In the Middle Ages, there was a struggle for primacy between spiritual power and secular power. The emperors actively participated in the selection. The Hundred Years' War in France and the church schism weakened the influence of the Pope. It was only in 1929 that the pope was given back the opportunity to rule the Vatican City State.
In modern times, the election of the pope takes place at a meeting of cardinals. The Camerlengo, who is the temporary head of the College of Cardinals, announces the death of his predecessor. A conclave is convened and a new pope is elected. Until the pontiff is declared, the College manages affairs. The chosen dad changes his name and selects a number. For example, Julius I.
List of last popes, years of reign (beginning)
- Julius II - 1503 The first pope to be embalmed.
- Leo X - 1513 At the time of his election he did not have holy orders. Died at the age of 45.
- Adrian VI - 1522 Fought against the Reformation.
- Clement VII - 1523 The pontificate had many mistakes and failures.
- Paul III - 1534 Supported and developed sciences. I trusted astrologers and consulted them every time I made an important decision.
- Julius III - 1550 Restored holidays and carnivals in Rome.
- Marcellus II - 1555. He spoke Latin, Greek and Italian. He was very erudite. He knew mathematics, architecture, astronomy and much more.
- Paul IV - 1555 The oldest pope at the time of election.
- Pius IV – 1559. Friendly and sincere. Founded the first theological seminaries.
- Pius V – 1566. A stern personality leading an ascetic lifestyle. Allowed torture and punishment.
- Gregory XIII - 1572 The last pope to have illegitimate children. Introduced the Gregorian calendar.
- Sixtus V - 1585 Fought against banditry, drained swamps, tidied up streets and squares, built fountains.
- Urban VII - 1590. Struggling with smoking, died of malaria. The shortest period (13 days).
- Gregory XIV - 1590 Was quiet and sickly.
- Innocent IX - 1591 Supported the policies of the Spanish king Philip II.
- Clement VIII - 1592 Wise statesman. He blessed coffee and contributed to the spread of the drink in Europe.
- Leo XI – 1605 Nicknamed “Lightning Pope.” He remained at the head of the church for 28 days.
- Paul V – 1605 Began his career as a lawyer. Strict and decisive, he defended the privileges of the church and sought to maintain the unity of the structure.
- Gregory XV - 1621 Issued a bull against magicians and witches. Papal elections were held by secret ballot.
- Urban VIII - 1623 Elegant and sensible, had refined taste. He patronized poets and financed the work of sculptors and artists.
- Innocent X - 1644 Condemned Jansenism.
- Alexander VII - 1655 Showed interest in architectural projects that later became masterpieces of the Baroque era.
- Clement IX - 1667 Treated people kindly and gave alms to the poor. Assisted in the construction of a musical theater.
- Clement X - 1670 Called to love each other, daily proving devotion to the Almighty through trust, generosity and prudence.
- Innocent XI - 1676 Engaged in charitable activities, helping the population during floods and plague. Banned gambling. He lived modestly.
- Alexander VIII – 1689 Reclaimed Avignon.
- Innocent XII - 1691 The last pope to wear a beard. Destroyed the practice of nepotism.
- Clement XI – 1700 Received a doctorate in law (canonical and civil). A subtle diplomat and peacemaker. During the reign, the Academy of Painting and Sculpture appeared.
- Innocent XIII - 1721 Reign calm and prosperous.
- Benedict XIII - 1724. An ascetic in life, he did not know how to govern. He discovered the Spanish Steps and was the founder of the University of Camerino.
- Clement XII - 1730 The 78-year-old pope, blind and ill, carried out reconstruction programs, built a port, and advocated for the Roman and Orthodox churches to be reunited.
- Benedict XIV - 1740 Patronized scientists and artists.
- Clement XIII - 1758 Opponent of the Enlightenment. Indecisive and unsure.
- Clement XIV - 1769 Adopted a position of reconciliation between secular and ecclesiastical authorities. Eliminated the Jesuit order.
