Roman Catholic Popes

The religious head of the Roman Catholic Church is known as the Pope or the bishop of Rome. He is elected by the College of Cardinals, who as a group rank next to the Pope in ecclesiastical authority. New Popes are elected on the death or retirement of a current Pope. To be elected, a new Pope must be named on two - thirds of the ballots cast, and each member of the College of Cardinals must vote. Once elected, a Pope must be asked by the dean of cardinals if he accepts the post. If he does, he is then asked to choose a name. The custom of a Pope changing his name upon election originated shortly before the year 1000.

The following list includes all the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church, beginning with St. Peter the Apostle, who is traditionally considered to be the first Pope because of his appointment by Jesus and his role in organizing the Church. Also included in this list are the so - called antipopes, those who were elected or claimed to be pope at various times during Church history but whose positions were later invalidated; Recognized Popes are in BOLD type; anti-popes names appear in normal type. The list gives the names of the Popes, the years of their papacies, and the original names of those who changed their names upon election. Alternate spellings of names are given in parentheses.