Sede vacante
Vacancy of the Holy See -- List of sede vacante periods since 1799
Table:
Preceding Pope
Following Pope
Beginning
Ending
Duration[3]

Pius VI
Pius VII
29 August 1799
14 March 1800
197 days

Pius VII
Leo XII
20 August 1823
28 September 1823
39 days

Leo XII
Pius VIII
10 February 1829
31 March 1829
49 days

Pius VIII
Gregory XVI
30 November 1830
2 February 1831
63 days

Gregory XVI
Pius IX
1 June 1846
16 June 1846
15 days

Pius IX
Leo XIII
7 February 1878
20 February 1878
13 days

Leo XIII
Pius X
20 July 1903
4 August 1903
15 days

Pius X
Benedict XV
20 August 1914
3 September 1914
14 days

Benedict XV
Pius XI
22 January 1922
6 February 1922
15 days

Pius XI
Pius XII
10 February 1939
2 March 1939
20 days

Pius XII
John XXIII
9 October 1958
28 October 1958
19 days

John XXIII
Paul VI
3 June 1963
21 June 1963
18 days

Paul VI
John Paul I
6 August 1978
26 August 1978
20 days

John Paul I
John Paul II
28 September 1978
16 October 1978
18 days

John Paul II
Benedict XVI
2 April 2005
19 April 2005
17 days

Benedict XVI
Francis
28 February 2013
13 March 2013
13 days

Using the provided table along with the article excerpts listed at the end.

