The Popes

Of the 266 Popes who have governed the Catholic Church for nearly 2,000 years, 78 have been canonized -- which means we can be certain they are Saints in Heaven.

The first 35 Popes -- starting with St. Peter (32-67 AD), the first Pope and the chief of the 12 Apostles -- were all canonized. Many of these were martyrs who reigned during periods of terrible persecution, when to be elected Pope was frequently tantamount to receiving a death sentence.

Another 10 Popes are numbered among the Blessed.

I was asked once who I thought the best Pope was of the 20th century. It was no contest: St. Pius X (1903-14), I said, because he was the first Pope canonized in 500 years.

Here's to hoping that Pope Benedict XVI will be the next one.

* St. Peter (32-67)
* St. Linus (67-76)
* St. Anacletus (Cletus) (76-88)
* St. Clement I (88-97)
* St. Evaristus (97-105)
* St. Alexander I (105-115)
* St. Sixtus I (Xystus I) (115-125)
* St. Telesphorus (125-136)
* St. Hyginus (136-140)
* St. Pius I (140-155)
* St. Anicetus (155-166)
* St. Soter (166-175)
* St. Eleutherius (175-189)
* St. Victor I (189-199)
* St. Zephyrinus (199-217)
* St. Callistus I (217-22)
* St. Urban I (222-30)
* St. Pontain (230-35)
* St. Anterus (235-36)
* St. Fabian (236-50)
* St. Cornelius (251-53)
* St. Lucius I (253-54)
* St. Stephen I (254-257)
* St. Sixtus II (257-258)
* St. Dionysius (260-268)
* St. Felix I (269-274)
* St. Eutychian (275-283)
* St. Caius (Gaius) (283-296)
* St. Marcellinus (296-304)
* St. Marcellus I (308-309)
* St. Eusebius (309 or 310)
* St. Miltiades (311-14)
* St. Sylvester I (314-35)
* St. Marcus (336)
* St. Julius I (337-52)
* Liberius (352-66)
* St. Damasus I (366-83)
* St. Siricius (384-99)
* St. Anastasius I (399-401)
* St. Innocent I (401-17)
* St. Zosimus (417-18)
* St. Boniface I (418-22)
* St. Celestine I (422-32)
* St. Sixtus III (432-40)
* St. Leo I (the Great) (440-61)
* St. Hilarius (461-68)
* St. Simplicius (468-83)
* St. Felix III (II) (483-92)
* St. Gelasius I (492-96)
* Anastasius II (496-98)
* St. Symmachus (498-514)
* St. Hormisdas (514-23)
* St. John I (523-26)
* St. Felix IV (III) (526-30)
* Boniface II (530-32)
* John II (533-35)
* St. Agapetus I (Agapitus I) (535-36)
* St. Silverius (536-37)
* Vigilius (537-55)
* Pelagius I (556-61)
* John III (561-74)
* Benedict I (575-79)
* Pelagius II (579-90)
* St. Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
* Sabinian (604-606)
* Boniface III (607)
* St. Boniface IV (608-15)
* St. Deusdedit (Adeodatus I) (615-18)
* Boniface V (619-25)
* Honorius I (625-38)
* Severinus (640)
* John IV (640-42)
* Theodore I (642-49)
* St. Martin I (649-55)
* St. Eugene I (655-57)
* St. Vitalian (657-72)
* Adeodatus (II) (672-76)
* Donus (676-78)
* St. Agatho (678-81)
* St. Leo II (682-83)
* St. Benedict II (684-85)
* John V (685-86)
* Conon (686-87)
* St. Sergius I (687-701)
* John VI (701-05)
* John VII (705-07)
* Sisinnius (708)
* Constantine (708-15)
* St. Gregory II (715-31)
* St. Gregory III (731-41)
* St. Zachary (741-52)
* Stephen II (752)
* Stephen III (752-57)
* St. Paul I (757-67)
* Stephen IV (767-72)
* Adrian I (772-95)
* St. Leo III (795-816)
* Stephen V (816-17)
* St. Paschal I (817-24)
* Eugene II (824-27)
* Valentine (827)
* Gregory IV (827-44)
* Sergius II (844-47)
* St. Leo IV (847-55)
* Benedict III (855-58)
* St. Nicholas I (the Great) (858-67)
* Adrian II (867-72)
* John VIII (872-82)
* Marinus I (882-84)
* St. Adrian III (884-85)
* Stephen VI (885-91)
* Formosus (891-96)
* Boniface VI (896)
* Stephen VII (896-97)
* Romanus (897)
* Theodore II (897)
* John IX (898-900)
