From St. Peter to Pope Francis: Full list of popes

After Pope Francis’ death, people all around the world are remembering him for his legacy within the church. However, like all other popes, the appointment of Francis was not direct and Francis entered this position after several rounds of voting. He has advocated for the poor, marginalized and fostered an unorthodox view including acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community.

While early popes encountered challenges such as the split of the Roman Empire, the Crusades and the Italian Renaissance, modern pontiffs have been tasked with how to integrate the religion's historically strict teachings with more nuanced perspectives on sexuality, birth control and divorce in the modern world.

Pope Francis

Before his death, Francis was suffering from a critical case of bronchitis and pneumonia. Prior to becoming Pope, he was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. During his prophecy, many of his initiatives were seen as more liberal in nature. He was the first pope to appoint a woman to head a Vatican administrative office, even as he maintained that the priesthood should remain male-only. Under his leadership, women were also included for the first time in the body responsible for selecting bishops.

Pope Benedict XVI

Before Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI was the leader of the Catholic church. Born in Germany, Benedict was one of the oldest popes to take charge of the church from 2005 until his retirement in 2013.

Benedict criticized relativism in the Catholic faith, referring to the belief that there are no absolute truths especially in matters of morality, faith and ethics.The church teaches that truth is objective and universal. Certain moral principles are unchanging and divine.

During his papacy, he faced accusations such as covering up certain instances of sexual abuse within the church, benedict also removed several clergy members who abused children.

His final words before his retirement in 2013 were, "I'm simply a pilgrim who is starting the last stage of his pilgrimage on Earth. Let's go ahead together with the Lord for the good of the Church and of the world." He died on December 31, 2022 at the age of 95.

As of now, there have been 266 popes in the history of the Catholic church. In 1993 years history of papacies, St. Peter, leader of the apostle was the first pope heading the church starting 32 AD. The complete list of popes known to the church are as follows:

