Clement VII A Medici, poisoned by amanita toadstool
A new Roman Catholic pope selects his own name.
Based on previous popes, here is a list of all 80 possible names for Benedict XVI’s
successor furnished with the proper available Roman numeral. From the top I went
backwards in time, which should also roughly parallel the descending probability
of a particular name being chosen. Thus Benedict XVII has perhaps the greatest
chance and Peter II has the lowest (in that case for reasons beyond the
merely chronological).
Gregory XIII Instituted Gregorian calendar by expunging 11 days in October 1582
Even some names toward the top of this list can probably be ruled out. For
example, Pius XIII will likely remain vacant for now because of the cloud over
Pius XII who many people argue could have rescued far more Jews during World War
II than he did (though there are very strong contrary
views).
On a more positive note, it’s perhaps equally unlikely the next pope
will style himself John XXIV for fear of usurping the memory of the still very
popular John XXIII. Sixtus VI might be something of a tongue-twister for English
speakers, though the Spanish would have an easier time saying “Sixto Sexto.”
The College of Cardinals undoubtedly operates off a list identical to the one shown below,
but there hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Felix II, who reigned during Pope
Liberius’s banishment (355-358), was declared a pretender or “antipope” so lists
usually skip from Felix I to Felix III. Consequently you’ll often see notations
like Felix III (II) which might be interpreted as “Felix, numerically the third but rightfully the
second.” Next, there were two popes named Stephen II elected in 752. The first
died on the fourth day of his reign and is therefore usually ignored, but not by
everyone; so like Felix above, except in reverse, you’ll see Stephen II (III),
Stephen III (IV) and so on.
Next, Sylvester III, who set up shop during Benedict
IX’s banishment of 1045 (more about him below), and Sylvester IV (1105-1111) were both declared
antipopes. Thus the next Sylvester could be either Sylvester V (III), or,
ignoring the two impostors entirely, just plain Sylvester III again. And
finally, due to yet another antipope muddle, there was no Pope John XX. When
physician Pedro Giuliano took the keys in 1276 he instead called himself John XXI.
Unconfirmed portrait of Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI
The longest run of a single ordinal began in 1241 with Celestine IV and
continued with Innocent IV, Alexander IV, Urban IV and finally Clement IV until
1268. Two centuries earlier Benedict IX set a record in having been pope three
(four? five?) separate times. He was first installed as a teenager by his father
in 1032. An angry mob deposed him in 1036 but within weeks Holy Roman Emperor
Yum, yum!
Conrad II put him back on the throne. Ousted again in 1045 in favor of Pope
Sylvester III, he gathered an army over several months, retook the papacy, and
declared Sylvester an antipope. A while later he decided to marry, so he sold
his office to his godfather who became Gregory VI.
But when Benedict’s girl ditched him he returned, deposed his godfather, and held
the papacy once more until July 1046. At that time Holy Roman Emperor Henry III called
the Council of Sutri to sort out the mess and installed Clement II. When Clement
conveniently died a year later from ingesting “lead sugar” (plumbous
acetate) Benedict returned and reinstated himself yet again. The following July a party
supporting Poppo of Brixon deposed Benedict, for the last and final time, and Poppo
(whose mom must have been psychic to name him that) became Damasus II.
Benedict XVII
John Paul III
Paul VII
John XXIV
Pius XIII
Leo XIV
Gregory XVII
Clement XV
Innocent XIV
Alexander IX
Urban IX
Sixtus VI
Marcellus III
Julius IV
Adrian VII
Callistus IV
Nicholas VI
Eugene V
Martin VI
Boniface X
Celestine VI
Honorius V
Lucius IV
Anastasius V
Gelasius III
Paschal III
Stephen X (XI)
Victor IV
Damasus III
Sylvester III
Sergius V
Agapetus III
Marinus III
Lando II
Theodore III
Romanus II
Formosus II
Valentine II
Zachary II
Constantine II
Sisinnius II
Conon II
Agatho II
Donus II
Vitalian II
Severinus II
Deusdedit II (Adeodatus III)
Sabinian II
Pelagius III
Vigilius II
Silverius II
Felix V (IV)
Hormisdas II
Symmachus II
Simplicius II
Hilarius II
Zosimus II
Siricius II
Liberius II
Marcus II
Miltiades II
Eusebius II
Marcellinus II
Caius II
Eutychian II
Dionysius II
Cornelius II
Fabian II
Anterus II
Pontain II
Zephyrinus II
Eleutherius II
Soter II
Anicetus II
Hyginus II
Telesphorus II
Evaristus II
Anacletus II (Cletus II)
Linus II
Peter II
You’ll notice there were many uniquely-named pontiffs*, especially in the bottom
half of this list before the tenth century or so when they tended to go by their
birth names. Pope John II was the first to depart from this and reject his birth
name, Mercury, in 533. There’s certainly nothing to stop Benedict XVI’s
successor from ignoring the 80 choices above and using his own name —
say Francis, Claudio, Oscar or whatever — though that hasn’t happened in
450 years.
* The first true pope in the modern sense was St. Leo I (440-461). His 44
predecessors, from Sixtus III going back to St. Peter, but for one exception,
are more properly termed bishops of Rome. That exception is St. Siricius
(384-399) who called himself a pope. Information regarding the first few
centuries of this history is scant and unreliable, so it’s widely understood
that some of the names at the bottom half of this list may well be incorrect or even fictitious.
