Spirituality & Religious StudiesAntipopes
In Latin called antipapa. This is a person/man who claims to be the Bishop of Rome (or commonly, the Pope) & leader of the Catholic Church in opposition to the “officially” elected pontiff.
Between the 3rd & mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church itself & secular rulers. While there are modern claimants to the papacy that still take place, they’re rarely given serious consideration by either the public or the Church. Sometimes it was different which of 2 claimants should be Pope & antipope, like between Popes Leo VIII & Benedict V.
Hippolytus of Rome is commonly considered to be the earliest antipope. Hippolytus headed a separate group within the Church in Rome against Pope Callixtus I. Hippolytus was reconciled to Callixtus’ 2nd successor, Pope Pontian. Both he & Pontian are honored as saints by the Catholic Church with a shared feast day on August 13.
Eusebius quotes from an unnamed earlier writer the story of Natalius, a 3rd-century priest who accepted the bishopric of the Adoptionists, a heretical group in Rome. Natalius soon repented, & tearfully begged Pope Zephyrinus to receive him into Communion.
Novatian claimed the See of Rome in opposition to Pope Cornelius. If Natalius & Hippolytus were excluded because of the uncertainties about them, Novatian could then be said to be the 1st antipope.
The period in which antipopes was the most was during the struggles between the popes & the Holy Roman Emperors of the 11th & 12th centuries. The emperors frequently imposed their nominees to further their causes. The Pope sometimes sponsored rival imperial claimants (anti-kings) in Germany to overcome a particular emperor.
The Western Schism (which began in 1378, when French cardinals claimed that the election of Pope Urban VI was invalid), elected antipope Clement VII as a rival to the “Roman Pope,” leading eventually to 2 competing lines (because Clement VII moved back to Avignon) & the Pisan line.
The Pisan line, which began in 1409, was named after the town of Pisa (of Leaning Tower fame). This is where the Pisan Council had elected antipope Alexander V as a 3rd claimant. To end the schism, in May 1415, the Council of Constance deposed Antipope John XXIII of the Pisan line.
Pope Gregory XII of the Roman line resigned in July 1415. In 1417, the council also formally deposed Antipope Benedict XIII of Avignon. But he absolutely refused to resign. (It’s kinda hard to have power when no one else recognizes said power!)
Afterwards, Pope Martin V was elected & was accepted everywhere except in the small & rapidly diminishing area of influence of Benedict XIII.
There have, officially, only been 6 Popes who’ve actually resigned the papacy:
- Pontian, 235, resigned while exiled in Roman salt mines
- John XVIII, 1009, quit after a financial deal or bribe
- Benedict IX, 1045, overwhelmed with the job
- Celestine V, 1294
- Gregory XII, 1415, quit to end the Western Schism
- Benedict XVI, 2013, quit due to failing health & old age
The Patriarch of Alexandria, the historical center of Christianity in Egypt since the Roman Empire, has historically also held the title of Pope, & as a result, a person who claims that title in direct opposition to a generally accepted Pope of Alexandria may be considered an antipope.
The title is simultaneously claimed by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, the Coptic Catholic Church, & the Melkite Catholic Church (the latter 2, while being in full communion/cooperation with Rome, still maintain the position of Patriarch of Alexander as a significant church leader).
In the modern day, with the rise of ecumenism & the recognition of Christianity’s complicated history, these 4 men typically don’t view 1 another as antipopes. But rather as successors to different lines of apostolic succession resulting from theological disputes in the 5th century.
There have been certain instances where the official declaration of an antipope has been deemed necessary. For example, in 2006, former lector of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Max Michel, who had previously formed the independent Archbishop of Egypt & the Middle East under the name Maximus I, effectively became an antipope of Alexandria.
His claims to the Alexandrian papacy were formally dismissed in a joint statement by both the Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda III & Pope Theodore II of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Similarly, during the schism that happened in the Armenian Catholic Church in 1873, an election was held which voted Jacob Pahtarian into the position of Patriarch of the Patriarchate of Cilicia, which was in opposition to the Pope-appointed Patriarch, Andon Bedros IX Hassoun. Pahtarian was referred to by some as an “anti-Patriarch.”
Some scholars are less willing to refer to the “pretenders” as antipopes. As the term has historically been used in reference to those who claim to be the bishop of Rome, the apostolic successors to St. Peter. While the patriarchate of Alexandria originated with St. Mark.
Some sedevacantist conspiracy theorists consider the incumbent Pope to be the antipope. For various reasons, they believe the current Pope is illegitimate. Sedevacantism is a traditionalist Catholic movement which holds that since the 1958 death of Pius XII the occupants of the Holy See aren’t valid Popes due to their espousal of 1 or more heresies & that, for lack of a valid Pope, the See of Rome is vacant.
For supporters of the Giuseppe Siri conspiracy theory, which holds that white smoke seen on the 1st day of the conclave (This is unheard of! White smoke during a conclave means a Pope has been elected. No Pope in the history of ever was elected on the 1st day!) was announcing the selection of Giuseppe Siri as Pope Gregory XVII until he was forced to stand down, the Pope that was elected in Siri’s place, John XXIII, was an antipope as Siri was still the lawfully elected Pope.
Similarly, for supporters of Benevacantism (the belief that Pope Benedict XVI didn’t validly resign), Pope Francis would be considered an antipope. A similar fringe theory, “Catholic survivantism,” states that Pope Paul VI (born 1897) is still alive. Thus, all successive Popes are antipopes. Believers of this “theory” also believe that the “Paul VI” that died in 1978 was an actor, & the real Paul IV is being held in prison.
For conclavists, the argument that the current Pope is illegitimate or an antipope (either wholly or sedeprivationally) is important as it lends their own claims & conclave legitimacy. The most common conclavist claim is that Pius XII was the last true Pope, & that all subsequent Popes are antipopes.
However, some place the date even earlier, with the Papacy ending with John XXIII. All these claims surround the reforms of Vatican II or the publication of the revised Roman Rite.
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