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Where does the pope live?
What are some of the official titles of the pope?
What role does the pope play in the Roman Catholic Church’s central government?
pope, (Latin papa, from Greek pappas, “father”), the title, since about the 9th century ce, of the bishop of Rome, who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, the largest of the three major branches of Christianity. The title was formerly given, especially from the 3rd to the 5th century, to any bishop and sometimes to priests as an ecclesiastical title expressing affectionate respect. In Eastern Orthodox churches, the title is still used for the patriarch of Alexandria and for Orthodox priests. (See also papacy.)
(Read Britannica’s article “How Is the Pope Elected?”)
Doctrinally, in the Roman Catholic Church, the pope is regarded as the successor of St. Peter, who was head of the Apostles of Jesus. As bishop of Rome, the pope is thus seen to have full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the universal church in matters of faith and morals, as well as in church discipline and government. The basis of this doctrine of papal primacy is twofold, involving the place of St. Peter in the New Testament (in which there are various metaphors expressing Peter’s authority) and the place of the Roman church in history. The understanding of papal primacy developed as the church developed, two notable factors being the role of Rome as the imperial city until the 5th century and the religious and political role of the bishop of Rome afterward. For more information about papal primacy, see Petrine theory.
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Why hasn’t there been an American pope?
The pope, as the bishop of Rome, is the head of the Holy See, the Roman Catholic Church’s central government, which in turn is assisted by the various departments of the Roman Curia. The pope thus makes decisions on issues of faith and morality for Catholics throughout the world, a population of about 1.3 billion. In the 20th century the role of the pope evolved with church teaching on the role of bishops. The changes made by the ecumenical Second Vatican Council (1962–65) counterbalanced the emphasis on papal prerogatives while maintaining the view that the authority of the bishops as a single collegial body cannot be separated from that of the pope as the head of that body. Although the Eastern Orthodox Church has long been willing to give the bishop of Rome the primacy of honor accorded to patriarchs, and although many Protestants have appreciated the moral leadership shown by some recent popes, the Catholic doctrine of papal primacy was still a major obstacle to ecumenical efforts that began in the 20th century. In 2025, the church made a historic choice when Cardinal Robert Prevost became the first American pope. He took the name Pope Leo XIV.
(Who are the most influential popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church?)
The Annuario Pontificio, the official directory of the Holy See, describes the office of the pope by the following titles:
Bishop of Rome
Vicar of Jesus Christ
Successor of the Prince of the Apostles
Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church
Patriarch of the West
Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Rome
Servant of the Servants of God
The title pope or papa (abbreviated PP.) is officially used only as a less solemn style. Papabile refers to someone who is a likely or worthy contender for the papacy.
The pope is elected to his position by a procedure known as the papal conclave, in which cardinal electors gather in Vatican City and sequester themselves to vote for the next pope. This assembly takes place after a pope dies or resigns. In brief, only cardinals under 80 years old are allowed to vote in a conclave. They choose from among their fellow cardinals, although there is no rule that states a pope must be a cardinal. Typically, several rounds of voting occur before the cardinals reach the two-thirds majority required to elect a pope. After he is selected, the new pope chooses a papal name, and his election is announced to the public. For further details on this procedure, see papal conclave and How Is the Pope Elected?
(Read Britannica’s article “What Do Cardinals and Popes Wear?”)
The pope lives in Vatican City, an ecclesiastical state and enclave surrounded by Rome. Traditionally, the pope resides inside the Vatican Palace. However, Pope Francis (reigned 2013–25) broke from this tradition by opting for a two-room apartment in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a guesthouse in Vatican City normally used by cardinal electors during the papal conclave. Castel Gandolfo is a castle in central Italy that has been used as a summer residence by some popes.
A list of popes and antipopes is provided in the table.
