Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-29
NUMBER OF THE PoPEs.
AS Now Reckoned Plus z is the Two
Hundred and Fifty-Eighth.

Rome Corr. F-eeman's Journal
The official "Gerarchia Cattolica,'' which
has only just been Published for 1904. con-
ta;ns one noteworthy change. Hitherto the
lists of the Roman pOntiffs from the time
of st. Peter down to our own times have
given the number of pontiffs as 264, in
Guiding st. Peter himself and Plus X. 1t
was known that among these some were
certainly not genuine popes, but intruders
who occupied the papal chair for few
stormy months, etc. The famous historian,
Mgr. Duchesne, who has been working on
the subject for many years, recently pub
lished the results of his Investigators, and
the Gerarchia Incorporates some of these
results in its latest issue
Ten popeS are eliminated from the list.
The first of these is Anacfetus. who has
been identified with Pope Cletus, the sec
ond successor CT st. Peter. The 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 Liberius ST. Felix retired and
was martyred shortly afterward. Pope
Christopher was an antl-pope who occupied
the see of Rome by violence six months
after having dethroned and imprisoned the
real pope. Leo V, in DOB. He was forced to
abdicate and died In a monastery.
The case of Pope bonus II is even more
remarkable He was supposed to have been
pope for few months during the year
973: as matter of fact he never existed.
boniface VII, who used to be on the lit
as reigning for seven months, in $685.
did exist and was elected three times, ut
all three elections were invalid, and he
was as much a Csurper after the last of
them as after the first. John XVI was be-
ieved to have been pope for four months
during 998, but he was. an anti-pope and
was never consecrated The last-named
four persOnages. it will be seen, belonged
to the tenth century, which was the most
embroiled and continues to be the most
obscure in the history of the papacy
This soreiy tried century closed with an
other anti-pope. .ohn XVI. who usurped
the papal chair from April. 987. to Feb
with John XVIII who began the eleventh
century. About the middle Of the same
century one 1hesScounts of Tusculum
usurped the apostolic see during nine
months. but had thsf grace to retire. Fl
nally Alexander Vi. and John XIII were
anti-popes of the great western schism vt
the beginning OF the fifteenth century
On the other hand, however. five popes
have been added toothe oIiicial list. Leo
VIII. owing to the. cQpfusion of the history
OF the tenth century. was commonly re-
garded as an aRtirpQpe. 1t is now recog-
nized that he Was al legitimate pope. who
reigned for shert tlme between John XII
nary faet Brought o by the G latest ssadies
centers round the figure of Benedict IN.
The story of the. eleventh century. during
which he hvede is, almost as confused as
that of the preceding sone, but there can be
little doubt thats Bsnedict TX was a bad
pope-one of the yeQy few whom God has.
permitted to beaas successor to st. Peter,
just as he permitted Judas among the
apostles. Indeed II is clear that this Bene-;
dict was the worst of all the popes. He
was first elected In 1893 and reigned until
1044, when he resigned and was succeeded
by Sylvester III.
Sylvester abdicated after. g pontificate of
two years and eight months. and Benedict
TX was again elected He abdfcated again
after less than three months and was sue
ceeded by Gregory vi. Gregory, 1t would
appear. also abdicated. and Benedict was
elected for the third time, but after reign
OF seven or eight months he retired def
nitely and died some inle afterward at the
famous abbey of Grotaferrata. the ninth
centenary of which we are celebrating this
year. Thus Benedict TX figures three times
in the new list of pores
The official list refrafns from giving exact
figures for the duration of the reigns OF the
early popes. as there are not sufiicient
data to justify it,. The net result OF the
changes Is that Plus y instead Of being
the 264th pope, u the 26Sth.