Respond to the question below: The former Bishop of Tivoli and of Imola took over the papacy from a pope who was born when ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Pope Pius VI ( 25 December 1717 - 29 August 1799 ) , born Count Giovanni Angelo Braschi , was head of the Roman Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in 1799 . Pius VI condemned the French Revolution and the suppression of the Gallican Church that resulted from it . French troops commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the papal troops and occupied the Papal States in 1796 . In 1798 , upon his refusal to renounce his temporal power , Pius was taken prisoner and transported to France . He died one year later in Valence . His reign of over two decades is the fourth-longest in papal history .
Pope Pius VII ( 14 August 1742 - 20 August 1823 ) , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti , [ a ] was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in 1823 . Chiaramonti was also a monk of the Order of Saint Benedict in addition to being a well-known theologian and bishop throughout his life . Chiaramonti was made Bishop of Tivoli in 1782 , and resigned that position upon his appointment as Bishop of Imola in 1785 . That same year , he was made a cardinal . In 1789 , the French Revolution took place , and as a result a series of anti-clerical governments came into power in the country . In 1796 , during the French Revolutionary Wars , French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Rome and took as prisoner Pope Pius VI . He was taken as prisoner to France , where he died in 1799 . The following year , after a sede vacante period lasting approximately six months , Chiaramonti was elected to the papacy , taking the name Pius VII . Pius at first attempted to take a cautious approach in dealing with Napoleon . With him he signed the Concordat of 1801 , through which he succeeded in guaranteeing religious freedom for Catholics living in France , and was present at his coronation as Emperor of the French in 1804 . In 1809 , however , during the Napoleonic Wars , Napoleon once again invaded the Papal States , resulting in his excommunication . Pius VII was taken prisoner and transported to France .
The papal conclave of 1799-1800 followed the death of Pope Pius VI on August 29 , 1799 , and led to the selection as pope of Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti , who took the name Pius VII , on March 14 , 1800 . This conclave was held in Venice and was the last to take place outside Rome . This period was marked by uncertainty for the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church following the invasion of the Papal States and abduction of Pius VI under the French Directory .
Pope Leo XII ( 2 August 1760 - 10 February 1829 ) , born Annibale Francesco Clemente Melchiorre Girolamo Nicola della Genga [ a ] ( pronunciation ( help·info ) ) , was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 28 September 1823 to his death in 1829 . Leo XII was in ill health from the time of his election to the papacy to his death less than 6 years later , although he was noted for enduring pain well . He was a deeply conservative ruler , who enforced many controversial laws , including one forbidding Jews to own property . Papal finances were also poor , even though he reduced taxes . As a result , Leo XII 's reign was unpopular and provoked widespread discontent within the Papal States .
The papal conclave of 1823 was convoked following the death of Pope Pius VII on 20 August 1823 . The conclave began on 2 September and ended 26 days later with the election of Cardinal Annibale Sermattei della Genga who became Pope Leo XII . Pius VII , who had been elected in 1800 , had reigned as Pope for what was considered a very long pontificate . During his reign as Pope , the Catholic Church had faced , in the French Revolution and its aftermath , a severe attack on its power and legitimacy . Pius himself had been a prisoner of Napoleon in France for six years .
Pope Pius VIII ( 20 November 1761 - 30 November 1830 ) , born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni , was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in 1830 . Pius VIII 's pontificate was the shortest of the 19th century , and is likely the least remembered . His brief papacy witnessed the Catholic Emancipation in Great Britain in 1829 , which he welcomed , and the July Revolution in France in 1830 , which he reluctantly accepted . Pius VIII is often remembered for his writings on marriages between Catholics and Protestants in the 1830 encyclical Litteris altero abhinc , in which he declared that a marriage could only be properly blessed if proper provisions had been made to ensure the bringing up of children in the Catholic faith . His death less than two years after his election to the papacy has led to speculation of a possible murder .
The papal conclave of 1829 to elect a successor to Pope Leo XII after his death on 10 February 1829 began on 24 February 1829 . It took a long time for the conclave to elect a new pope due to conflict between secular governments concerning who should be elected . Cardinal Emmanuele De Gregorio was the proposed candidate of the pro-French faction and the zelanti ( conservative cardinals ) , whilst Bartolomeo Pacca was proposed by the more moderate cardinals but was not accepted by the French government of the Bourbon Restoration period . At the time , France was governed by Charles X and Prime Minister Jean Baptiste Gay , vicomte de Martignac . Pacca was also seen by many in the conclave as being too gentle to be an effective Pope .
