Antipope

For the book by Robert Rankin, see The Antipope.

Not to be confused with Anti-Papalism.

An antipope (Latin: antipapa) is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope.^[1] Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church itself and secular rulers. While modern claimants to the papacy still take place, they are rarely given serious consideration by either the public or the Church.

Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish which of two claimants should be called pope and which antipope, as in the case of Pope Leo VIII and Pope Benedict V.^[2]

History

Hippolytus of Rome (d. 235) is commonly considered to be the earliest antipope, as he headed a separate group within the Church in Rome against Pope Callixtus I.^[3] Hippolytus was reconciled to Callixtus's second successor, Pope Pontian, and both he and Pontian are honoured as saints by the Catholic Church with a shared feast day on 13 August. Whether two or more persons have been confused in this account of Hippolytus^[4] and whether Hippolytus actually declared himself to be the Bishop of Rome remains unclear, since no such claim by Hippolytus has been cited in the writings attributed to him.

Eusebius quotes^[5] from an unnamed earlier writer the story of Natalius, a 3rd-century priest who accepted the bishopric of the Adoptionists,^[6] a heretical group in Rome. Natalius soon repented and tearfully begged Pope Zephyrinus to receive him into communion.^[7][8]

Novatian (d. 258), another third-century figure, certainly claimed the See of Rome in opposition to Pope Cornelius, and if Natalius and Hippolytus were excluded because of the uncertainties concerning them, Novatian could then be said to be the first antipope.

The period in which antipopes were most numerous was during the struggles between the popes and the Holy Roman Emperors of the 11th and 12th centuries. The emperors frequently imposed their own nominees to further their own causes. The popes, likewise, sometimes sponsored rival imperial claimants (anti-kings) in Germany to overcome a particular emperor.

The Western Schism – which began in 1378, when the French cardinals, claiming that the election of Pope Urban VI was invalid, elected antipope Clement VII as a rival to the Roman Pope – led eventually to two competing lines of antipopes: the Avignon line as Clement VII moved back to Avignon, and the Pisan line. The Pisan line, which began in 1409, was named after the town of Pisa, Italy, where the (Pisan) council had elected antipope Alexander V as a third claimant. To end the schism, in May 1415, the Council of Constance deposed antipope John XXIII of the Pisan line. Pope Gregory XII of the Roman line resigned in July 1415. In 1417, the council also formally deposed antipope Benedict XIII of Avignon, but he adamantly refused to resign. Afterwards, Pope Martin V was elected and was accepted everywhere except in the small and rapidly diminishing area of influence of Benedict XIII.

List of historical antipopes

The following table gives the names of the antipopes included in the list of popes and antipopes in the Annuario Pontificio, with the addition of the names of Natalius (in spite of doubts about his historicity) and Antipope Clement VIII (whose following was insignificant).^[9]

An asterisk marks those who were included in the conventional numbering of later popes who took the same name. More commonly, the antipope is ignored in later papal regnal numbers; for example, there was an Antipope John XXIII, but the new Pope John elected in 1958 was also called John XXIII. For the additional confusion regarding popes named John, see Pope John numbering.

The list of popes and antipopes in the Annuario Pontificio attaches the following note to the name of Pope Leo VIII (963–965):

At this point, as again in the mid-11th century, we come across elections in which problems of harmonising historical criteria and those of theology and canon law make it impossible to decide clearly which side possessed the legitimacy whose factual existence guarantees the unbroken lawful succession of the successors of Saint Peter. The uncertainty that in some cases results has made it advisable to abandon the assignation of successive numbers in the list of the popes.^[10]

Thus, because of the obscurities about mid-11th-century canon law and the historical facts, the Annuario Pontificio lists Sylvester III as a pope, without thereby expressing a judgement on his legitimacy. The Catholic Encyclopedia places him in its List of Popes,^[11] but with the annotation: "Considered by some to be an antipope". Other sources classify him as an antipope.^[12]

As Celestine II resigned before being consecrated and enthroned in order to avoid a schism, Oxford's A Dictionary of Popes (2010) considers he "...is classified, unfairly, as an antipope",^[13] an opinion historian Salvador Miranda also shares.^[14]

Those with asterisks (*) were counted in subsequent papal numbering.

