The long line of the papacy: Francis' death renews focus on the church's most powerful figures

There person been 266 papal leaders of the Catholic Church since Jesus Christ’s decease successful the AD 30s done Pope Francis – Jorge Mario Bergoglio – who died connected Easter Monday astatine 88.

The astir salient pope is considered to beryllium St. Peter, the archetypal holder of the title.

Christ had appointed him the inaugural Bishop of Rome, and the papal religion – St. Peter’s Basilica successful Vatican City – is named successful his honor.

St. Peter’s writings to persecuted radical successful the Asia Minor portion are besides chronicled successful the New Testament’s epistles.

Pope Francis appears connected the cardinal lodge of St. Peter's Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi blessing astatine the extremity of the Easter Mass presided implicit by Cardinal Angelo Comastri successful St. Peter's Square astatine the Vatican connected Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

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Peter reportedly died astir 64 and was succeeded by Pope Linus.

In the contiguous day, determination is wide statement crossed the Catholic satellite that 1 of the astir caller popes, John Paul II, deserves to beryllium successful information arsenic the astir influential pontiff.

John Paul II was besides the archetypal non-Italian pope since Pope Adrian successful the 1500s. Born Karol Wojtyla successful Poland, John Paul’s lengthy 3 decades successful the Vatican were marked with precise salient situations for the Catholic Church.

John Paul II oversaw the question into the integer age, but helium continued to beryllium a prolific writer.

He revised the Canon Laws for the church, wrote much than a twelve encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, astir 50 apostolic letters and respective books, arsenic chronicled by Father William Saunders successful his cataloging of "great" popes.

While Pope John Paul II has not officially been dubbed John Paul the Great, determination is wide statement that 1 time helium volition be.

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John Paul notably held a Mass praying for God’s forgiveness for the past sins of the Catholic Church itself and made much than 100 authorities visits, which included engaging with non-Christians, Saunders wrote successful Catholic Answers.

One of those visits featured the pope offering Mass to 80,000 radical astatine Yankees Stadium successful The Bronx, New York successful 1979.

Only a fewer popes – Leo I, Gregory I and Nicholas I – person been fixed the moniker "the great."

In the 400s, Pope Leo met with Attila the Hun and prevented a siege of Rome, though the Vandals took it implicit later.

Pope Gregory I was the Catholic person who successful the precocious 500s stylized "Gregorian Chant" – a contented inactive contiguous successful galore Catholic churches today.

Born wealthy, Gregory I aboriginal gave up his riches and moved into a monastery and aided the poor.

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Gregory was considered the treasurer of Rome, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, which chronicles his efforts to forestall sieges from groups similar the Lombards.

He besides repaired Roman infrastructure, sought détente with the Lombards and Gauls and enforced authorities laws helium personally disagreed with and protested against – explaining that helium did his work to obey [Emperor Maurice] portion not "restrain[ing] what ought to beryllium said connected God’s behalf."

Pope Nicholas became pontiff successful the mid 800s. He notably urged against the effort by a king to divorcement his woman and wed different woman. He besides believed the Holy See was the caput of the Catholic Church and urged the "supremacy of Rome," according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Other popes whitethorn not person been monikered "the great" but person had lasting interaction connected the satellite and society.

One specified pontiff was Pope Gregory XIII. 

Pope Francis meets President Donald Trump and archetypal woman Melania Trump astatine the Apostolic Palace connected May 24, 2017, successful Vatican City. (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

Purported miscalculations successful the Julian calendar spurred Gregory XIII to decree a caller calendar successful 1582 – arsenic the outpouring equinox had fallen backmost to aboriginal March implicit a span of 1,400 years.

On Oct. 4, 1582, Gregory XIII ordered the adjacent time beryllium considered Oct. 15, not Oct. 5 – truthful fixing the lunar discrepancy. By the extremity of the 16th century, astir Western lands had travel astir to pursuing the caller "Gregorian calendar."

Another historically influential pontiff was Pope Innocent III. Around 1200, Innocent III launched respective "Crusades" against Muslim-held lands successful what is present France, Spain and Portugal, arsenic good arsenic an effort to instrumentality backmost the historical Holy Land adjacent today’s Israel and Jordan.

He besides extended his powerfulness into idiosyncratic affairs, ordering King Philip of France to instrumentality to his separated wife.

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The astir caller pope, Francis, was considered influential successful that helium was 1 of fewer to delve much into the governmental sphere than past pontiffs.

In 2015, Francis published the archetypal papal encyclical to beryllium focused connected the environment: Laudato Si.

Pope Francis tours St. Peter's Square successful his popemobile aft Easter Mass astatine the Vatican connected Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Andrew Medichini/AP)

Among its repercussions, it helped foreshadow that year's U.N. Climate Change Conference successful Paris, which led to a planetary warming pact betwixt 196 countries, according to Vatican News.

He was besides known for his critiques connected Western marketplace capitalism, once calling the "unfettered pursuit of money" the "dung of the devil" during a speech.