Pope Gregory XVI ( Latin : Gregorius XVI ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari ; 18 September 1765 - 1 June 1846 ) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1846 . He had adopted the name Mauro upon entering the religious order of the Camaldolese . Strongly conservative and traditionalist , he opposed democratic and modernising reforms in the Papal States and throughout Europe , seeing them as fronts for revolutionary leftism . [ citation needed ] Against these trends Gregory XVI sought to strengthen the religious and political authority of the papacy ( see ultramontanism ) . In the encyclical Mirari vos , he pronounced it false and absurd , or rather mad , that we must secure and guarantee to each one liberty of conscience . He encouraged missionary activity abroad and condemned the slave trade . However , his harsh repression , financial extravagance and neglectfulness left him deeply unpopular domestically . He is the most recent pope to take the pontifical name Gregory , and the most recent non-bishop to become pope .
The papal conclave of 1830-31 , was held commencing 14 December 1830 after the death of Pope Pius VIII . It did not conclude until the 2 February 1831 election of Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari as Pope Gregory XVI .
Pope Pius IX ( Italian : Pio IX , pronounced Pio nono ; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti ; [ a ] 13 May 1792 - 7 February 1878 ) was head of the Catholic Church from 16 June 1846 to his death on 7 February 1878 . He was the longest-reigning elected pope , serving for over 31 years . During his pontificate , Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council ( 1869-70 ) , which decreed papal infallibility , but the council was cut short owing to the loss of the Papal States . Europe , including the Italian peninsula , was in the midst of considerable political ferment when the bishop of Imola , Giovanni Maria Cardinal Mastai Ferretti , was elected pope . He took the name Pius , after his generous patron and the long-suffering prisoner of Napoleon , Pius VII . He had been elected by the faction of cardinals sympathetic to the political liberalization coursing across Europe , and his initial governance of the Papal States gives evidence of his own moderate sympathies . A series of terrorist acts sponsored by Italian liberals and nationalists , which included the assassination of ( among others ) his Minister of the Interior , Pellegrino Rossi , and which forced Pius himself to briefly flee Rome in 1848 , along with widespread revolutions in Europe , led to his growing skepticism towards the liberal , nationalist agenda . Through the 1850s and 1860s , Italian nationalists made military gains against the Papal States , which culminated in the seizure of the city of Rome in 1870 and the dissolution of the Papal States . Thereafter , Pius IX refused to accept the Law of Guarantees from the Italian government , which would have made the Holy See dependent on legislation that the Italian parliament could modify at any time . Pius refused to leave Vatican City , declaring himself a prisoner of the Vatican . His ecclesiastical policies towards other countries , such as Russia , Germany or France , were not always successful , owing in part to changing secular institutions and internal developments within these countries . However , concordats were concluded with numerous states such as Austria-Hungary , Portugal , Spain , Canada , Tuscany , Ecuador , Venezuela , Honduras , El Salvador , and Haiti .
The death of Pope Gregory XVI on 1 June 1846 triggered the papal conclave of 1846 . Fifty of the 62 members of the College of Cardinals assembled in the Quirinal Palace , one of the papal palaces in Rome and the seat of two earlier 19th century conclaves . The conclave began on 14 June and had to elect a pope who would not only be head of the Catholic Church but also the head of state and government of the Papal States , the extensive lands around Rome and Northern Italy which the Catholic Church governed .
Pope Leo XIII ( Italian : Leone XIII ; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci [ a ] ; 2 March 1810 - 20 July 1903 ) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death . He was the oldest pope ( reigning until the age of 93 ) , and had the third-longest confirmed pontificate , behind those of Pius IX ( his immediate predecessor ) and John Paul II . He is well known for his intellectualism and his attempts to define the position of the Catholic Church with regard to modern thinking . In his famous 1891 encyclical Rerum novarum , Pope Leo outlined the rights of workers to a fair wage , safe working conditions , and the formation of trade unions , while affirming the rights of property and free enterprise , opposing both socialism and laissez-faire capitalism . He influenced Mariology of the Catholic Church and promoted both the rosary and the scapular . Leo XIII issued a record of eleven papal encyclicals on the rosary earning him the title as the Rosary Pope . In addition , he approved two new Marian scapulars and was the first pope to fully embrace the concept of Mary as Mediatrix . He was the first pope to have never held any control over the Papal States , after they had been dissolved by 1870 . He was briefly buried in the grottos of Saint Peter 's Basilica before his remains were later transferred to the Basilica of Saint John Lateran .
The papal conclave of 1878 , which resulted from the death of Pope Pius IX on 7 February 1878 , met from 18 to 20 February . The conclave followed the longest reign of any other pope since Saint Peter . It was the first election of a pope who would not rule the Papal States . It was the first to meet in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican because the venue used earlier in the 19th century , the Quirinal Palace , was now the palace of the King of Italy , Umberto I .