Pontificate	Common English name	Regnal (Latin) name	Personal name	Place of birth	Age at election/ Death or resigned	Years as antipope (days)	Notes	In opposition to
c. 199 – c. 200	Natalius	Natalius	Natalius	c. 159 Rome, Roman Empire	38 / 48	1 year, 0 days (365)	Later reconciled (see above)	Zephyrinus
20 Dec 217 – 28 Sep 235	Saint Hippolytus	Hippolytus	Hippolytus	170 Rome, Roman Empire	45 / 65 (†66)	17 years, 282 days (6491)	Later reconciled with Pope Pontian (see above)	Callixtus I
								Urban I
								Pontian
Mar 251 – Aug 258	Novatian	Novatianus	Novatian	c. 200 Rome, Roman Empire	51 / 58 (†93)	7 years, 153 days (2710)	Founder of Novatianism	Cornelius
								Lucius I
								Stephen I
								Sixtus II
20 Apr 309 – 16 Aug 310	Heraclius	Heraclius	Heraclius	c. 265 Rome, Roman Empire	45 / 46	1 year, 118 days (483)		Eusebius
355 – 26 Nov 365	Felix II*	Felix secundus	Felix	c. 270 Rome, Roman Empire	80 / 90	10 years, 329 days (3982)	Installed by Roman emperor Constantius II	Liberius
1 Oct 366 – 16 Nov 367	Ursicinus	Ursicinus	Ursinus	c. 300 Rome, Roman Empire	66 / 67	1 year, 46 days (411)		Damasus I
27 Dec 418 – 3 Apr 419	Eulalius	Eulalius	Eulalius	c. 370 Rome, Roman Empire	38 / 39 (†42)	1 year, 46 days (411)		Boniface I
22 Nov 498 – Aug 506/08	Laurentius	Laurentius	Lorenzo Celio	c. 460 Rome, Roman Empire	38 / 46 (†48)	9 years, 283 days (3569)	Supported by Byzantine emperor Anastasius I	Symmachus
22 Sep 530 – 14 Oct 530	Dioscorus	Dioscurus	Dióskoros	c. 450 Alexandria	70 / 70	22 days (22)		Boniface II
21 Sep 687	Theodore	Theodorus	Theodore	c. 599 Rome, Duchy of Rome	88 / 88 (†92)	97 days (97)		Sergius I
21 Sep 687	Paschal (I)	Paschalis	Pascale	c. 598 Rome, Duchy of Rome	89 / 89 (†94)	97 days (97)
28 Jun 767 – 6 Aug 768	Constantine II	Constantinus secundus	Konstantinus	c. 700 Rome, Duchy of Rome	67 / 68 (†69)	1 year, 39 days (405)		Between Paul I and Stephen III
31 Jul 768	Philip	Philippus	Philip	c. 701 Rome, Duchy of Rome	68 / 68 (†99)	0 days (0)	Installed by envoy of Lombard King Desiderius	Stephen III
25 Jan – 31 May 844	John VIII	Joannes octavus	Giovanni	c. 800 Rome, Papal States	44 / 44 (†91)	151 days (151)	Elected by acclamation	Sergius II
Jan 855 – 31 Mar 855	Anastasius III Bibliothecarius	Anastasius tertius	Anastasius	c. 810 Rome, Papal States	45 / 45 (†68)	89 days (89)		Benedict III
3 Oct 903 – 27 Jan 904	Christopher	Christophorus	Christoforo	c. 850 Rome, Papal States	53 / 54	116 days (116)		Between Leo V and Sergius III
6 December 963 – 26 February 964	Leo VIII*	Leo octavus	Leone	c. 915 Rome, Papal States	48 / 49	82 days (82)	Installed by emperor Otto the Great, opposed to John XII, later succeeded Benedict V as a legitimate Pope	John XII
Jul 974	Boniface VII*	Bonifacius	Franco Ferrucci	c. 900 Rome, Papal States	73 / 73 and 84 / 85	30 days (30) 334 days (334) total 364 days (364 days)		Between Benedict VI and Benedict VII
20 Aug 984 – 20 Jul 985								Between John XIV and John XV
Apr 997 – Feb 998	John XVI*	Joannes	John Filagatto	c. 941 Rossano, Calabria, Papal States (Italy)	56 / 56 (†59)	1 year, 0 days (365)	Supported by Byzantine emperor Basil II	Gregory V
Jun 1012	Gregory VI	Gregorius Sextus	Gregorio	c. 960 Rome, Papal States	52 / 52 (†60)	29 days (29)		Benedict VIII
4 Apr 1058 – 24 Jan 1059	Benedict X*	Benedictus Decimus	Giovanni Mincio dei Conti di Tusculo	c. 1000 Rome, Papal States,	58 / 59 (†80)	295 days (295 )	Supported by the Counts of Tusculum	Nicholas II
July 1061 – 31 May 1064	Honorius II	Honorius Secundus	Pietro Cadalus	1010 Verona, Papal States	51 / 54 (†62)	2 years, 335 days (1065)	Supported by Agnes, regent of the Holy Roman Empire	Alexander II