* Benedict IV (900-03)
* Leo V (903)
* Sergius III (904-11)
* Anastasius III (911-13)
* Lando (913-14)
* John X (914-28)
* Leo VI (928)
* Stephen VIII (929-31)
* John XI (931-35)
* Leo VII (936-39)
* Stephen IX (939-42)
* Marinus II (942-46)
* Agapetus II (946-55)
* John XII (955-63)
* Leo VIII (963-64)
* Benedict V (964)
* John XIII (965-72)
* Benedict VI (973-74)
* Benedict VII (974-83)
* John XIV (983-84)
* John XV (985-96)
* Gregory V (996-99)
* Sylvester II (999-1003)
* John XVII (1003)
* John XVIII (1003-09)
* Sergius IV (1009-12)
* Benedict VIII (1012-24)
* John XIX (1024-32)
* Benedict IX (1032-45)
* Sylvester III (1045)
* Benedict IX (1045)
* Gregory VI (1045-46)
* Clement II (1046-47)
* Benedict IX (1047-48)
* Damasus II (1048)
* St. Leo IX (1049-54)
* Victor II (1055-57)
* Stephen X (1057-58)
* Nicholas II (1058-61)
* Alexander II (1061-73)
* St. Gregory VII (1073-85)
* Blessed Victor III (1086-87)
* Blessed Urban II (1088-99)
* Paschal II (1099-1118)
* Gelasius II (1118-19)
* Callistus II (1119-24)
* Honorius II (1124-30)
* Innocent II (1130-43)
* Celestine II (1143-44)
* Lucius II (1144-45)
* Blessed Eugene III (1145-53)
* Anastasius IV (1153-54)
* Adrian IV (1154-59)
* Alexander III (1159-81)
* Lucius III (1181-85)
* Urban III (1185-87)
* Gregory VIII (1187)
* Clement III (1187-91)
* Celestine III (1191-98)
* Innocent III (1198-1216)
* Honorius III (1216-27)
* Gregory IX (1227-41)
* Celestine IV (1241)
* Innocent IV (1243-54)
* Alexander IV (1254-61)
* Urban IV (1261-64)
* Clement IV (1265-68)
* Blessed Gregory X (1271-76)
* Blessed Innocent V (1276)
* Adrian V (1276)
* John XXI (1276-77)
* Nicholas III (1277-80)
* Martin IV (1281-85)
* Honorius IV (1285-87)
* Nicholas IV (1288-92)
* St. Celestine V (1294)
* Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
* Blessed Benedict XI (1303-04)
* Clement V (1305-14)
* John XXII (1316-34)
* Benedict XII (1334-42)
* Clement VI (1342-52)
* Innocent VI (1352-62)
* Blessed Urban V (1362-70)
* Gregory XI (1370-78)
* Urban VI (1378-89)
* Boniface IX (1389-1404)
* Innocent VII (1406-06)
* Gregory XII (1406-15)
* Martin V (1417-31)
* Eugene IV (1431-47)
* Nicholas V (1447-55)
* Callistus III (1455-58)
* Pius II (1458-64)
* Paul II (1464-71)
* Sixtus IV (1471-84)
* Innocent VIII (1484-92)
* Alexander VI (1492-1503)
* Pius III (1503)
* Julius II (1503-13)
* Leo X (1513-21)
* Adrian VI (1522-23)
* Clement VII (1523-34)
* Paul III (1534-49)
* Julius III (1550-55)
* Marcellus II (1555)
* Paul IV (1555-59)
* Pius IV (1559-65)
* St. Pius V (1566-72)
* Gregory XIII (1572-85)
* Sixtus V (1585-90)
* Urban VII (1590)
* Gregory XIV (1590-91)
* Innocent IX (1591)
* Clement VIII (1592-1605)
* Leo XI (1605)
* Paul V (1605-21)
* Gregory XV (1621-23)
* Urban VIII (1623-44)
* Innocent X (1644-55)
* Alexander VII (1655-67)
* Clement IX (1667-69)
* Clement X (1670-76)
* Blessed Innocent XI (1676-89)
* Alexander VIII (1689-91)
* Innocent XII (1691-1700)
* Clement XI (1700-21)
* Innocent XIII (1721-24)
* Benedict XIII (1724-30)
* Clement XII (1730-40)
* Benedict XIV (1740-58)
* Clement XIII (1758-69)
* Clement XIV (1769-74)
* Pius VI (1775-99)
* Pius VII (1800-23)
* Leo XII (1823-29)
* Pius VIII (1829-30)
* Gregory XVI (1831-46)
* Blessed Pius IX (1846-78)
* Leo XIII (1878-1903)
* St. Pius X (1903-14)
* Benedict XV (1914-22)
* Pius XI (1922-39)
* Pius XII (1939-58)
* Blessed John XXIII (1958-63)
* Paul VI (1963-78)
* John Paul I (1978)
* John Paul II (1978-2005)
* Benedict XVI (2005-)

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto. Dominus conservat eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum ejus.