Popes and antipopes1 1Antipopes are in italics. Until the 4th century the popes were usually known only as bishops of Rome. 2The higher number is used if Felix (II), who reigned from 355 to 358 and is ordinarily classed as an antipope, is counted as a pope. 3Though elected on March 23, 752, Stephen (II) died two days later, before he could be consecrated, and thus is ordinarily not counted. The issue has made the numbering of subsequent Stephens somewhat irregular. 4Either Leo VIII or Benedict V may be considered an antipope. 5A confusion in the numbering of popes named John after John XIV (reigned 983–984) resulted because some 11th-century historians mistakenly believed that there had been a pope named John between antipope Boniface VII and the true John XV (reigned 985–996). Therefore they mistakenly numbered the real popes John XV to XIX as John XVI to XX. These popes have since customarily been renumbered XV to XIX, but John XXI and John XXII continue to bear numbers that they themselves formally adopted on the assumption that there had indeed been 20 Johns before them. In current numbering there thus exists no pope by the name of John XX. 6Sylvester III is considered an antipope by those who believe that Benedict IX's forcible removal in 1044 was illegitimate. 7In the 13th century the papal chancery misread the names of the two popes Marinus as Martin, and, as a result of this error, Simon de Brie in 1281 assumed the name of Pope Martin IV instead of Martin II. The enumeration has not been corrected, and thus there exist no Martin II and Martin III. Peter ?-c. 64 Linus c. 67–76/79 Anacletus 76–88 or 79–91 Clement I 88–97 or 92–101 Evaristus c. 97–c. 107 Alexander I 105–115 or 109–119 Sixtus I c. 115–c. 125 Telesphorus c. 125–c. 136 Hyginus c. 136–c. 140 Pius I c. 142–c. 155 Anicetus c. 155–c. 166 Soter c. 166–c. 175 Eleutherius c. 175–189 Victor I c. 189–198/199 Zephyrinus c. 199–217 Calixtus I (Callistus) 217?–222 Hippolytus 217/218–235 Urban I 222–230 Pontian 230–235 Anterus 235–236 Fabian 236–250 Cornelius 251–253 Novatian 251 Lucius I 253–254 Stephen I 254–257 Sixtus II 257–258 Dionysius 259/260–268 Felix I 269–274 Eutychian 275–283 Gaius 283–296 Marcellinus 291/296–304 Marcellus I 306–308 or 308–309 Eusebius 309/310 Miltiades (Melchiades) 311–314 Sylvester I 314–335 Mark 336 Julius I 337–352 Liberius 352–366 Felix (II) 355–365 Damasus I 366–384 Ursinus 366–367 Siricius 384–399 Anastasius I 399–401 Innocent I 401–417 Zosimus 417–418 Boniface I 418–422 Eulalius 418–419 Celestine I 422–432 Sixtus III 432–440 Leo I 440–461 Hilary 461–468 Simplicius 468–483 Felix III (or II)2 483–492 Gelasius I 492–496 Anastasius II 496–498 Symmachus 498–514 Laurentius 498, 501– c. 505/507 Hormisdas 514–523 John I 523–526 Felix IV (or III)2 526–530 Dioscorus 530 Boniface II 530–532 John II 533–535 Agapetus I 535–536 Silverius 536–537 Vigilius 537–555 Pelagius I 556–561 John III 561–574 Benedict I 575–579 Pelagius II 579–590 Gregory I 590–604 Sabinian 604–606 Boniface III 607 Boniface IV 608–615 Deusdedit (also called Adeodatus I) 615–618 Boniface V 619–625 Honorius I 625–638 Severinus 640 John IV 640–642 Theodore I 642–649 Martin I 649–653 Eugenius I 654–657 Vitalian 657–672 Adeodatus II 672–676 Donus 676–678 Agatho 678–681 Leo II 682–683 Benedict II 684–685 John V 685–686 Conon 686–687 Sergius I 687–701 Theodore 687 Paschal 687 John VI 701–705 John VII 705–707 Sisinnius 708 Constantine 708–715 Gregory II 715–731 Gregory III 731–741 Zacharias (Zachary) 741–752 Stephen (II)3 752 Stephen II (or III)3 752–757 Paul I 757–767 Constantine(II) 767–768 Philip 768 Stephen III (or IV)3 768–772 Adrian I 772–795 Leo III 795–816 Stephen IV (or V)3 816–817 Paschal I 817–824 Eugenius II 824–827 Valentine 827 Gregory IV 827–844 John 844 Sergius II 844–847 Leo IV 847–855 Benedict III 855–858 Anastasius (Anastasius the Librarian) 855 Nicholas I 858–867 Adrian II 867–872 John VIII 872–882 Marinus I 882–884 Adrian III 884–885 Stephen V (or VI)3 885–891 Formosus 891–896 Boniface VI 896 