The Names and Numbers of Medieval Popes

in 1913 it was announced in the newspapers that the Roman Commission of Historical Criticism, of which the late Cardinal Ferrata was president, had struck out four names from the list of popes. 1 These were Boniface VI, who occupied the Holy See for fifteen days in 896 ; Boniface VII, who usurped it for a month in 974, was driven out, but returned ten years later and maintained his position for some time in 984 and 985 ; John XVI, who contested the papacy against Gregory V in 997-8 ; and Benedict X, who was set up on the death of Stephen IX in 1058 and held his ground for nine months.It was at once stated in the Osservatore Romano that there was nothing new in the correction ; the revised order merely went back to a list authorized by Benedict XIV in 1751.I have no means of ascertaining the precise fact, but it is undoubtedly true that not one of the four will be found in the official Annuario Pontifido for 1865.The corruption of the list, as we find it, for instance, in the Gerarchia Cattolica for 1901, 2 is therefore due to the misplaced industry of a more recent editor

Ancient history · Classics · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · Historical Geopolitical and Social Dynamics · History