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Summary
- Leo XIV, elected on 8 May 2025, is the 267th pope in the Holy See’s list; Francis was the 266th.
- The list counts Benedict IX three times, so 265 different men have been pope.
- Pius IX reigned longest, from 1846 to 1878 (31 years and 7 months); Urban VII reigned 13 days in 1590.
- John is the most used papal name, with 21 popes; Leo XIV is the fourteenth Leo.
- 203 of the 267 entries in the list give a birthplace in present-day Italy; Francis was the first pope from the Americas and Leo XIV is the first from the United States.
- As of 18 October 2026 there are 240 cardinals, 116 of them under 80 and able to vote in a conclave.
- The Catholic Church counted just over 1.422 billion members at the end of 2024 (Annuario Pontificio 2026).
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture: no passage is quoted on this page.
- The Holy See, Supreme Pontiffs (the list of popes with numbers, dates and birthplaces), vatican.va, read 18 October 2026.
- The Holy See, Biography of the Holy Father Leo XIV, vatican.va.
- Leo XIV, Address to the College of Cardinals, 10 May 2025, vatican.va.
- The Holy See, biographies of Francis, vatican.va; Benedict XVI, vatican.va; and John Paul II, vatican.va.
- Holy See Press Office, declaration on the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, 31 December 2022, press.vatican.va.
- John Paul II, Universi Dominici Gregis, apostolic constitution on the election of the Roman Pontiff, 22 February 1996, vatican.va.
- Code of Canon Law, canons 330–367 (canon 332 on resignation), vatican.va.
- Vatican News, Conclave: How a Pope is elected, May 2025, vaticannews.va; and Pope Leo XIV to Cardinals (first Mass, 9 May 2025), vaticannews.va.
- Vatican News, New data of Annuario Pontificio 2026 shows Catholics growing in Africa, March 2026 (figures to the end of 2024), vaticannews.va.
- GCatholic, College of Cardinals, as of 18 October 2026, gcatholic.org.
- Francis, homilies at the canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II (27 April 2014), vatican.va, and of Paul VI (14 October 2018), vatican.va.
- Pew Research Center, Geography of the Conclave, 8 March 2013, pewresearch.org.
- Francesca Pollio Fenton, Papal names: What are the most and least popular?, CNA / EWTN News, 7 May 2025, ewtnnews.com.
- Larry Peterson, How many popes are canonized saints?, Aleteia, published 7 August 2018 and updated 29 May 2026, aleteia.org.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia (1907–1912), New Advent edition: List of Popes, Antipope, John XII, Benedict IX, Celestine III, Clement X, Urban VII, Pius IX, Pontian, Celestine V and Gregory XII.
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