25 Jun 1080, 21 Mar 1084 – 8 Sep 1100	Clement III	Clemens Tertius	Guibert of Ravenna	c. 1029 Parma, Papal States	51 / 51, 54 / 71	20 years, 44 days (7348)	Supported by Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor	Gregory VII
								Victor III
								Urban II
								Paschal II
8 Sep 1100 – Jan 1101	Theodoric	Theodoricus	Theodoro	c. 1030 Rome, Papal States,	70 / 71 (†72)	121 days (121)	Successor to Clement III	Paschal II
Jan 1101 – Feb 1102	Adalbert or Albert	Adalbertus	Albert	c. 1046 Atella, Campania, Papal States,	55 / 56 (†85)	31 days (31)	Successor to Theodoric
8 Nov 1105 – 11 Apr 1111	Sylvester IV	Sylvester Quartus	Maginulf	c. 1050 Rome, Papal States	49 / 55 (†56)	5 years, 324 days (31)	Supported by Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor
10 Mar 1118 – 22 Apr 1121	Gregory VIII	Gregorius Octavus	Maurice Burdain	c. 1057 Limousin, Occitania, France	61 / 65 (†72)	3 years, 43 days (1139)		Gelasius II
								Callixtus II
16 Dec 1124	Celestine II	Cœlestinus Secundus	Teobaldo Boccapecci	c. 1050 Rome, Papal States	74 / 74 (†86)	0 days (0)		Honorius II
14 Feb 1130 – 25 Jan 1138	Anacletus II	Anacletus Secundus	Pietro Pierleoni	c. 1090 Rome, Papal States	48 / 48	7 years, 345 days (2902)		Innocent II
23 Mar 1138	Victor IV	Victor Quartus	Gregorio Conti	c. 1057 Ceccano, Papal States	81 / 81 (†90)	63 days (63)	Successor to Anacletus II
7 Sep 1159 – 20 Apr 1164	Victor IV	Victor Quartus	Ottavio di Montecelio	c. 1095 Tivoli, Papal States	64 / 69	4 years, 226 days (1687)	Supported by Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor	Alexander III
22 Apr 1164 – 28 Sep 1168	Paschal III	Paschalis Tertius	Guido di Crema	c. 1110 Crema, Lombardy, Papal States	54 / 58	4 years, 159 days (1620 days)
Sep 1168 – 29 Aug 1178	Callixtus III	Callixtus Tertius	Giovanni of Struma	c. 1090 Arezzo, Papal States	78 / 88 (†90)	9 years, 362 days (3649 days)
29 Sep 1179 – Jan 1180	Innocent III	Innocentius Tertius	Lanzo of Sezza	c. 1120 Sezze, Papal States	59 / 60 (†63)	95 days (95 days)
12 May 1328 – 12 Aug 1330	Nicholas V	Nicolaus Quintus	Pietro Rainalducci	c. 1258 Corvaro, Papal States	70 / 74	2 years, 92 days (822 days)	Supported by Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor	John XXII
20 Sep 1378 – 16 Sep 1394	Clement VII	Clemens	Robert of Geneva	1342 Annecy, France	36/52	15 years, 361 days (5840 days)	Avignon	Urban VI
								Boniface IX
28 Sep 1394 – 23 May 1423	Benedict XIII	Benedictus	Pedro de Luna	25 November 1328 Illueca, Aragon	65/94	28 years, 237 days (10463 days)	Avignon
								Innocent VII
								Gregory XII
								Martin V
25 Jun 1409 – 3 May 1410	Alexander V*	Alexander	Pietro Philarghi	c. 1339 Crete, Republic of Venice	70 / 71	312 days (312 days)	Pisa	Gregory XII
25 May 1410 – 29 May 1415	John XXIII	Ioannes Vicecimus Tertius	Baldassare Cossa	c. 1365	45 / 50 (†54)	5 years, 6 days (1832 days)	Pisa
10 Jun 1423 – 26 Jul 1429	Clement VIII	Clemens Octavus	Gil Sánchez Muñoz y Carbón	1370 Teruel, Aragon	52 / 59 (†77)	6 years, 49 days (2241 days)	Avignon	Martin V
1424–1430	Benedict XIV	Benedictus Quartus Decimus	Bernard Garnier	1370 France	54 / 59 (†89)	6 years, 211 days (2403 days)	Claimed successor to Benedict XIII – aka "The hidden pope"
1430–1437	Benedict XIV	Benedictus Quartus Decimus	Jean Carrier	c. 1370 France	59 / 66	7 years, 242 days (2799 days)
5 Nov 1439 – 7 Apr 1449	Felix V	Fœlix	Duke Amadeus VIII of Savoy	4 September 1383 Chambéry, Savoy	56/65 (†67)	9 years, 153 days (3441)	Elected by the Council of Basel	Eugene IV
								Nicholas V