- Pius VI - 1775 Opposition against the French Revolution contributed to the loss of Avignon and the county of Venescens.
- Pius VII - 1800. The agreement signed with Napoleon assumed the possibility of the state to interfere in the activities of the church (finance, land).
- Leo XII – 1823 Noble and modest. I could not appreciate the events of my time.
- Pius VIII - 1829 Recognized mixed marriages (Catholics and Protestants). Was poisoned.
- Gregory XVI - 1831 He was the last non-bishop to be elected pope.
- Pius IX – 1846 Proclaimed the dogma of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary.
- Leo XIII - 1878 Doctor of Divinity, published 88 encyclicals.
- Pius X - 1903 Issued a decree stating that children were allowed to receive communion at the age of 7 (instead of 14).
If you analyze the list, you can see short terms of office. This is explained by soreness and old age. Some of them, accepting the honorable responsibility to stand at the head, sometimes did not understand the essence of their activities. But the wise, literate and far-sighted left a noticeable mark on history and religion. Honor and praise to those who thought about the development of the state, carrying out reforms and issuing special laws of honor.
The 266th Pope is an unusual person. He chose the name Francis first. Has a diploma in chemical engineering. I didn’t come to the church right away. With a passion for the humanities and a degree in philosophy, Jorge taught at a college. In his free time, he visited nightclubs and observed discipline.
Not embarrassed by his work as a laboratory assistant and cleaner, Jose gradually approached the clergy. Leadership skills helped achieve our goals. Living modestly in a small apartment, the future dad wanted to achieve justice and equality. When, according to his status as a cardinal, he was entitled to a personal limousine with a driver, the choice was clear - to refuse.
The conclave convened in 2013, after the abdication of Benedict XVI, proclaimed the name of the next pope. It turned out to be Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The decision of the majority of the Argentine bishops showed the prestige of the candidate at the international level. Francis was the first pope from the New World.
The motto for the coat of arms was a line from Matthew, which prompted the seventeen-year-old boy to desire to live according to the commandments of Christ and lead people. It spoke of simple truths: to be useful to everyone, to endure insults, to avoid petty honors, and not to seek your own benefit and glory.
Popes, list and years of reign - many will find this information tedious and irrelevant. But analyzing the activities of the heads of the Catholic Church and simply identifying the special traits of leading personalities is sometimes useful and instructive.
Pope's name- the throne name by which the Pope is officially known during his pontificate.
Name adoption procedure
In our time, the pope, immediately after being elected at a conclave and accepting the elections, announces under what name he will rule; this name is accompanied by a number (similar to the numbers of monarchs). After which the cardinal protodeacon publicly, as part of the solemn proclamation Habemus Papam, says, after the secular name of the new pope: qui nomen sui imposuit (who has taken a name for himself), followed by the name and number in the genitive case.
Tradition of name change
Choosing a name and its meaning
The choice of name is often of one or another significant nature. First of all, popes of the last few centuries have been trying to choose a name in honor of a representative series of their predecessors; there are traditional frequent papal names (the names Leo, Benedict, Clement, Pius, Gregory, Innocent appeared more than 10 times). The name John has a special history - it was once the most common among popes and antipopes; after the odious antipope John XXIII (Balthazar Cossa), it was not accepted by any pontiff for more than 500 years until Cardinal Roncalli, who again took the name John XXIII in 1958. As he himself explained Roncalli, this choice was due to the fact that his father's name was Giovanni (John).
The name can carry an ideological load, for example, the papal name Pius is associated with conservatism (Pius IX, Pius X and especially Pius XII); one of the ultra-conservative sedevacantist anti-popes, Lucian Pulvermacher, adopted the name "Pius XIII". The names John and Paul are associated with adherence to the ideas of the Second Vatican Council, held by John XXIII and Paul VI. The name "Benedict", chosen by Ratzinger, is interpreted by the pope himself as a sign of veneration of St. Benedict of Nursia and continuity with respect to the pope-diplomat and peacemaker Benedict XV.