Stephen VI (or VII)3 896–897 Romanus 897 Theodore II 897 John IX 898–900 Benedict IV 900–903 Leo V 903 Christopher 903–904 Sergius III 904–911 Anastasius III 911–913 Lando 913–914 John X 914–928 Leo VI 928 Stephen VII (or VIII)3 928–931 John XI 931–935 Leo VII 936–939 Stephen VIII (or IX)3 939–942 Marinus II 942–946 Agapetus II 946–955 John XII 955–964 Leo VIII4 963–965 Benedict V4 964 John XIII 965–972 Benedict VI 973–974 Boniface VII (1st time) 974 Benedict VII 974–983 John XIV 983–984 Boniface VII (2nd time) 984–985 John XV (or XVI)5 985–996 Gregory V 996–999 John XVI (or XVII)5 997–998 Sylvester II 999–1003 John XVII (or XVIII)5 1003 John XVIII (or XIX)5 1003–09 Sergius IV 1009–12 Gregory (VI) 1012 Benedict VIII 1012–24 John XIX (or XX)5 1024–32 Benedict IX (1st time) 1032–44 Sylvester III6 1045 Benedict IX (2nd time) 1045 Gregory VI 1045–46 Clement II 1046–47 Benedict IX (3rd time) 1047–48 Damasus II 1048 Leo IX 1049–54 Victor II 1055–57 Stephen IX (or X)3 1057–58 Benedict X 1058–59 Nicholas II 1059–61 Alexander II 1061–73 Honorius (II) 1061–64 Gregory VII 1073–85 Clement (III) 1080–1100 Victor III 1086–87 Urban II 1088–99 Paschal II 1099–1118 Theodoric 1100–01 Albert (also called Aleric) 1101 Sylvester (IV) 1105–11 Gelasius II 1118–19 Gregory (VIII) 1118–21 Calixtus II (Callistus) 1119–24 Honorius II 1124–30 Celestine (II) 1124 Innocent II 1130–43 Anacletus (II) 1130–38 Victor (IV) 1138 Celestine II 1143–44 Lucius II 1144–45 Eugenius III 1145–53 Anastasius IV 1153–54 Adrian IV 1154–59 Alexander III 1159–81 Victor (IV) 1159–64 Paschal (III) 1164–68 Calixtus (III) 1168–78 Innocent (III) 1179–80 Lucius III 1181–85 Urban III 1185–87 Gregory VIII 1187 Clement III 1187–91 Celestine III 1191–98 Innocent III 1198–1216 Honorius III 1216–27 Gregory IX 1227–41 Celestine IV 1241 Innocent IV 1243–54 Alexander IV 1254–61 Urban IV 1261–64 Clement IV 1265–68 Gregory X 1271–76 Innocent V 1276 Adrian V 1276 John XXI5 1276–77 Nicholas III 1277–80 Martin IV7 1281–85 Honorius IV 1285–87 Nicholas IV 1288–92 Celestine V 1294 Boniface VIII 1294–1303 Benedict XI 1303–04 Clement V (at Avignon from 1309) 1305–14 John XXII5 (at Avignon) 1316–34 Nicholas (V) at Rome) 1328–30 Benedict XII (at Avignon) 1334–42 Clement VI (at Avignon) 1342–52 Innocent VI (at Avignon) 1352–62 Urban V (at Avignon) 1362–70 Gregory XI (at Avignon, then Rome from 1377) 1370–78 Urban VI 1378–89 Clement (VII) (at Avignon) 1378–94 Boniface IX 1389–1404 Benedict (XIII) (at Avignon) 1394–1423 Innocent VII 1404–06 Gregory XII 1406–15 Alexander (V) (at Bologna) 1409–10 John (XXIII) (at Bologna) 1410–15 Martin V7 1417–31 Clement (VIII) 1423–29 Eugenius IV 1431–47 Felix (V) (also called Amadeus VIII of Savoy) 1439–49 Nicholas V 1447–55 Calixtus III (Callistus) 1455–58 Pius II 1458–64 Paul II 1464–71 Sixtus IV 1471–84 Innocent VIII 1484–92 Alexander VI 1492–1503 Pius III 1503 Julius II 1503–13 Leo X 1513–21 Adrian VI 1522–23 Clement VII 1523–34 Paul III 1534–49 Julius III 1550–55 Marcellus II 1555 Paul IV 1555–59 Pius IV 1559–65 Pius V 1566–72 Gregory XIII 1572–85 Sixtus V 1585–90 Urban VII 1590 Gregory XIV 1590–91 Innocent IX 1591 Clement VIII 1592–1605 Leo XI 1605 Paul V 1605–21 Gregory XV 1621–23 Urban VIII 1623–44 Innocent X 1644–55 Alexander VII 1655–67 Clement IX 1667–69 Clement X 1670–76 Innocent XI 1676–89 Alexander VIII 1689–91 Innocent XII 1691–1700 Clement XI 1700–21 Innocent XIII 1721–24 Benedict XIII 1724–30 Clement XII 1730–40 Benedict XIV 1740–58 Clement XIII 1758–69 Clement XIV 1769–74 Pius VI 1775–99 Pius VII 1800–23 Leo XII 1823–29 Pius VIII 1829–30 Gregory XVI 1831–46 Pius IX 1846–78 Leo XIII 1878–1903 Pius X 1903–14 Benedict XV 1914–22 Pius XI 1922–39 Pius XII 1939–58 John XXIII 1958–63 Paul VI 1963–78 John Paul I 1978 John Paul II 1978–2005 Benedict XVI 2005–13 Francis I 2013–25 Leo XIV 2025– The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Tracy Grant.RetroSearch is an open source project built by @garambo | Open a GitHub Issue
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