Popes

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from

Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

The Great Schism, otherwise known as the Western Schism, 1378-1417, when there was controversy over the true succession to the papacy. It began with the writings of Marsilius of Padua c. 1275- 1342), who claimed that a pope is subject to a council of bishops, priests, and laymen. Urban VI was elected Pope on April 8, 1378, following the seventy-year Avignon residence of the papacy. He was a stern reformer and also harsh. The French cardinals in retaliation declared that Urban had not been validly elected and proceeded to elect Robert of Geneva as the antipope Clement VII (1378-94). Clement withdrew to Avignon and the Great Schism was in full swing. France, Scotland, and Spain gave their allegiance to Clement; England, Italy, Flanders, Hungary, Poland, and most of Germany followed Urban, who died in 1389. There followed a succession of lawful popes at Rome and antipopes at Avignon. The universities of Paris, Oxford, and Prague disputed how the impasse should be resolved. Finally pope and antipope were invited to a council at Pisa (1409); both decline and were declared deposed by the council, which proceeded to elect yet another antipope, Alexander V (1409-10). In desperation, Emperor Sigismund of Germany appealed to the antipope John XXIII of Pisa, to call a general council at Constance, a German city on the Rhine. John agreed, and the council, later legitimized, was convened in 1414. It lasted four years and finally resolved the schism. The Pisan antipope John XXIII abdicated. Gregory XII, the true Roman Pontiff, having formally convoked the Council of Constance, sent his representatives, and then, for the good of the Church, freely resigned his office. The claim of Benedict XIII of Avignon was no longer worthy of serious consideration. The chair of Peter, vacant at last was filled by the election, November 11, 1417, of Pope Martin V. The Great Schism was ended.

The current pope is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He took the name Pope Francis I. Pope Francis was 76 years old when he was elected to the head of the church on March 13, 2013. He was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina before stepping down because of his age.

Pope Francis is the first non-European Pope of the modern era, and the first South American Pope ever. He is also the third straight non-Italian Pope. Pope Francis is considered to be a follower of the church's most conservative wing.

Pope Francis takes over for Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, who retired from his position due to health reasons on February 28, 2013, after about 8 years as Pope.

The pope, in general, is the spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.

Francis I is the latest Pope to hold that position, which the Roman Catholic Church can trace back through history, through the early Church until the first 'pope' (although that particular title wasn't used at that time), Peter the Apostle. The Pope's residence is in a tiny independent country (the smallest in the world) within the borders of Rome, Italy, called the Vatican City, which also houses the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church worldwide.

A:

In 1074, Pope Gregory VII wrote to Emperor Henry IV reproaching him for his conduct and telling him that like everybody else, he was bound to obey papal decrees. If Henry did not, he would have to suffer the consequences. Henry, furious at such insolence, summoned at Worms a synod of German bishops, who were themselves smarting under Gregory's dictates. The synod denounced Gregory as a usurper of the papacy and accused him of perjury, immorality of various kinds, and abuses of papal authority in the dioceses of Germany. It pronounced Gregory deposed, a sentence confirmed by bishops of Lombardy.

A few weeks later, Gregory held a synod in Rome, that excommunicated Henry and all the bishops who had sided with him, released Henry's vassals from their oath of fealty, and declared him deposed. Henry, placed on the defensive and with his throne endangered, had to agree to allow Gregory to come to Augsburg in Germany to settle the affair. Gregory accepted the invitation, set out but had difficulty getting through Lombardy because of the strong sentiment against him. Finding his passage to Germany blocked by the Lombards, Gregory accepted Henry's plea for forgiveness at Canossa, and Henry was able to return and present to his subjects his absolution as the definitive settlement of the affair.

Now feeling secure in Germany, Henry marched into Italy with his troops in 1081 and laid siege to Rome. In desperation Gregory appealed to the Normans. Henry's forces withdrew, without giving battle. The Normans had freed the city from the emperor but then looted and burnt at least a third of it. The result was one the worst sacks in the history of Rome, for which the Romans held Gregory responsible. He managed to get out of the city unscathed, though cursed, and made his way to Salerno where the Normans ensured his safety.

Gregory died in exile, defeated and powerless. He had achieved none of his main objectives, but brought about his own ruin. John W. O'Malley S.J. (A History of the Popes) says that no pope ever died hated by more people than Gregory VII.

Pope St. Adrian III, who served as bishop of Rome from 884 to 885 was the 110th pope.

That is, if you count Stephen II, who would be #92. He was elected in 752, but died four days later, before being ordained a bishop.

Since the pope is by definition the bishop of Rome, and you cannot be a bishop of Rome if you are not yet a bishop, some lists do not count him. But since he was the 92nd person electedbishop of Rome, others do include him.

If you do not count Stephen II, then the 110th bishop of Rome is Stephen VI, who served from 885-891.