All Popes in Chronological Order


All Popes List 🇻🇦Chronological List of Popes Since 1730 ✝️

The current Pope Francis is the 266th in Roman Catholic history. The first pope in the history of the Roman Catholic church was Saint Peter (33-67 AD). The second Pope was Linus (67-79 AD) and the third Pope was Anacletu (79-92 AD, who was also known as Cletus.

There are many lists of all Popes in history, including the official Vatican English timeline of all Popes on The Holy See website. However it gets complicated when taking into account pope elect Stephen in 752 AD, 31 Anti-Popes in the Middle Ages, Pope Joan or John Anglicus all being excluded or included from various lists. ADDucation’s sortable list of all popes since 1730 AD makes it easy to find key facts about popes from the 18th Century until today at a glance.

  • ADDucation’s list of all Popes compiled by Robert Junker and last updated 18 Aug 2024

ADDucation Tips: Click column headings with arrows to sort the list of all popes. Reload page for original sort order. Resize your browser to full screen and/or zoom out to display as many columns as possible. Click the ➕ icon to reveal any hidden columns.

All Popes (since 1730) # Papacy Years Pope’s Personal Name Country, Locality Born Died Age when Pope Papacy started Papacy ended Days in Office Pope Key Achievements, Facts & Trivia
Pope Clement XII 246 1730-1740 Lorenzo Corsini 🇮🇹 Italy, Florence 1652 1740 78 12 July 1730 6 February 1740 3506 Pope during a growth in papal finances. The first public papal condemnation of Freemasonry.
Pope Benedict XIV 247 1740-1758 Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini 🇮🇹 Italy, Bologna 1675 1758 65 17 August 1740 3 May 1758 6456 Modernized the Curia, opponent of the Jesuits.
Pope Clement XIII 248 1758-1769 Carlo della Torre Rezzonico 🇮🇹 Italy, Venice 1693 1769 65 6 July 1758 2 February 1769 3864 Friend and supporter of the Jesuits.
Pope Clement XIV 249 1769-1774 Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli 🇮🇹 Italy, Santarcangelo di Romagna 1705 1774 63 19 May 1769 22 September 1774 1952 Prescribed the abolition of the Jesuit Order in 1773.
Pope Pius VI 250 1775-1799 Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi 🇮🇹 Italy, Cesena 1717 1799 57 15 February 1775 29 August 1799 8961 Exiled by French occupiers in 1796.
Pope Pius VII 251 1800-1823 Barnaba Chiaramonti 🇮🇹 Italy, Cesena 1742 1823 57 14 March 1800 20 August 1823 8559 Forced to crown Napoleon as emperor in 1804.
Pope Leo XII 252 1823-1829 Count Annibale Sermattei della Genga 🇮🇹 Italy, Genga, Papal States 1760 1829 63 28 September 1823 10 February 1829 1962 Broke with reform policies, opposed vaccinations.
Pope Pius VIII 253 1829-1830 Francesco Saverio Castiglioni 🇮🇹 Italy, Marche 1761 1830 67 31 March 1829 1 December 1830 610 Considered one of the most modern popes.
Pope Gregory XVI 254 1831-1846 Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari 🇮🇹 Italy, Venice 1765 1846 65 2 February 1831 1 June 1846 5598 Last non-bishop to be elected Pope.
Pope Pius IX 255 1846-1878 Count Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti 🇮🇹 Italy, Marche 1792 1878 54 16 June 1846 7 February 1878 11,559 Second longest term of office (after Simon Peter).
Pope Leo XIII 256 1878-1903 Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci 🇮🇹 Italy, Carpineto Romano 1810 1903 67 20 February 1878 20 July 1903 9280 Fourth longest pontificate (9,280 days).
Pope Pius X 257 1903-1914 Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto 🇮🇹 Italy, Lombardy-Venetia 1835 1914 68 4 August 1903 20 August 1914 4034 Last Pope to be canonized (1954).
Pope Benedict XV 258 1914-1922 Giacomo Della Chiesa 🇮🇹 Italy, Genoa 1854 1922 59 3 September 1914 22 January 1922 2698 “Pope of peace” (anti-war attitude in WW1)
Pope Pius XI 259 1922-1939 Achille Ambrogio Damiano Ratti 🇮🇹 Italy, Lombardy-Venetia 1857 1939 64 6 February 1922 10 February 1939 6213 Concluded “Lateran Treaty” with Mussolini recognizing Vatican as independent state.
Pope Pius XII 260 1939-1958 Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli 🇮🇹 Italy, Rome 1876 1958 63 2 March 1939 9 October 1958 7160 Criticized for stance on the Holocaust.
Pope John XXIII 261 1958-1963 Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli 🇮🇹 Italy, Bergamo 1881 1963 76 28 October 1958 3 June 1963 1679 Launched the 2nd Vatican Council in 1962.
Pope Paul VI 262 1963-1978 Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini 🇮🇹 Italy, Brescia 1897 1978 65 21 June 1963 6 August 1978 5525 Completed the 2nd Vatican Council in 1965.
Pope John Paul I 263 1978 Albino Luciani 🇮🇹 Italy, Veneto 1912 1978 65 26 August 1978 28 September 1978 33 The “smiling pope” waived the costly papal coronation ceremony. Died of a heart attack.
Pope John Paul II 264 1978-2005 Karol Jozef Wojtyla 🇵🇱 Poland, Wadowice 1920 2005 58 16 October 1978 2 April 2005 9695 Third longest term of office of all popes (9,665 days).
Pope Benedict XVI 265 2005-2013 Joseph Alois Ratzinger 🇩🇪 Germany, Bavaria 1927 – 78 19 April 2005 28 February 2013 2872 Resigned on 28 February 2013 for health reasons, the first resignation in 700 years.
Pope Francis 266 2013-today Jorge Mario Bergoglio 🇦🇷 Argentina, Buenos Aires 1936 – 76 13 March 2013 – – Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is:
  • First Jesuit Pope
  • First non-European Pope
  • First latin American Pope.
Notes: ADDucation’s list of all popes includes the exact number of calendar days each Pope was in office calculated using timeanddate.com. It’s consistent, accurate and means the “Days in Office” column can be sorted. Many other lists of all Popes show the days in office using days, months and years in office which isn’t easily sortable or especially useful. Some lists use a mystery “Number of days of Pontificate (max)” where (max) has not been clearly defined.

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