Do you ever think about what you might do when you reach Heaven? You know, besides be annihilated by the joy and happiness of beholding God, the Beatific Vision?
I do!
I hope to see some statistics when I get to Heaven. What percentage was I right/wrong? How many people I actually helped lead to Christ (versus how many I failed)? I imagine these statistics will be very humbling ... but still.
I hope you all will benefit from my strange desire for statistics with the following lists I have compiled about the popes.
And no! This is not an attempt to say a certain Supreme Pontiff is the worst in history. I'm just a Catholic Nerd, what can I say?
Ranking the Popes: Table of Contents
Top 25 Popes Ranked by the Number of Saints Canonized
Pope Francis actually tops this list, as do many of the most recent popes. Why? For one, they are canonizing large groups of martyrs. Pope Francis canonized the 813 Martyrs of Otranto.
On August 14, 1480, a massacre of Christians occurred on a hill just outside the city of Otranto, in southern Italy. Over 800 of the city’s male inhabitants were taken to a place called the Hill of the Minerva. One by one, they were beheaded in full view of their fellow prisoners. The spot forever after became known as the "Hill of the Martyrs".
Here is the list of the Top 25 popes ranked by the number of saints they canonized:
- Pope Francis (2013-present) - 909 saints
- Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) - 482 saints
- Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) - 84 saints
- Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) - 52 saints
- Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) - 45 saints
- Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) - 34 saints
- Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) - 33 saints
- Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) - 18 saints
- Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) - 12 saints TIE
- Pope Benedict XIII (1724-1730) - 12 saints TIE
- Pope Clement XII (1730-1740) - 8 saints TIE
- Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644) - 8 saints TIE
- Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) - 6 saints
- Pope Pius VII (1800-1823) - 5 saints TIE
- Pope Innocent XI (1676-1689) - 5 saints TIE
- Pope Alexander VII (1655-1667) - 4 saints TIE
- Pope John Paul I (1978) - 4 saints TIE
- Pope Paul V (1605-1621) - 4 saints TIE
- Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590) - 4 saints TIE
- Pope Innocent XII (1691-1700) - 4 saints TIE
- Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) - 3 saints
- Pope Innocent X (1644-1655) - 2 saints TIE
- Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) - 2 saints TIE
- Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605) - 2 saints TIE
Top 10 Popes Ranked by the Number of Encyclicals Written
- Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) - 85 encyclicals
- Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) - 41 encyclicals
- Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) - 38 encyclicals
- Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) - 31 encyclicals
- Pope Pius X (1903-1914) - 16 encyclicals
- Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) - 14 encyclicals
- Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) - 12 encyclicals
- Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) - 9 encyclicals
- Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) - 7 encyclicals
- Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) - 8 encyclicals
Top 25 Popes Ranked by Longest Papal Reign
- Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) - 31 years, 7 months, 23 days
- Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) - 26 years, 5 months, 17 days
- Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) - 25 years, 5 months
- Pope Pius VI (1775-1799) - 24 years, 6 months, 15 days
- Pope Adrian I (772-795) - 23 years, 10 months
- Pope Pius VII (1800-1823) - 23 years, 5 months, 7 days
- Pope Alexander III (1159-1181) - 21 years, 11 months, 23 days
- Pope St. Sylvester I (314-335) - 21 years, 11 months, 1 day
- Pope Leo I (440-461) - 21 years, 1 month, 13 days
- Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644) - 20 years, 11 months, 24 days
- Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) - 20 years, 9 months, 16 days
- Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) - 19 years, 7 months, 7 days
- Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) - 18 years, 7 months, 9 days
- Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) - 18 years, 3 months, 24 days
- Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) - 17 years, 10 months, 23 days
- Pope Benedict XIV (1740-1758) - 17 years, 9 months
- Pope Nicholas I (858-867) - 15 years, 1 month, 11 days
- Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) - 15 years
- Pope Clement XIV (1769-1774) - 14 years, 10 months, 18 days
- Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) - 12 years, 3 months, 20 days
- Pope Innocent IV (1243-1254) - 11 years, 11 months, 1 day
- Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) - 11 years, 9 months, 27 days
- Pope Pius X (1903-1914) - 11 years, 1 month, 9 days
- Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) - 8 years, 9 months, 6 days
- Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) - 4 years, 7 months, 6 days
Top 25 Popes Ranked by Shortest Papal Reign
- Pope Stephen II (752) - 4 days (Note: often excluded from lists as he died after he was elected pope, but before his consecration as pope)
- Pope Urban VII (1590) - 13 days
- Pope Boniface VI (896) - 16 days
- Pope Celestine IV (1241) - 17 days
- Pope Theodore II (897) - 20 days
