The Pope is the Bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. Catholics count 267 Popes in an unbroken line from St Peter, whom Jesus chose as the “rock” of his Church.
St Peter, born Simon in Bethsaida, Galilee, a fisherman. Jesus said to him: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:18–19). Peter led the Apostles, then the church in Rome, where he was martyred around AD 64–67. His successor was St Linus (c. 67–79), then St Anacletus and St Clement I, all named by St Irenaeus of Lyon around AD 180.
Other Christians' view. Orthodox Christians honour Peter as first among the Apostles and the Bishop of Rome as historically “first among equals”, but do not accept papal authority over the whole Church. Protestants generally do not accept the papacy. Historians note that the early church in Rome may have been led by a group of elders before a single bishop became normal in the 2nd century, so dates for the earliest Popes are traditional.
The Pope today
Pope Leo XIV (267th Pope)
Birth name
Robert Francis Prevost
Born
14 September 1955, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Elected
8 May 2025
Before
Augustinian friar, missionary and Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru; Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops
The first Pope from the United States and the first from the Order of St Augustine. He is also a citizen of Peru. He chose the name Leo in honour of Pope Leo XIII, the Pope of social justice in the industrial age. He succeeded Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires), who died on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025.
Why do Popes take a new name?
A new name shows the start of a new mission, just as Jesus renamed Simon “Peter”. The first Pope to change his name was John II in 533 — his birth name, Mercurius, was the name of a pagan god. The custom became normal from Sergius IV (1009). The last Pope to keep his own name was Marcellus II (Marcello Cervini) in 1555. The most popular papal names are John (21 different Popes), Gregory (16), Benedict (15), Clement (14), Leo (14, counting Leo XIV), Innocent (13) and Pius (12). No Pope has ever taken the name “Peter II”.
How is a Pope chosen?
When a Pope dies or resigns, the cardinals under age 80 meet in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel. A two-thirds majority is needed. After each vote the ballots are burned: black smoke means no decision, white smoke means “Habemus Papam” — we have a Pope! The new Pope accepts, chooses his name and appears on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica.
Popes are elected for life, but may resign: Celestine V (1294), Gregory XII (1415, to end the Western Schism) and Benedict XVI (2013) are the best-known cases. In history there were also antipopes — rival claimants not recognised by the Church — especially during the Western Schism (1378–1417), when rival lines ruled from Rome, Avignon and Pisa. From 1309 to 1377 the Popes lived in Avignon, France, until St Catherine of Siena urged Gregory XI to return to Rome.
Notable Popes, saints and miracles
Over 80 Popes are honoured as saints (most of them from the first five centuries, many martyrs). For a modern Pope to be declared a saint, the Church normally requires a miracle for beatification and a second for canonisation, investigated by doctors and theologians.
Full list of all 267 Popes
Data from Wikidata (the Vatican's Annuario Pontificio numbering). Birth names are unknown for many early Popes, who usually kept their own names. Birthplaces for early Popes come from the ancient Liber Pontificalis and are traditional. Pictures of early Popes are later artworks, not real likenesses.