By tradition, popes never choose the name Peter, which was borne by the Apostle Peter, considered the first bishop of Rome (although there are no formal rules prohibiting this). According to the medieval prophecy about popes, Peter II (“Peter the Roman”, Petrus Romanus) will be the last pope before the end of the world.
Numbering
Numbers used to distinguish popes with the same name began to be used from time to time beginning with Pope Gregory III (731-741), and from the end of the 10th century such use became constant. Under Pope Leo IX (1049–1054), the number first appeared on papal seals. If the papal name occurs only once, the number I is generally not used.
After Antipope John XXIII (Balthasar Cossa), Roncalli again took the name John XXIII in 1958, thereby emphasizing that Cossa was not the legitimate pope. It is not always, however, that antipopes are skipped when choosing a number: for example, although Benedict X, Alexander V and John XVI were antipopes, their numbers are counted in the general numbering order.
Frequency list of names
Papal names that appeared 5 times or more are given; The years in which the given name was last selected to date are indicated.
John - 21 times (maximum number XXIII; John XVI was an antipope, John XX did not exist), 1958
Gregory - 16 times, 1831
Benedict - 15 times (maximum number XVI; Benedict X was antipope), 2005
Clement - 14 times, 1769
Innocent - 13 times, 1721
Leo - 13 times, 1878
Pius - 12 times, 1939
Stephen - 8 or 9 times (maximum number IX (X); Stephen VII was an antipope; double numbering is due to disagreements over the inclusion of Stephen II in the lists of popes), 1057
Boniface - 8 times (maximum number IX; Boniface VII was antipope), 1389
Urban - 8 times, 1623
Alexander - 7 times (maximum number VIII; Alexander V was antipope), 1689
Adrian - 6 times, 1522
Pavel - 6 times, 1963
Celestine - 6 times, 1294
Nikolay - 5 times, 1447
Sixtus - 5 times, 1585
In addition, there were legitimate popes Martin IV and Martin V, but they wore such numbers because they were mistaken for Martinov II and III two popes named Marin.
4 names appeared 4 times, 7 names - 3 times, 10 names - 2 times, and 43 names - 1 time.
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Pope is the term used to refer to the rulers of the Catholic Church since its formation. The history of the papacy includes many truly great representatives of the Catholic Church - for example, Pope Gregory I the Great gave the world a calendar, which we all use to this day. Meanwhile, in the history of the papacy there is a lot of bloodshed - many representatives of the Catholic Church were brutally killed.
10. Pope Saint Peter
One of the disciples of Jesus Christ and the first followers of Christianity, the Apostle Peter aroused the wrath of the Roman Emperor Nero, who despised Christians and even blamed them for the Great Fire of Rome in July 64. The emperor ordered Peter to be captured, but the apostle managed to escape from Rome. During his wanderings, Peter had a vision of Jesus, who convinced the apostle to return to Rome and accept martyrdom. According to legend, Peter asked to be crucified on the cross to repeat the martyrdom of Jesus, but upside down, because he considered himself unworthy to die the same way as Jesus. Crucifixion upside down prolonged the suffering of Peter, who after his death was revered as the first Pope.
9. Pope Saint Clement I
'99
According to legend, Saint Clementius I was exiled from Rome to the quarries. Seeing the thirsty prisoners working in the quarries, Clement knelt down in prayer and saw a lamb on the hillside. After hitting the ground where the lamb stood, a source of clean water began to emerge from under the ground with a hoe. After seeing the miracle, local residents and prisoners turned to Christianity. Clementius was executed by the guards, who tied an anchor to his neck and threw the preacher into the sea.