Pope Pius X ( Italian : Pio X ; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto [ a ] ; 2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914 ) was head of the Catholic Church from August 1903 to his death in 1914 . Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine , promoting liturgical reforms and orthodox theology . He directed the production of the 1917 Code of Canon Law , the first comprehensive and systemic work of its kind . Pius X was devoted to the Marian title of Our Lady of Confidence ; while his papal encyclical Ad diem illum took on a sense of renewal that was reflected in the motto of his pontificate . He advanced the Liturgical Movement as the only pope to favor the use of the vernacular language in teaching catechesis , he encouraged the frequent reception of holy communion , and he lowered the age for First Communion , which became a lasting innovation of his papacy . In addition , he strongly defended the Catholic religion against indifferentism and relativism . Like his predecessors , he promoted Thomism as the principal philosophical method to be taught in Catholic institutions . As Roman pontiff , he vehemently opposed modernism and various nineteenth-century philosophies , which he viewed as an import of secular errors incompatible with Catholic dogma . Pius X was known for his overall firm demeanor and sense of personal poverty . He frequently gave homily sermons in the pulpit every week , a rare practice at the time . [ b ] After the 1908 Messina earthquake he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees , long before the Italian government acted . He rejected any kind of favours for his family , to which his close relatives chose to remain in poverty living near Rome .
The papal conclave of 1903 followed the death of Pope Leo XIII after a reign of 25 years . Some 62 cardinals participated in the balloting . Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria asserted the right claimed by certain Catholic rulers to veto a candidate for the papacy , blocking the election of the leading candidate , Cardinal Secretary of State Mariano Rampolla . On the morning of the fifth day , on its seventh ballot , the conclave elected Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto , who took the name Pius X .
Pope Benedict XV ( Latin : Benedictus XV ; Italian : Benedetto XV ) , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa [ b ] ( Italian : [ ˈdʒa : komo ˈpa : olo dʒoˈvanni batˈtista della ˈkjɛ : za ] ; 21 November 1854 - 22 January 1922 ) , was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in 1922 . His pontificate was largely overshadowed by World War I and its political , social , and humanitarian consequences in Europe . Between 1846 and 1903 , the Catholic Church had experienced two of its longest pontificates in history up to that point . Together Pius IX and Leo XIII ruled for a total of 57 years . In 1914 , the College of Cardinals chose della Chiesa at the relatively young age of 59 at the outbreak of World War I , which he labeled the suicide of civilized Europe . The war and its consequences were the main focus of Benedict XV . He immediately declared the neutrality of the Holy See and attempted from that perspective to mediate peace in 1916 and 1917 . Both sides rejected his initiatives . German Protestants rejected any Papal Peace as insulting . The French politician Georges Clemenceau regarded the Vatican initiative as being anti-French . Having failed with diplomatic initiatives , Benedict XV focused on humanitarian efforts to lessen the impacts of the war , such as attending prisoners of war , the exchange of wounded soldiers and food deliveries to needy populations in Europe . After the war , he repaired the difficult relations with France , which re-established relations with the Vatican in 1921 .
The papal conclave of 1914 was held to choose a successor to Pope Pius X , who had died in the Vatican on 20 August 1914 .
Pope Pius XI ( Italian : Pio XI ) , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti [ a ] ( Italian : [ amˈbrɔ : dʒo daˈmja : no aˈkille ˈratti ] ; 31 May 1857 - 10 February 1939 ) , was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in 1939 . He was the first sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 . He took as his papal motto , Pax Christi in Regno Christi , translated The Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ . Pius XI issued numerous encyclicals , including Quadragesimo anno on the 40th anniversary of Pope Leo XIII 's groundbreaking social encyclical Rerum novarum , highlighting the capitalistic greed of international finance , the dangers of socialism/communism , and social justice issues , and Quas primas , establishing the feast of Christ the King in response to anti-clericalism . The encyclical Studiorum ducem , promulgated 29 June 1923 , was written on the occasion of the 6th centenary of the canonization of Thomas Aquinas , whose thought is acclaimed as central to Catholic philosophy and theology . The encyclical also singles out the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas , Angelicum as the preeminent institution for the teaching of Aquinas : ante omnia Pontificium Collegium Angelicum , ubi Thomam tamquam domi suae habitare dixeris ( before all others the Pontifical Angelicum College , where Thomas can be said to dwell ) . To establish or maintain the position of the Catholic Church , Pius XI concluded a record number of concordats , including the Reichskonkordat with Nazi Germany , whose betrayals of which he condemned four years later in the encyclical Mit brennender Sorge ( With Burning Concern ) . During his pontificate , the longstanding hostility with the Italian government over the status of the papacy and the Church in Italy was successfully resolved in the Lateran Treaty of 1929 . He was unable to stop the persecution of the Church and the killing of clergy in Mexico , Spain and the Soviet Union . He canonized important saints , including Thomas More , Peter Canisius , Bernadette of Lourdes and Don Bosco . He beatified and canonized Thérèse de Lisieux , for whom he held special reverence , and gave equivalent canonization to Albertus Magnus , naming him a Doctor of the Church due to the spiritual power of his writings . He took a strong interest in fostering the participation of lay people throughout the Catholic Church , especially in the Catholic Action movement .
