The Washington times., 1903-07-20
Long Line Of Successors to
St. Peter-CharacteristicS of
the Pontiffs Who Have Sat
on the. Papal Throne.
Interesting Statistics of the
Succession to the Papacy.
Reign Of PiusIX-Benedict
III Assumes Title OF Vicar.

copal mitre sixty-three consecutive
years. He was the sixth in line as to
length of reign and fourth as to per-
sonGl age. He was the senior bishop
of the whole Catholic world and also
the doyen of those who have held the
rank of cardinal. He had seen 140 cardi-
nails die since he began his reign, rec
ord nowhere approached by any of his
predecessors. and had created $50 mem
bers of the senate of the church.
The history of the Popes shows that
of the long lines 195 have been Italians;
Syrians. Z: Greeks. Is; Africans, ,;
? Spaniards. 4: French. Ia: Burgundians,
2: Germans, 6; Saxons, 2; Bavarians, A;
EGglish. 1. and Belgian. l. The ma
tionality of the others is not well estab-
lished.
Forty Popes are venerated as saints
and confessors and thirty-seven as
martyrs. making the entire number of
the beatiied seventy-seven. The first
thirty three Popes were martyred.
The religious orders supplied about
seventy Popes to the throne. The Bene-
dictines have given 30; the Carthusians.
2; the Carmelites, ,; the Dominicans. 4
and the Augustinians and Franciscans
many Numerous Popes were members
of royal and noble families. but many
poor men have reached the tiara also
St. Peter was fisherman. Adrian "
the only Englishman who held the
throne, was the son of a woman who
begged aims at the door of her parish
church. Urban w was. the son of a
poor Frenchman. The parents of Celes-
tine V were in very humble circum-
stances. So were those of Benedict II
an italian Dominican, and also those OF
Nicholas V. The father OF Adrian VI
was a ship carpenter. of Sixtus V farm
laborer, and of Plus V shepherd.
St. Peter reigned for twenty-five years.
and there used to be tradition told to
each new Pope. no matter how young he
was when he began. Thou shalt not see
the years of Peter" 1t was contained in
these Latin verses:
Sint licet assumpti juvenes ad Pontihca-
tum.
Petri amos potuit memo videre tamen.
But Leo's predecessor. Plus TX. broke
through this tradition by occupying the
Vatican for thirty-two years. the long
est Of all the reigns.
Gregory TX. 1876. died within a few
hours Of his election: stephanus II was
Pope for only three days; Urban VII for
twelve; Bonifaee VI for fifteen; Celes-
tine " for seventeen; sisinius. Theo-
dorus II, Damascus II. Plus III and Mar
cellus 1 for twenty: Valentinus for
thirty and Leo XI for twenty-five.
Short Regimes.
So many Popes died within the frs
year Of their pontifcate that their rec
ords would take up too much space here
Since the time OF st. Peter only nine
Popes have reigned more than twent,
years. No less than thirty-six OF the
Popes have died in the year or month o
their pontifcate corresponding with the
number attached to their names. Alex
ander I was made Pope while a mere
youth. He reigned eleven years. John Il
was twenty years old at his election anC
reigned four years and ten months. In
nocent III was thirty years old. Gregory
II was thirty-fve years old, Leo X and
Boniface TX were about thirty.
pope Hormidas. who was elected ir
524. was a widower when he entered
holy orders. He had son called Sill
verius. who succeeded him as Pope il
B27. sflverius was martyred. and botf
father and son are venerated as saints
Victor III had also been married befor,
ascending the throne. and so had CIem
ent w. He had two daughters, and
when his wife died he became a Car
thusian monk. There are two instances
in which brothers succeeded each other
The FIRST IS that OF Stephen III, elected
In 752. He reigned FIVE years. and wa
succeeded by his brother Paul I. The lat
ter was canonized. The other case &
thar of Benedict VIII. elected in 1O1
and succeeded twelve years after by hi
brother John Xxx. who was Pope fol
nearly ten years. Pope Eusebius ha,
been a physician. and Pope John Ky
was the author OF a medical book tell.
ing the poor how to treat their maladies
which was highly priced in its day an
translated into many languages.
Benedict III. S55. was the first Pop'
to assume the title Vicar of st. Peter.
In the thirteenth century. however, u II
was changed to the present style. "Vica
Of Christ" The usage Of kissing the
cross on the Pope's slipper. which still