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Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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ANTIPOPE

A false claimant to the Holy See in opposition to the Pope canoncially elected. There have been more than thirty in the Catholic Church's history. (Etym. Latin antipapa; Greek anti, against + papas, father.

ANTIPOPES

The following claimed or exercised the papal office in an uncanonical manner. the list includes names, birthplaces, and dates of alleged rule. An alphabetical list of antipopes and a similar list of antipopes of the Western Schism follow this chronological list.

ST. HIPPOLYTUS: Rome; 217-35; reconciled before his death.

NOVATIAN: Rome; 251.

FELIX II: Rome; 355 to November 22, 365.

URSINUS: 366-67.

EULALIUS: December 27 or 29, 418 to 419.

LAWRENCE: 498; 501-5.

DIOSCORUS: Alexandria; September 22, 530 to October 14, 530.

THEODORE: ended alleged rule 687.

PASCHAL: ended alleged rule 687.

CONSTANTINE: Nepi; June 28 (July 5), 767, 769.

PHILIP: July 31, 768; retired to his monastery the same day.

JOHN: ended alleged rule January 844.

ANASTASIUS: August 855 to September 855; d. 880.

CHRISTOPHER: Rome; July or September 903 to January 904.

BONIFACE VII: (Boniface Franco): Rome; June 974 to July 974; August 984 to July 985.

JOHN XVI: (John Philagathus): Rossano; April 997 to February 998.

GREGORY: ended alleged rule 1012.

BENEDICT X (John Mincius): Rome; April 5, 1058 to January 24, 1059.

HONORIUS II (Pietro Cadalous): Verona; October 28, 1061 to 1072.

CLEMENT III (Guibert of Ravenna): Parma; June 25, 1080 (March 24, 1084) to September 8, 1100.

THEODORIC (Theodoric of Rufina): ended alleged rule 1100; d. 1102.

ALBERT (Alberic): ended alleged rule 1102.

SYLVESTER IV (Maginulf): Rome; November 18, 1105 to 1111.

GREGORY VIII (Maurice Bourain): France; March 8, 1118 to 1121.

CELESTINE II (Teobaldo Boccadipecora): Rome; ended alleged rule December 1124.

ANACLETUS II (Pietro Pierleone): Rome; February 14, (23), 1130 to January 25, 1138.

VICTOR IV (Gregorio Conti): March 1138 to May 29, 1138; submitted to Pope Innocent II.

VICTOR IV (Octavian of Monticello): Monticelio; September 7 October 4), 1159 to April 20, 1164; he did not recognize his predecessor Victor IV (above).

PASCHAL III (Guido di Crema): April 22 (26), 1164 to September 20, 1168.

CALLISTUS III (John of Struma): Arezzo; September 1168 to August 29, 1178; submitted to Pope Alexander III.

INNOCENT III (Lando dei Frangipani): Sezze; September 29, 1179 to 1180

NICHOLAS V (Pietro Rainalucci): Rieti; May 12 (22), 1328 to August 25, 1330; d. October 16, 1333.

ANTIPOPES OF THE WESTERN SCHISM:

CLEMENT VII (Robert of Geneva): September 20 (October 31), 1378 to September 16, 1394.

BENEDICT XII (Pedro de Luna): Aragon; September 28 (October 11), 1394 to May 23, 1423.

ALEXANDER V (Pietro Filargo): Crete; June 26 (July 7), 1409 to May 3, 1410.

JOHN XXIII (Baldassare Cossa): Naples; May 17 (25), 1410 to May 29, 1415.

FELIX V (Amadeus, Duke of Savoy): Savoy; November 5, 1439 (July 24, 1440) to April 7, 1449; d. 1451.

Antipopes Listed in Alphabetical Order

Albert

Anacletus II

Anastasius

Benedict X

Boniface

Callistus III

Celestine II

Christopher

Clement III

Constantine

Dioscorus

Eualalius

Felix II

Gregory

Gregory VIII

Hippolytus, St.

Honorius II

InnocentIII

John

John XVI

Lawrence

Nicholas V

Novatian

Paschal

Paschal III

Philip

Sylvester IV

Theodore

Theodoric

Ursinus

Victor IV

Antipopes of the Western Schism Listed in Alphabetical Order

Alexander V

Benedict XIII

Clement VII

Felix V

John XXIII

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