The papal conclave of 1922 , was held following Pope Benedict XV 's death from pneumonia on 22 January 1922 after a reign of eight years . 53 of the 60 cardinals assembled in the Sistine Chapel eleven days later on 2 February to elect his successor . They chose Cardinal Achille Ratti on the fourteenth ballot , held on the fifth day of the conclave . He took the name Pius XI . The new pope immediately revived the traditional public blessing from the balcony , Urbi et Orbi ( to the city and to the world ) , which his predecessors had eschewed since the loss of Rome to the Italian state in 1870 . The four non-European cardinals did not participate in the conclave . Three of them arrived too late and one did not attempt the journey . Three weeks after his election , Pope Pius XI issued rules extending the time between the death of a pope and the start of the conclave in order to increase the likelihood that cardinals from distant locations could participate in the next conclave .
Pope Pius XII ( Italian : Pio XII ) , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli ( Italian pronunciation : [ euˈdʒɛːnjo maˈriːa dʒuˈzɛppe dʒoˈvanni paˈtʃɛlli ] ; 2 March 1876 - 9 October 1958 ) , was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 to 1958 when he died . Before his election to the papacy , he served as secretary of the Department of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs , papal nuncio to Germany , and Cardinal Secretary of State , in which capacity he worked to conclude treaties with European and Latin American nations , such as the Reichskonkordat with Nazi Germany . While the Vatican was officially neutral during World War II , the Reichskonkordat and his leadership of the Catholic Church during the war remain the subject of controversy - including allegations of public silence and inaction about the fate of the Jews . After the war , he advocated peace and reconciliation , including lenient policies towards former Axis and Axis-satellite nations . During his papacy , the Church issued the Decree against Communism , declaring that Catholics who profess Communist doctrine are to be excommunicated as apostates from the Christian faith . In turn , the Church experienced severe persecution and mass deportations of Catholic clergy in the Eastern Bloc . He explicitly invoked ex cathedra papal infallibility with the dogma of the Assumption of Mary in his Apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus . His magisterium includes almost 1,000 addresses and radio broadcasts . His forty-one encyclicals include Mystici corporis , the Church as the Body of Christ ; Mediator Dei on liturgy reform ; and Humani generis , in which he instructed theologians to adhere to episcopal teaching and allowed that the human body might have evolved from earlier forms . He eliminated the Italian majority in the College of Cardinals in 1946 . After he died in 1958 , Pope Pius XII was succeeded by John XXIII . In the process toward sainthood , his cause for canonization was opened on 18 November 1965 by Paul VI during the final session of the Second Vatican Council .
Following the death of Pope Pius XI on 10 February 1939 , all 62 cardinals of the Catholic Church met in the papal conclave of 1939 on 1 March . The next day , on the third ballot , they elected Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli , who was Camerlengo and Secretary of State , as pope . He accepted and took the name Pius XII . It was his 63rd birthday . The conclave of 1939 was the shortest of the 20th century . Pacelli was the first member of the Roman Curia to become pope since Gregory XVI ( 1831 ) and the first Roman since Innocent XIII ( 1731 ) .
Pope John XXIII ( Latin : Ioannes ; Italian : Giovanni ; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , Italian pronunciation : [ ˈandʒelo dʒuˈzɛppe roŋˈkalli ] ; 25 November 1881 - 3 June 1963 ) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 to his death in 1963 ; he was canonized on 27 April 2014 . Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was one of thirteen children born to a family of sharecroppers who lived in a village in Lombardy . He was ordained to the priesthood on 10 August 1904 and served in a number of posts , as nuncio in France and a delegate to Bulgaria , Greece and Turkey . In a consistory on 12 January 1953 Pope Pius XII made Roncalli a cardinal as the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Prisca in addition to naming him as the Patriarch of Venice . Roncalli was unexpectedly elected pope on 28 October 1958 at age 76 after 11 ballots . Pope John XXIII surprised those who expected him to be a caretaker pope by calling the historic Second Vatican Council ( 1962-1965 ) , the first session opening on 11 October 1962 . John XXIII made many passionate speeches during his pontificate . His views on equality were summed up in his statement , We were all made in God 's image , and thus , we are all Godly alike . He made a major impact on the Catholic Church , opening it up to dramatic unexpected changes promulgated at the Vatican Council and by his own dealings with other churches and nations . In Italian politics , he prohibited bishops from interfering with local elections , and he helped the Christian Democratic Party to ease tensions with some of the social democrats who were consistently excluded from participation in government at the insistence of the United States and consequently had their dissent silenced by force . In international affairs , his Ostpolitik engaged in dialogue with the Soviet-aligned countries of Eastern Europe . He especially reached out to the Eastern Orthodox churches .
Following the death of Pope Pius XII on 9 October 1958 , the papal conclave of 1958 met from 25 to 28 October and on the eleventh ballot elected Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , Patriarch of Venice , to succeed him . He accepted the election and took the name John XXIII . He was the second Patriarch of Venice to be elected Pontiff in the 20th century after Pope Pius X . Some 51 of the 53 cardinals participated as cardinal electors . The Communist governments of Hungary and Yugoslavia prevented the other two from traveling to Rome . In comparison with the conclave of 1922 , when three cardinals failed to reach Rome in time for the start of the conclave that opened on the tenth day following the pope 's death as required , or that of 1939 , when three cardinals reached Rome on the morning the conclave opened under new rules 18 days after the pope 's death , all the cardinals who made the trip reached Rome by 22 October with days to spare before the conclave began 16 days after Pius ' death . [ a ] For the first time the speed of travel matched the internationalization of the College of Cardinals , thanks to the advancement in air travel . As one newspaper put it , the Archbishop of New York can reach Rome today faster than the Archbishop of Palermo did a generation ago . This conclave included cardinals from 21 countries , compared to 16 at the previous conclave , and 21 non-Europeans compared to seven . The 17 Italians out of 51 represented their lowest percentage since 1455 .