Quasi-cardinal-nephews

Main article: List of cardinal-nephews

Many antipopes created cardinals, known as quasi-cardinals, and a few created cardinal-nephews, known as quasi-cardinal-nephews.

Quasi-cardinal	Nephew of	Elevated	Notes
Giacomo Alberti	Antipope Nicholas V	15 May 1328	Excommunicated by Pope John XXII.[15]
Amedeo Saluzzo	Antipope Clement VII	23 Dec 1383	Abandoned Antipope Benedict XIII after having been deposed by him on 21 October 1408; participated in the Council of Pisa, the election of Pope Alexander V (now regarded as an antipope), the Council of Constance, and the conclave of Pope Martin V.[15]
Tommaso Brancaccio	Antipope John XXIII	6 Jun 1411	Attended the Council of Constance, and the conclave of Pope Martin V.[16]
Gil Sánchez Muñoz	Antipope Clement VIII	26 Jul 1429	Submitted to Pope Martin V after his uncle abdicated.[17]

Modern minor claimants

The concept of the antipope has continued into the modern day, with most current claimants being adherents to the Sedevacantist movement, a loose collection of traditionalist Catholics who consider the more liberal decisions made during the 1962-1965 Second Vatican Council to be heretical, rendering all subsequent popes illegitimate.^[18] However, the term "antipope" is rarely used in reference to these modern pretenders, likely due to their small followings and lack of influence in the mainstream Roman Catholic Church. Current claimants to the papacy include:

• Alejandro Greico ("Alexander IX"): In 2008, Greico was elected as the third pontiff of the Argentinian independent Catholic church called the Catholic Church of the Apostolic Remnant. While the church maintains an active online presence, its real-world existence has never been definitively confirmed, leading some to view it as an elaborate hoax.^[19]

• Douglas Kuzell ("Petrus Romanus"): Beginning around 2009, Canadian former Catholic priest Kuzell claimed to be final pope before the Second Coming of Christ, additionally claiming with his wife Theresa Jackson ("Mary Romanus") to be the Two Witnesses described in the Book of Revelation. They both lead a highly secretive sect called the Faithful Remnant, which is currently composed of around 20 members.^[20]

• Michel Lavallée ("Gregory XVIII"): In 2012, the Québécois Lavallée (under the name Mathurin de la Mère de Dieu) became the third pope of the Apostles of Infinite Love, an independent Catholic group headquartered in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada.^[21]

• Mathias Vigan ("Christophe XVIII"): In 2012, the Beninese former Catholic priest Vigan was declared pope by spiritual leader Vicentia Tchranvoukinni (under the name Daagbo), whom Vigan had exorcised several years prior and had gone on to found the Most Holy Church of Jesus Christ in Banamè, Benin.^[22]

• Mario Samuele Morcia ("Samuele"): Three days after the 2015 founding of the Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem in Gallinaro, Italy, Morcia was elected Supreme Pontiff by the independent Catholic church's congregation. The church was founded by adherents of the Bambinello di Gallinaro movement begun by Morcia's mother-in-law Giuseppina Norcia, who was renowned in the local community for claiming to receive visions throughout her life, until her death in 2008.^[23]

• Joseph Odermatt ("Peter III"): In 2016, Swiss national Odermatt became the fourth pope of the Palmarian Catholic Church, based in El Palmar de Troya, Andalusia, Spain.^[24]

• Tsietsi Daniel Makiti: Originating from South Africa, Makiti is the founder of the Gabola Church and declared himself pope in 2018. His church is unique in their belief that communion with God takes place through the consumption of alcohol.^[25]

• Rogelio del Rosario Martinez ("Michael II"): In 2023, Filipino independent Catholic bishop Martinez was elected pope by a small conclave held in Vienna, Austria, following the death of his mentor David Bawden ("Michael I").^[26]

Other minor and less public antipopes likely exist, including controversial spiritual leaders who may face such accusations from their detractors. The Filipino priest Rufino S. Magliba, head of the Crusaders Divine Church of Christ in San Fabian, Pangasinan, Philippines, has frequently been accused of being an antipope, but there are no reliable sources that he himself has ever made such claims.

