The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-08-05
SOME CHANGES
IN LIST OF POpES
As Now Reckoned Plus x Ia
the Two Hundred and
Fifty-Eighth.
WE'RE MANY lNTRUDERS
Famous Historian Who Has Beeu
Working on the Subject for Many
Years Makes Known Result
Of His investigations.

Rome correspondent Freeman Journal
The official "Gerarchia Cattolica," which
has only just been published for 1901 con.
tains one noteworthy change. Hitherto
the lists CT the Roman pontiffs from the
time of st. Peter down to our own times
have given the number OF pontiffS as 26l
including ST. Peter himself and Plus =.
1t was known that among these some were
certainly not genuine popes, but intruders
who occupied the papa chair for few
stormy months, etc. The famous histor-
ian, Mgr. Duchesne, who has been work.
Ing on the subject for many years, re-
Gently published the results of his inves-
legations, and the GerarChia incorporates
some of these results in Its latest issue.
Ten popes are eliminated from the list.
The first of these Is Anactetus. who has
been Identified with Pope Cletus, the sec
ond successor Of st. Peter. Tho second Is
st. Felix H., who acted as bishop of Rome
during the exile of Pope Liberius In the
middle of the fourth century After the
return of Llberius st. Felix retired and
was martyred shortly afterward Pope
Christopher was an anti-pope who occu.
pied the see Of Rome by violence SIX
months after having dethroned and i'm.
Drisonod the real pope, Leo ", in 9O3 Ha
was forced to abdicate and died In mon.
astery
The case OF Pope bonus II. is even more
been pope for u few months during the
year y73; as matter Of fact he never
existed. Bonifacs VII, who used to b,
on the list as reigning for seven months
In 9S4-sS5. did exist and was elected tire,
times. but all three elections were invalid
and he was as much usurper after thu
last Of them as after the first John XVI
was believed to have been pope for fou'
months during $50, but ne was an anti
pope and was never consccrated. The lasi
named four personages. 1t will be seen
belonged to the tenth century, which wa,
tho most embroiled and continues to bt
the most obscure in the history Of thu
papacy.
This sorely tried century closed with an
other antl-pope. John XVI, who usurped
the papal chair from April 9y7, to Feb.
ruary, 9Ss. John XIX. has been identified
with John XVIII. who began the eleventh
century. About the middle Of the SAINT
century one OF the counts of Tusculun
usurped the apostolic during nlni
months, but had the grace to rotlre. Ri
nally Alexander V. and John XIII. were
anti-popes of the great western schs1a
at the beginning of the fifteenth century.
Five Are Added to Liet.
On the other hand. however, i've popsi
have been added to the official list. Lee
VIII, owing to the confusion OF the his,
tory of the tenth century, was common:
regarded aH an anti-pope 1t Is now rec
ognized that he was q legitimate popa
who reigned for short time between
John XII. and Benedict V. But the mos
extraordinary fact brought out by tn,
latest studies centers round tho figure o.
Benedict TX. Tho story of the eleventh
century, during which he lived. Is almos
as confused as that of the preceding one
but there can DO little doubt that Bono
dict TX. was q bad pope-one of the yer,
few whom God has permitted to be sue
cessor to St. Peter, just as he pormItte,
Judas among the apostles. Indeed, 1
Is clear that this Benedict was tho wors
Of all the popes. He was first elected II
1893 and reigned until 1044, when he re
signed and was succeeded by Sylvester Ill
Sylvester adbtcated after pontifcate q
two years and eight months. and Benedlc
TX. was again elected. He abdlcated agail
after less than three months, and was sue
ceeded by Gregory vi. Gregory. 1t woult
appear, also abdicated, and Benedict wal
elected for the third time, but after
reign Of seven or eight months he retired
definitely and died some time afterwarS
! at the famous abbey Of Grotaferrata, thu
ninth centenary Of which we are celebrat
| ing this year. Thus Benedict TX. tgure
| three times in the new list of popes.
| The official list refrains from givina
| exact figures for the duration of the
reigns of the early popes. as there ars
not sufficient data to justify It, The mel
result Of the changes is that Plus x IN.
| stead Of being the 264th pope Is the 25Sth,