections in the XIIIth century. Here the popes felt more secure than in Rome. The walls were built at that time. The most important gate is Porta Romana rebuilt on the occasion of a visit of Pope Innocentius X in 1653 and embellished by Pope Clemens XI in 1705. Between the coats of arms of the popes, the statue of S. Rita, patroness of Viterbo.
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For centuries, Roman Catholic books differed as to which men they considered to be the genuine popes. However, today there is much more agreement about which men were popes and which men were antipopes. According to the "Catholic Encyclopedia," there were thirty antipopes. [Note 18]
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This list of popes is arranged in chronological order and divided by century. It starts with Peter, believed by Catholics to be the first pope, and ends with Benedict XVI, the most recent pope. Years of reign are listed, short descriptions are given, and all names are linked to biographies that describe major dates in their papacy, controversies, and important events at the time.
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There have been 265 popes of the Roman Catholic Church, starting with the Apostle Peter, the first pope of Rome, and leading up to Benedict XVI, the current pope. Find links to a comprehensive list here, divided up by historical era.
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