Pope Paul VI ( Latin : Paulus VI ; Italian : Paolo VI ; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini ( Italian pronunciation : [ dʒoˈvanːi baˈtːista enˈriːko anˈtɔːnjo maˈriːa monˈtiːni ] ) ; 26 September 1897 - 6 August 1978 ) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in 1978 . Succeeding John XXIII , he continued the Second Vatican Council which he closed in 1965 , implementing its numerous reforms , and fostered improved ecumenical relations with Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches , which resulted in many historic meetings and agreements . Montini served in the Holy See 's Secretariat of State from 1922 to 1954 . While in the Secretariat of State , Montini and Domenico Tardini were considered as the closest and most influential advisors of Pius XII , who in 1954 named him Archbishop of Milan , the largest Italian diocese . Montini later became the Secretary of the Italian Bishops ' Conference . John XXIII elevated him to the College of Cardinals in 1958 , and after the death of John XXIII , Montini was considered one of his most likely successors . Upon his election to the papacy , Montini took the name Paul VI . He re-convened the Second Vatican Council , which had automatically closed with the death of John XXIII . After the Council had concluded its work , Paul VI took charge of the interpretation and implementation of its mandates , often walking a thin line between the conflicting expectations of various groups within Catholicism . The magnitude and depth of the reforms affecting all fields of Church life during his pontificate exceeded similar reform programmes of his predecessors and successors . Paul VI spoke repeatedly to Marian conventions and mariological meetings , visited Marian shrines and issued three Marian encyclicals . Following Ambrose of Milan , he named Mary as the Mother of the Church during the Second Vatican Council .
The papal conclave of 1963 was convoked following the death of Pope John XXIII on 3 June that year in the Apostolic Palace . After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome , the conclave to elect John 's successor began on 19 June and ended two days later , on 21 June , after six ballots . The cardinals elected Giovanni Battista Montini , Archbishop of Milan . He accepted the election and took the name Paul VI .
Pope John Paul I ( Latin : Ioannes Paulus I ; Italian : Giovanni Paolo I ; born Albino Luciani [ alˈbiːno luˈtʃaːni ] ; 17 October 1912 - 28 September 1978 ) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City from 26 August 1978 to his death 33 days later . He was the first pope to have been born in the 20th century . His reign is among the shortest in papal history , resulting in the most recent year of three popes , the first to occur since 1605 . John Paul I remains the most recent Italian-born pope , the last in a succession of such popes that started with Clement VII in 1523 . He was declared a Servant of God by his successor , John Paul II , on 23 November 2003 , the first step on the road to sainthood . Pope Francis confirmed his heroic virtue on 8 November 2017 and named him as Venerable . Before the papal conclave that elected him , he expressed his desire not to be elected , telling those close to him that he would decline the papacy if elected , but , upon the cardinals ' electing him , he felt an obligation to say yes . He was the first pontiff to have a double name , choosing John Paul in honour of his two immediate predecessors , John XXIII and Paul VI . He explained that he was indebted to John XXIII and to Paul VI for naming him a bishop and a cardinal , respectively . Furthermore , he was the first pope to add the regnal number I , designating himself the First . His two immediate successors , John Paul II and Benedict XVI , later recalled the warm qualities of the late pontiff in several addresses . In Italy , he is remembered with the appellatives of Il Papa del Sorriso ( The Smiling Pope ) and Il Sorriso di Dio ( The smile of God ) .
The papal conclave of August 1978 , the first of the two conclaves held that year , was convoked after the death of Pope Paul VI on 6 August 1978 at Castel Gandolfo . After the cardinal electors assembled in Rome , they elected Cardinal Albino Luciani , Patriarch of Venice , as the new pope on the fourth ballot . He accepted the election and took the name of John Paul . It was the first conclave since the promulgation of Ingravescentem aetatem ( 1970 ) , which made cardinals who had reached the age of 80 by the day the conclave began ineligible to participate in the balloting . There were 15 cardinals excluded by that rule . The number of votes cast for Luciani on the final ballot was so great that even the uniform opposition of these cardinals would not have changed the outcome .