Antipopes of Alexandria

The Patriarch of Alexandria, the historical center of Christianity in Egypt since the Roman Empire, has historically also held the title of pope, and as a result, a person who claims that title in direct opposition to a generally accepted pope of Alexandria may be considered an antipope. The title is simultaneously claimed by the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Coptic Catholic Church, and the Melkite Catholic Church (the latter two, while being in full communion with Rome, still maintain the position of Patriarch of Alexandria as a significant church leader).

In the modern day, with the rise of ecumenism and the recognition of Christianity's complicated history, these four men typically do not view one another as antipopes, but rather as successors to different lines of apostolic succession resulting from theological disputes in the fifth century. However, there have been certain instances where the official declaration of an antipope has been deemed necessary. For example, in 2006 former lector of the Coptic Orthodox Church Max Michel, who had previously formed the independent St. Athanasius Church, declared himself Archbishop of Egypt and the Middle East under the name Maximus I, effectively becoming an antipope of Alexandria. His claims to the Alexandrian papacy were formally dismissed in a joint statement by both the Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III and Pope Theodore II of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria.^[27]

On the other hand, some scholars are less willing to refer to such pretenders as "antipopes", as the term has historically been used in reference to those who claim to be the bishop of Rome, the apostolic successors to Saint Peter, while the patriarchate of Alexandria originated with Saint Mark.^[25]

In fiction

Antipopes have appeared as fictional characters. These may be either in historical fiction, as fictional portraits of well-known historical antipopes or as purely imaginary antipopes.

• Jean Raspail's novel l'Anneau du pêcheur ("The Fisherman's Ring").^[28]
• Gérard Bavoux's novel Le Porteur de lumière ("The Light-bringer").^[29]
• The fictional synth-pop artist Zladko Vladcik claims to be "The Anti-Pope" in one of his songs.^[30]
• Dan Simmons's novels Endymion and The Rise of Endymion feature the character of Father Paul Duré, who becomes Pope Teilhard I, but a few years later he is deposed and murdered by a secret group of high-ranking cardinals who disagree with his policies. They install a more tractable successor, and Duré is subsequently referred to by church leadership as the antipope. At the end of the last novel, it is mentioned that another person calling himself the pope of the Technocore loyal Catholics is recognized by very few even among that group, and he is also referred to as an antipope.
• In the Girl Genius comics series, set in a gaslamp fantasy version of Europe thrown into chaos by mad science (among other things), there is a brief reference to the existence of seven popes—all of whom apparently ordered a particular text burned.
• Ralph McInerny's novel The Red Hat features a schism between liberals and conservatives following the election of a conservative African Pope; the liberal faction elect an Italian cardinal who calls himself "Pius XIII".
• In the video game Crusader Kings II by Swedish developer Paradox Interactive, Catholic rulers may appoint one of their bishops as an antipope. An emperor-tier ruler such as the Holy Roman Emperor may declare war on the Papal States to install their antipope as the "true" pope, thereby vassalizing the papacy.
• In the video game Age of Empires II, the third scenario in the game's Barbarossa campaign is called "Pope and Antipope" and is based on the Siege of Crema and the subsequent Wars of the Guelphs and Ghibellines.
• In episode 3 of The Black Adder (set in the late 15th century), "The Archbishop", Baldrick remarks on selling counterfeit papal pardons, that one for the highest crimes requires the signatures of "both popes" (implying one pope and one antipope). At the end of the episode, the Mother Superior of the local convent informs Edmund that he has been excommunicated by "all three popes".
• The Last Fisherman by Randy England features an anti-pope John XXIV elected in opposition to Pope Brendan I.
• Bud McFarlane's Pierced by a Sword includes an anti-pope John XXIV who is elected when the assassination attempt on Pope Patrick (fictional successor to John Paul II) is believed to have succeeded. He commits suicide at the end of the book.
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina features an antipope who leads the Churches of Darkness. This antipope reigns in the Vatican Necropolis beneath Rome.
• In the TV series The New Pope, after the fictional Pius XIII is put in a coma, Pope Francis II is elected as a replacement. Francis II later dies and is replaced by John Paul III, the titular protagonist. Pius XIII later wakes up, creating a situation where both men have a claim on the Papacy.

See also

• Benevacantism
• List of papal elections
• Papal conclave
• Papal selection before 1059
• Sedevacantism
• Pretender