8. Pope Saint Stephen I
Hieromartyr Stephen I served as Pope for only three years, becoming a victim of controversy within and outside the Catholic Church. Followers of the Catholic Church were divided over the issue of rebaptizing lapsed Catholics. At the same time, the Roman emperor Valerian, who had once been an ally of Christians, but then turned his back on them, began persecuting the church. The emperor's soldiers burst into the church while Stephen I was preaching, seizing the Pope and beheading him. The throne, stained with the blood of the Pope, was kept by the Catholic Church until the 18th century.
7. Pope Sixtus II
Shortly after the assassination of Pope Stephen I, Sixtus II was chosen as the new head of the church. At the same time, Emperor Valerian indicated that all Christians were obliged to participate in ceremonies in honor of the Roman gods in order to avoid conflict with the authorities. As Pope, Sixtus II could avoid participating in such ceremonies. Unfortunately, soon after this decree, the Roman emperor issued another one, condemning all Christian priests, deacons and bishops to death. Pope Sixtus II was captured by the emperor's soldiers while preaching and beheaded.
6. Pope John VII
The grandson of a senator and the son of a statesman, John VII became the first Pope from a noble family. John VII led the Catholic Church during the "Byzantine Papacy", when all Popes had to receive the approval of the Emperor of Byzantium. The killer of John VII was not the emperor and his minions, but the husband, who caught his unfaithful wife in bed with the Pope and beat John VII to death.
5. Pope John VIII
Most historians consider John VIII to be one of the greatest church leaders in the history of the papacy. The name of John VIII is associated, first of all, with political intrigues, of which the Pope himself ultimately became a victim. What exactly was the reason for the murder of John VIII - a conspiracy or simple envy of the riches of the church - is unknown. John VIII died at the hands of one of his relatives, who poisoned the Pope's drink and hit him on the head with a heavy hammer.
4. Pope Stephen VII
August 897
Pope Stephen VII is best known for the ritual execution of his predecessor, Pope Formosa. Formosus, who died under mysterious circumstances, was put on trial at the Corpse Synod, symbolically executed and thrown into the river. All orders of the former Pope were annulled. Unfortunately for Stephen VII, the Synod of Corpse caused a wave of discontent among the followers of the Catholic Church, as a result of which the Pope was first imprisoned and later executed by strangulation.
3. Pope John XII
In the eyes of most, the Pope is an inspiring leader, the personification of piety. John XII was not such a Pope. Soon after his election at the age of only 18, John XII literally went into all sorts of troubles - he was prescribed gambling, theft, political assassinations and even incest. Pope Leo VII tried to overthrow John after he transferred part of the lands of the Catholic Church to the German king Otto I, but John XII soon restored the rights to the papacy. The killer of John XII was a jealous husband who caught the Pope in bed with his own wife in his house.
2. Pope Benedict VI
June 974
Pope Benedict VI, who led the Catholic Church after the assassination of John XIII, was forced to deal with many of the problems created by his predecessor. During his reign, John XIII turned against himself many powerful enemies - representatives of noble families of Europe. Pope John was captured and sent into exile, but managed to return and take revenge on several of the enemies who sent him to prison. John XVIII ultimately died in his own bed, but his successor Benedict VI was not nearly as lucky. Just a year and a half after his election, Benedict VI was strangled by the priest Crescentius I, brother of Pope John XIII.
1. Pope John XXI
John XXI is known not only as the Pope, but also as a scientist and philosopher, who wrote several treatises on logic, philosophy and medicine. John XXI was immortalized in Dante's classic poem The Divine Comedy. In August 1277, shortly after the completion of a new wing at the Pope's palace in Italy, part of a poorly secured roof collapsed onto the bed of the sleeping John XXI. Eight days later he died from his injuries.
He is a member of the Society of Jesus, who renounced worldly goods at the age of 23, the only pope in history of this ascetic monastic order and the first from America, from the Southern Hemisphere and not from Europe (since Gregory III of Syria, who ruled in the 8th century).
Childhood and youth
The head of the Catholics was born on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is the oldest of 5 children of an emigrant from Italy and a native of the Argentine capital of Italian descent. His father was a railroad worker, his mother a housewife. 