Pope John Paul II ( Latin : Ioannes Paulus II ; Italian : Giovanni Paolo II ; Polish : Jan Paweł II ; born Karol Józef Wojtyła [ ˈkarɔl ˈjuzɛv vɔjˈtɨwa ] ; [ a ] 18 May 1920 - 2 April 2005 ) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 to 2005 . He was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978 , which was called after Pope John Paul I , who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI , died after 33 days . Cardinal Wojtyła was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him . John Paul II is recognised as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe . John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church 's relations with Judaism , Islam , and the Eastern Orthodox Church . He upheld the Church 's teachings on such matters as the right to life , artificial contraception , the ordination of women , and a celibate clergy , and although he supported the reforms of the Second Vatican Council , he was seen as generally conservative in their interpretation . He was one of the most travelled world leaders in history , visiting 129 countries during his pontificate . As part of his special emphasis on the universal call to holiness , he beatified 1,340 and canonised 483 people , more than the combined tally of his predecessors during the preceding five centuries . By the time of his death , he had named most of the College of Cardinals , consecrated or co-consecrated a large number of the world 's bishops , and ordained many priests . John Paul II was the second longest-serving pope in modern history after Pope Pius IX . Born in Poland , John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since the 16th-century Pope Adrian VI . John Paul II 's cause for canonisation commenced one month after his death with the traditional five-year waiting period waived .
The papal conclave of October 1978 was triggered by the death of Pope John Paul I on 28 September just 33 days after his election on 26 August . The conclave to elect John Paul I 's successor began on 14 October and ended two days later on 16 October , after eight ballots . The cardinal electors elected Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła , Archbishop of Kraków , as the new pope . Resulting in the most recent Year of Three Popes , he accepted his election and took the pontifical name of John Paul II .
Pope Benedict XVI ( Latin : Benedictus XVI ; Italian : Benedetto XVI ; German : Benedikt XVI ; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger ; German pronunciation : [ ˈjoːzɛf ˈalɔʏzi̯ʊs ˈʁatsɪŋɐ ] ; 16 April 1927 ) is a retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as head of the Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2005 until his resignation in 2013 . Benedict 's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II . Benedict chose to be known by the title pope emeritus upon his resignation . Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria , Ratzinger had established himself as a highly regarded university theologian by the late 1950s and was appointed a full professor in 1958 . After a long career as an academic and professor of theology at several German universities , he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and Cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977 , an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience . In 1981 , he was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , one of the most important dicasteries of the Roman Curia . From 2002 until his election as pope , he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals . Prior to becoming pope , he was a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century ; he had an influence second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions as one of John Paul II 's closest confidants . He has lived in Rome since 1981 . His prolific writings generally defend traditional Catholic doctrine and values . He was originally a liberal theologian , but adopted conservative views after 1968 . During his papacy , Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increased secularisation of many Western countries .
The papal conclave of 2005 was convened to elect a new pope following the death of Pope John Paul II on 2 April 2005 . After his death , the cardinals of the Catholic Church who were in Rome met and set a date for the beginning of the conclave to elect his successor . Of the 117 eligible members of the College of Cardinals , those younger than 80 years of age at the time of the death of Pope John Paul II , all but two attended . After several days of private meetings attended by both cardinal electors and non-voting cardinals , the conclave began on 18 April 2005 . It ended the following day after four ballots with the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger , Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith . After accepting his election , he took the pontifical name of Benedict XVI .
Pope Francis ( Latin : Franciscus ; Italian : Francesco ; Spanish : Francisco ; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio ; [ b ] 17 December 1936 ) is the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State . Francis is the first Jesuit pope , the first from the Americas , the first from the Southern Hemisphere , and the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III , who reigned in the 8th century . Born in Buenos Aires , Argentina , Bergoglio was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 , and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina 's provincial superior of the Society of Jesus ( Jesuits ) . He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II . He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina . The administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him a political rival . Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013 , a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on 13 March . He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi . Throughout his public life , Pope Francis has been noted for his humility , emphasis on God 's mercy , international visibility as pope , concern for the poor and commitment to interfaith dialogue . He is credited with having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors , for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes . He maintains that the Church should be more open and welcoming . He does not support unbridled capitalism , Marxism , or Marxist versions of liberation theology .
The papal conclave of 2013 was convened to elect a pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI following his resignation on 28 February 2013 . After the 115 participating cardinal-electors gathered , they set 12 March 2013 as the beginning of the conclave . On the fifth ballot , the conclave elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio , SJ , Archbishop of Buenos Aires . He took the pontifical name of Francis .