Antipope

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

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).

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.

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, but with the annotation: "Considered by some to be an antipope". Other sources classify him as an antipope.

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", an opinion historian Salvador Miranda also shares.

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

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.

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. 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. Professor Magnus Lundberg of the University of Uppsala coined the term "Alternative Popes" to refer to these modern minor Popes.

Modern Popes include:

Other minor and less public antipopes 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. Similarly, during the schism that happened in the Armenian Catholic Church during 1873, an election was held which voted Jacob Pahtiarian into the position of Patriarch of the Patriarchate of Cilicia, which was in opposition to the Pope-appointed Patriarch, Andon Bedros IX Hassoun. Pahtiarian was referred by some as an "anti-Patriarch".

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.

Papal conspiracy theories

Some sedevacantist conspiracy theorists consider the incumbent Pope to be the antipope, as, for various reasons, they believe that the incumbent Pope is illegitimate. For supporters of the Giuseppe Siri conspiracy theory, which holds that white smoke seen on the first day of the conclave was announcing the selection of Giuseppe Siri as Pope Gregory XVII until he was forced to stand down, the Pope that was elected in Siri's place, John XXIII, was an antipope as Siri was still the lawfully elected Pope. Similarly, for supports of Benevacantism, (the belief that Pope Benedict XVI did not validly resign), Pope Francis would be considered an antipope. A similar fringe theory, "Catholic survivantism" states that Pope Paul VI (born 1897) is still alive, and thus all successive Popes are antipopes. Believers of this theory also believe that the "Paul VI" that died in 1978 was an actor, and the real Paul VI is being held in prison.

For conclavists, the argument that the current Pope is illegitimate or an antipope (either wholly or sedeprivationally) is important as it lends their own claims and conclaves legitimacy. The most common conclavist claim is that Pius XII was the last true Pope, and that all subsequent Popes are antipopes, however some place the date even earlier, with the Papacy ending with John XXIII. All these claims center around the reforms of Vatican II or the publication of the revised Roman Rite, however.

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").
• Gérard Bavoux's novel Le Porteur de lumière ("The Light-bringer").
• The fictional synth-pop artist Zladko Vladcik claims to be "The Anti-Pope" in one of his songs.
• 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.

References

References

1. (30 May 2023). "Antipope".
2. Of Pope Leo VIII, the ''[[Annuario Pontificio]]'', the [[Holy See]]'s yearbook, says: "At this point, as again in the mid-eleventh century, we come across elections in which problems of harmonizing 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" (note 19 to the list of popes in the ''Annuario Pontificio''). Of Pope Benedict V it says: "If Pope Leo VIII was lawful Pope, [...] Benedict V is an antipope" (note 20 to the list of popes).
3. (3 January 2020). "Saint Hippolytus of Rome".
4. Dal Covolo, Enrico. (September 1997). "The catacombs the destination of the great jubilee". Tertium Millennium.
5. ''[[Church History (Eusebius). Historia Ecclesiastica]]'', V, 28
6. (2013). "The Treatise on the Apostolic Tradition of St Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop and Martyr". Routledge.
7. [[s:Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century/Dictionary/Z/Zephyrinus. Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature: Zephyrinus]]
8. (1911). "Monarchians". Robert Appleton.
9. "Pope Martin V".
10. (2012). "Annuario Pontificio". Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
11. "List of Popes".
12. Previté-Orton, Charles William. (1952). "The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History". Cambridge University Press.
13. (2010). "Celestine (d. 1124)". [[Oxford University Press]].
14. Boccapecora Miranda, Salvatore. (2018). "Boccapecora, Teobaldo". Florida International University.
15. Miranda, Salvador. (1998). "14th Century (1303–1404)". Florida International University.
16. Miranda, Salvador. (1998). "Antipope] John XXIII (1410–1415): Consistory of 6 June 1411 (I)". Florida International University.
17. Miranda, Salvador. (1998). "15th Century (1404–1503)". Florida International University.
18. Appleby, R. Scott. (1995). "Being Right: Conservative Catholics in America". [[Indiana University Press]].
19. "The Alternative Pope Project".
20. "Modern Alternative Popes 2: Apostles of Infinite Love, France".
21. Lundberg, Magnus. (2015). "Palmar de Troya: Holy Catholic Apostolic Palmarian Church".
22. (2018). "Giuseppe Maria Abbate: The Italian-American Celestial Messenger". Department of Theology, Uppsala University.
23. (2025). "A Polish-American Pope: Adam Oraczewsk -Adam II". Department of Theology, Uppsala University.
24. (2020-07-01). "Baby Jesus and the Universal Christian Church of the New Jerusalem in Gallinaro, Italy".
25. "Eduardo Dávila – Pope Eduardo I".
26. "Pope Tsietsi Makiti and the Gabola Church".
27. "New Research Report on Valdir Ros – Pedro II: The Pope of Nova Iguaçu, Brazil".
28. "Common Statement Between The Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa Regarding Max Michel".
29. (22–29 March 1873). "Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Pope Pius IX. The Affairs of the Armenian Church.". [[The Tablet]].
30. "Modern Alternative Popes 15: The Cardinal Siri Thesis".
31. Heschmeyer, Joe. "A Response to Patrick Coffin's "Seven Pieces of Evidence That Francis Is an Antipope"".
32. Heschmeyer, Joe. "Was Benedict XVI the True Pope the Whole Time?".
33. "Modern Alternative Popes 1: Introduction".
34. Jean Raspail, ''L'Anneau du pêcheur'', Paris: Albin Michel, 1994. 403 p. {{ISBN. 2-226-07590-9
35. Gérard Bavoux, ''Le Porteur de lumière'', Paris: Pygmalion, 1996. p. 329 {{ISBN. 2-85704-488-7
36. (21 January 2007). "Zladko Vladcik – I am the Antipope".