1. St. Peter (32-67)

2. St. Linus (67-76)

3. St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)

4. St. Clement I (88-97)

5. St. Evaristus (97-105)

6. St. Alexander I (105-115)

7. St. Sixtus I (115-125)

8. St. Telesphorus (125-136)

9. St. Hyginus (136-140)

10. St. Pius I (140-155)

11. St. Anicetus (155-166)

12. St. Soter (166-175)

13. St. Eleutherius (175-189)

14. St. Victor I (189-199)

15. St. Zephyrinus (199-217)

16. St. Callistus I (217-22)

17. St. Urban I (222-30)

18. St. Pontain (230-35)

19. St. Anterus (235-36)

20. St. Fabian (236-50)

21. St. Cornelius (251-53)

22. St. Lucius I (253-54)

23. St. Stephen I (254-257)

24. St. Sixtus II (257-258)

25. St. Dionysius (260-268)

26. St. Felix I (269-274)

27. St. Eutychian (275-283)

28. St. Caius (283-296)

29. St. Marcellinus (296-304)

30. St. Marcellus I (308-309)

31. St. Eusebius (309 or 310)

32. St. Miltiades (311-14)

33. St. Sylvester I (314-35)

34. St. Marcus (336)

35. St. Julius I (337-52)

36. Liberius (352-66)

37. St. Damasus I (366-83)

38. St. Siricius (384-99)

39. St. Anastasius I (399-401)

40. St. Innocent I (401-17)

41. St. Zosimus (417-18)

42. St. Boniface I (418-22)

43. St. Celestine I (422-32)

44. St. Sixtus III (432-40)

45. St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)

46. St. Hilarius (461-68)

47. St. Simplicius (468-83)

48. St. Felix III (II) (483-92)

49. St. Gelasius I (492-96)

50. Anastasius II (496-98)

51. St. Symmachus (498-514)

52. St. Hormisdas (514-23)

53. St. John I (523-26)

54. St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)

55. Boniface II (530-32)

56. John II (533-35)

57. St. Agapetus I (535-36)

58. St. Silverius (536-37)

59. Vigilius (537-55)

60. Pelagius I (556-61)

61. John III (561-74)

62. Benedict I (575-79)

63. Pelagius II (579-90)

64. St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)

65. Sabinian (604-606)

66. Boniface III (607)

67. St. Boniface IV (608-15)

68. St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)

69. Boniface V (619-25)

70. Honorius I (625-38)

71. Severinus (640)

72. John IV (640-42)

73. Theodore I (642-49)

74. St. Martin I (649-55)

75. St. Eugene I (655-57)

76. St. Vitalian (657-72)

77. Adeodatus (II) (672-76)

78. Donus (676-78)

79. St. Agatho (678-81)

80. St. Leo II (682-83)

81. St. Benedict II (684-85)

82. John V (685-86)

83. Conon (686-87)

84. St. Sergius I (687-701)

85. John VI (701-05)

86. John VII (705-07)

87. Sisinnius (708)

88. Constantine (708-15)

89. St. Gregory II (715-31)

90. St. Gregory III (731-41)

91. St. Zachary (741-52)

92. Stephen III (752-57)

93. St. Paul I (757-67)

94. Stephen IV (767-72)

95. Adrian I (772-95)

96. St. Leo III (795-816)

97. Stephen V (816-17)

98. St. Paschal I (817-24)

99. Eugene II (824-27)

100. Valentine (827)

101. Gregory IV (827-44)

102. Sergius II (844-47)

103. St. Leo IV (847-55)

104. Benedict III (855-58)

105. St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)

106. Adrian II (867-72)

107. John VIII (872-82)

108. Marinus I (882-84)

109. St. Adrian III (884-85)

110. Stephen VI (885-91)

111. Formosus (891-96)

112. Boniface VI (896)

113. Stephen VII (896-97)

114. Romanus (897)

115. Theodore II (897)

116. John IX (898-900)

117. Benedict IV (900-03)

118. Leo V (903)

119. Sergius III (904-11)

120. Anastasius III (911-13)

121. Lando (913-14)

122. John X (914-28)

123. Leo VI (928)

124. Stephen VIII (929-31)

125. John XI (931-35)

126. Leo VII (936-39)

127. Stephen IX (939-42)

128. Marinus II (942-46)

129. Agapetus II (946-55)

130. John XII (955-63)

131. Leo VIII (963-64)

132. Benedict V (964)

133. John XIII (965-72)

134. Benedict VI (973-74)

135. Benedict VII (974-83)

136. John XIV (983-84)

137. John XV (985-96)

138. Gregory V (996-99)

139. Sylvester II (999-1003)

140. John XVII (1003)

141. John XVIII (1003-09)

142. Sergius IV (1009-12)

143. Benedict VIII (1012-24)

144. John XIX (1024-32)

145. Benedict IX (1032-45)

146. Sylvester III (1045)

147. Benedict IX (1045)

148. Gregory VI (1045-46)

149. Clement II (1046-47)

150. Benedict IX (1047-48)

151. Damasus II (1048)

152. St. Leo IX (1049-54)

153. Victor II (1055-57)

154. Stephen X (1057-58)

155. Nicholas II (1058-61)

156. Alexander II (1061-73)

157. St. Gregory VII (1073-85)

158. Blessed Victor III (1086-87)

159. Blessed Urban II (1088-99)

160. Paschal II (1099-1118)

161. Gelasius II (1118-19)

162. Callistus II (1119-24)

163. Honorius II (1124-30)

164. Innocent II (1130-43)

165. Celestine II (1143-44)

166. Lucius II (1144-45)

167. Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)

168. Anastasius IV (1153-54)

169. Adrian IV (1154-59)

170. Alexander III (1159-81)

171. Lucius III (1181-85)

172. Urban III (1185-87)

173. Gregory VIII (1187)

174. Clement III (1187-91)

175. Celestine III (1191-98)

176. Innocent III (1198-1216)

177. Honorius III (1216-27)

178. Gregory IX (1227-41)

179. Celestine IV (1241)

180. Innocent IV (1243-54)

181. Alexander IV (1254-61)

182. Urban IV (1261-64)

183. Clement IV (1265-68)

184. Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)

185. Blessed Innocent V (1276)

186. Adrian V (1276)

187. John XXI (1276-77)

188. Nicholas III (1277-80)

189. Martin IV (1281-85)

190. Honorius IV (1285-87)

191. Nicholas IV (1288-92)

192. St. Celestine V (1294)

193. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)

194. Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)

195. Clement V (1305-14)

196. John XXII (1316-34)

197. Benedict XII (1334-42)

198. Clement VI (1342-52)

199. Innocent VI (1352-62)

200. Blessed Urban V (1362-70)

201. Gregory XI (1370-78)

202. Urban VI (1378-89)

203. Boniface IX (1389-1404)

204. Innocent VII (1404-06)

205. Gregory XII (1406-15)

206. Martin V (1417-31)

207. Eugene IV (1431-47)

208. Nicholas V (1447-55)

209. Callistus III (1455-58)

210. Pius II (1458-64)

211. Paul II (1464-71)

212. Sixtus IV (1471-84)

213. Innocent VIII (1484-92)

214. Alexander VI (1492-1503)

215. Pius III (1503)

216. Julius II (1503-13)

217. Leo X (1513-21)

218. Adrian VI (1522-23)

219. Clement VII (1523-34)

220. Paul III (1534-49)

221. Julius III (1550-55)

222. Marcellus II (1555)

223. Paul IV (1555-59)

224. Pius IV (1559-65)

225. St. Pius V (1566-72)

226. Gregory XIII (1572-85)

227. Sixtus V (1585-90)

228. Urban VII (1590)

229. Gregory XIV (1590-91)

230. Innocent IX (1591)

231. Clement VIII (1592-1605)

232. Leo XI (1605)

233. Paul V (1605-21)

234. Gregory XV (1621-23)

235. Urban VIII (1623-44)

236. Innocent X (1644-55)

237. Alexander VII (1655-67)

238. Clement IX (1667-69)

239. Clement X (1670-76)

240. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)

241. Alexander VIII (1689-91)

242. Innocent XII (1691-1700)

243. Clement XI (1700-21)

244. Innocent XIII (1721-24)

245. Benedict XIII (1724-30)

246. Clement XII (1730-40)

247. Benedict XIV (1740-58)

248. Clement XIII (1758-69)

249. Clement XIV (1769-74)

250. Pius VI (1775-99)

251. Pius VII (1800-23)

252. Leo XII (1823-29)

253. Pius VIII (1829-30)

254. Gregory XVI (1831-46)

255. Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)

256. Leo XIII (1878-1903)

257. St. Pius X (1903-14)

258. Benedict XV (1914-22)

259. Pius XI (1922-39)

260. Pius XII (1939-58)

261. St. John XXIII (1958-63)

262. Blessed Paul VI (1963-78)

263. John Paul I (1978)

264. St. John Paul II (1978-2005)

265. Benedict XVI (2005-2013)

266. Francis (2013-2025)

The papacy has a long history marked by the succession of several influential popes who have shaped the Catholic Church over the centuries. Each new pope's succession has brought significant changes, reflecting the factors that have influenced the Church’s functioning.