- Pope Sisinnius (708) - 21 days
- Pope Marcellus II (1555) - 22 days
- Pope Damasus II (1048) - 24 days
- Pope Pius III (1503) - 27 days
- Pope Leo XI (1605) - 27 days
- Pope Benedict V (964) - 33 days
- Pope John Paul I (1978) - 33 days
- Pope Romanus (897) - 3 months
- Pope Martin IV (1281-1285) - 4 months, 28 days
- Anti-Pope John XXIII (1410-1415) - 5 months
- Pope Conon (686-687) - 11 months, 1 day
- Pope John XVIII (1003-1009) - 6 months
- Pope Benedict VI (973-974) - 1 year, 2 months
- Pope John VII (705-707) - 1 year, 2 months
- Pope Lando (913-914) - 1 year, 1 month, 10 days
- Pope Celestine V (1294) - 5 months, 8 days
- Pope Stephen VI (896-897) - 1 year, 1 month
- Pope John IX (898-900) - 1 year, 8 months
- Pope Sergius IV (1009-1012) - 2 years, 3 months
- Anti-Pope John XVI (997-998) - 2 years, 3 months
- Pope Urban V (1362-1370) - 8 years, 3 months, 4 days
Top 25 Countries by the Number of Popes From That Country
- Italy - 208 popes [Pope Pius XII (1939-1958), Pope John XXIII (1958-1963), Pope Paul VI (1963-1978)]
- France - 16 popes [Pope Urban II (1088-1099), Pope Clement V (1305-1314), Pope John XXII (1316-1334)]
- Greece - 13 popes [Pope John V (685-686), Pope Zachary (741-752), Pope Constantine (708-715)]
- Syria - 8 popes [Pope Gregory III (731-741), Pope Sisinnius (708), Pope Sergius I (687-701)]
- Germany - 8 popes [Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013), Pope Clement II (1046-1047), Pope Gregory V (996-999)]
- Spain - 6 popes [Pope Callixtus III (1455-1458), Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503), Pope Damasus I (366-384)]
- Africa (Roman Province) - 5 popes [Pope Victor I (189-199), Pope Gelasius I (492-496), Pope Miltiades (311-314)]
- Portugal - 2 popes [Pope John XXI (1276-1277)]
- Austria - 1 pope [Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241)]
- Netherlands - 1 pope [Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523)]
- Palestine - 1 pope [Pope Theodore I (642-649)]
- England - 1 pope [Pope Adrian IV (1154-1159)]
- Israel - 1 pope [Pope Peter (30-64/68 AD)]
- Libya - 1 pope [Pope Victor I (189-199)]
- Turkey - 1 pope [Pope John VI (701-705)
- Croatia (Roman province of Dalmatia) - 1 pope [Pope Caius (283-296)]
- North Macedonia - 1 pope [Pope John IV (640-642)]
- Tunisia - 1 pope [Pope Agapetus I (535-536)]
- Switzerland - 1 pope [Pope Lucius II (1144-1145)]
- Algeria - 1 pope [Pope Gelasius II (492-496)]
- Hungary - 1 pope [Pope Innocent XI (1676-1689)]
- Poland - 1 pope [Pope John Paul II (1978-2005)]
- Czech Republic - 1 pope [Pope Gregory V (996-999)]
- Portugal - 1 pope [Pope Damasus I (366-384)]
- Bulgaria - 1 pope [Pope John IV (640-642)]
- Argentina - 1 pope [Pope Francis (2013-current)]
- Italy - 217
- France - 16 (Pope Sylvester II, Pope Stephen IX, Pope Nicholas II, Pope Urban II, Pope Callistus II, Pope Urban IV, Pope Clement IV, Pope Innocent V, Pope Martin IV, Pope Clement V, Pope John XXII, Pope Benedict XII, Pope Clement VI, Pope Innocent VI, Pope Urban V, and Pope Gregory XI)
- Germany - 6 (Pope Gregory V, Pope Clement II, Pope Damasus II, Pope Leo IX, Pope Victor II, and Pope Benedict XVI)
- Byzantine Empire (modern-day Syria) - 5 (Pope Anicetus, Pope John V, Pope Sisinnius, Pope Constantine, and Pope Gregory III)
- Greece - 4 (Pope Anacletus, Pope Hyginus, Pope Eleutherius, and Pope Sixtus II)
- Holy Land in modern-day Israel - 3 (Pope Peter, Pope Evaristus, and Pope Theodore I)
- Africa Proconsularis - 3 (Pope Victor I, Pope Miltiades, Pope Gelasius I)
- Dalmatia in modern-day Croatia - 2 (Pope Caius and Pope John IV)
- Valencia in modern-day Spain - 2 (Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI)
- Portugal - 2 (Pope Damasus I and Pope John XXI)
- Anatolia in modern-day Turkey - 2 (Pope Conon and Pope John VI)
- England - 1 (Pope Adrian IV)
- Netherlands - 1 (Pope Adrian VI)
- Poland - 1 (Pope John Paul II)
- Argentina - 1 (Pope Francis)
Top 25 Popes Based on the Oldest Age Attained While Pope
- Pope Agatho (678-681) - 104 years (disputed)
- Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) - 93 years, 4 months, 18 days
- Pope Celestine III (1191-1198) - 92 years, 4 months
- Pope John XXII (1316-1334) - 90 years, 6 months, 11 days
- Pope Stephen II (752-757) - 90 years, 4 months, 8 days
- Pope Clement XII (1730-1740) - 87 years, 9 months, 16 days
- Pope Clement X (1670-1676) - 86 years, 10 months, 9 days
- Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922) - 86 years, 8 months, 19 days
- Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) - 85 years, 10 months, and 24 days old (95 years, 3 months, 5 days as of his July 2024 death)
- Pope John VI (701-705) - 85 years, 6 months, 19 days
- Pope Innocent XII (1691-1700) - 85 years, 2 months, 13 days
- Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) - 85 years, 1 month, 15 days
- Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) - 84 years, 10 months, 15 days
- Pope Gregory IX (1227-1241) - 84 years, 10 months, 10 days
- Pope John XIX (1024-1032) - 84 years, 7 months, 9 days
- Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) - 83 years, 9 months
- Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) - 81 years, 7 months, 2 days
- Pope Pius XI (1922-1939) - 81 years, 3 months, 7 days
- Pope Alexander VIII (1689-1691) - 81 years, 1 month, 21 days
- Pope Honorius III (1216-1227) - 80 years, 9 months
- Pope Paul VI (1963-1978) - 80 years, 1 month, 3 days
- Pope Adeodatus I (615-618) - 80 years
- Pope Stephen IX (1057-1058) - 77 years, 3 months, 7 days
- Pope Sylvester I (314-335) - 70 years, 9 months, 2 days
- Pope Nicholas IV (1288-1292) - 70 years, 6 months
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