As a child, Jorge was a respectful and kind boy. After school, he studied at a technical college and defended his diploma in chemistry. Then he worked in his specialty in a chemical laboratory, and worked as a bouncer in a night bar.
At the age of 21, he suffered a serious illness - life-threatening pneumonia and the removal of part of his lung. Having practically been resurrected, he wanted to devote himself to serving God. In 1958 he joined the Society of Jesus. As a novice (novice), he studied the humanities in Santiago. Having passed the novitiate stage in 1960, he became a Jesuit.
On the way to the papacy
In 1967, the young man underwent spiritual training at St. Joseph's College in his hometown, earned an academic licentiate degree in philosophy, and taught at Catholic educational institutions in the capital and Santa Fe. He also attended the philosophical and theological department at the capital's College of San Miguel, was a master of the novices and served as professor of theology. 
At the age of 33, the young man was ordained to the priesthood. In 1970-1971 completed the third stage of spiritual training at the famous University of Alcala de Henares, located in the suburbs of Madrid, where many outstanding personalities studied - Tirso de Molina, Lope de Vega, Miguel de Cervantes. In 1973, Jorge took the final, fourth vow - submission to the Pope, and soon received the title of provincial superior of Argentina.
Upon expiration of his term of office in this position in 1980, he was approved as rector of his native educational institution, St. Joseph. Before taking up his new duties, he studied English for three months in Dublin, at the Jesuit center of the Milltown Institute of Theology and Philosophy. After 6 years in office, he spent several months in Frankfurt studying for a master's degree, Jorge defended his doctoral research work and, upon his return, took up another high post - the spiritual director of the archdiocese and confessor in Cordoba.
In 1992, by decision of the highest theological leadership, he was recognized as an auxiliary bishop of the capital. In the same year, he was consecrated bishop, and 5 years later he was appointed coadjutor of the cardinal, Archbishop Antonio Quarracino, that is, a successor with the right to automatically acquire the position “by inheritance.”
As a result, after the death of Quarracino in 1998, Bergoglio became a cardinal and acquired the title of Cardinal Priest of the Cathedral of San Roberto Bellarmino. In his new position, he received five posts in the administrative body of the Holy See and the Vatican - the Roman Curia.
In 2001, he personally visited a hospice for poor people dying of AIDS. He washed and kissed the feet of twelve sufferers, emphasizing that Christ himself did not shy away from lepers.
In 2005-2011 he was the head of the Bishops' Conference of the whole country.
Pope Francis officially took the throne
In 2013, at the conclave, Bergoglio was elected supreme sovereign pontiff, Pope. By status, he also received the title of Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. As a papal name, he took the name Francis in honor of the Catholic saint, patron saint of the poor.
In 2016, at the Havana airport building, he met with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. As a result of the meeting, which was held at such a high level for the first time since the Great Schism (church schism) of 1054, a document was signed calling for pan-Christian unity.
Personal life of Pope Francis
The head of Catholics is known for personal modesty, simplicity in communication, commitment to social justice, and doctrinal conservatism. He always used public transport, refused gifts, and also adhered to traditional church views regarding priestly celibacy, homosexuality, abortion, contraception, euthanasia, and the ordination of women as priests.After being elected pope, he chose to live not in the luxurious papal chambers of the Apostolic Palace, but in a guest house. He chose silver to make the papal ring (instead of gold), wore vestments devoid of expensive jewelry, and ate in the usual dining room for priests.
He is a fan of the outstanding writer and philosopher Fyodor Dostoevsky and Russian classics Jorge Borges and Leopoldo Marechal. Pope's annual Christmas speech (2017)
The Pontiff still tries to spend his birthday with people who especially need his care. He previously celebrated it in the company of homeless people, and in 2017 he visited sick children in the Vatican Hospital Santa Marta.
Delivering the traditional Christmas blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, he called on believers to pray for peace and help migrants forced to leave their homeland due to armed conflicts.
