Catholic World News News Feature
John Paul II Now 5th-Longest Reigning Pontiff September 09, 2002
VATICAN, Sep 9, 02 (CWNews.com) -- The reign of Pope John Paul II is now the 5th longest in the 2000-year history of the pontificate.
The current pontificate is now equal in length to that of the 8th-century Pope Adrian I: 23 years, 10 months, and 24 days. As of Tuesday, September 10, Pope John Paul will stand alone in fifth place in terms of papal longevity.
The longest pontificate was the first: St. Peter led the Church for somewhere between 34 and 37 years (the historic records are unclear regarding exact dates). Pope Pius IX served on Peter's throne for 31 years, from 1846 to 1878. And his successor Pope Leo XIII ranks next in terms of length, having served for 25 years, from 1878 to 1903.
Pope Pius VI, who ruled in the 18th century, enjoyed a pontificate of 24 years, 6 months-- a term that John Paul II would not reach until May 2003.
Among the 264 popes, the shortest pontificate was that of Pope Urban VII: a mere 12 days.
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