The Catholic Church

  AUTHORITY The weight of authority behind a teaching of the Papal Magisterium depends on the dogmatic history of the teaching and the intention of the Supreme Pontiff. Papal addresses and documents invariably contain teachings in several categories of authority. Some of these teachings will be “of the faith” (de fide), requiring the assent of Catholics by reason of the virtue of faith’s obligation to God revealing. Among such de fide teachings will be those which have been solemnly defined (such as the divinity of Christ or the Immaculate Conception of Mary), and those which, while they have not been solemnly defined, belong to the infallible ordinary Magisterium, having been taught “semper et ubique” (always and everywhere). Examples of the latter include the evil of certain sins, such as abortion or adultery, or the restriction of the priesthood to men. Papal addresses and documents may also contain teachings which come from the common teaching of the Church, but which cannot ye...

  The existence of antipopes is one of the most unusual features of Church history. The first to be declared Pope, but be considered invalidly elected at the time or by history was St. Hippolytus, who disagreed with the Pope of the day but was later reconciled and died for the faith. Most antipopes have come about due to the intrigues of cardinals, secular princes or Roman nobility. ANTIPOPE (ALLEGED REIGN) ST. HIPPOLYTUS  217-235 NOVATIAN  251 FELIX II  355-365 URSINUS  366-367 EULALIUS  418-419 LAWRENCE  498/499-502/506 DIOSCORUS  530 THEODORE  687 PASCAL  687 CONSTANTINE  767-768 PHILIP  768 JOHN  844 ANASTASIUS  855 CHRISTOPHER  903-904 BONIFACE VII  974-984/985 JOHN XVI  997-998 GREGORY  1012 BENEDICT X  1058-1059 HONORIUS II  1061-1064 CLEMENT III  1080-1084/1100 THEODORE  1100 ALBERT  1101 SILVESTER IV  1105-1111 GREGORY VIII  1118-1121 CELESTINE II  1...

PAPAL TIMELINE FRANCIS 2013 - Present   BENEDICT XVI 2005 - 2013   JOHN PAUL II 1978 - 2005   JOHN PAUL I 1978 - 1978   PAUL VI 1963 - 1978   JOHN XXIII 1958 - 1963   PIUS XII 1939 - 1958   PIUS XI 1922 - 1939   BENEDICT XV 1914 - 1922   PIUS X 1903 - 1914   LEO XIII, O.F.S. 1878 - 1903   PIUS IX, O.F.S. 1846 - 1878   GREGORY XVI, O.S.B. 1831 - 1846   PIUS VIII 1829 - 1830   LEO XII 1823 - 1829   PIUS VII, O.S.B. 1800 - 1823   PIUS VI 1775 - 1799   CLEMENT XIV, O.F.M. 1769 - 1774   CLEMENT XIII 1758 - 1769   BENEDICT XIV 1740 - 1758   CLEMENT XII 1730 - 1740   BENEDICT XIII, O.P. 1724 - 1730   INNOCENT XIII 1721 - 1724   CLEMENT XI 1700 - 1721   INNOCENT XII 1691 - 1700   ALEXANDER VIII 1689 - 1691   INNOCENT XI 1676 - 1689   CLEMENT X 1670 - 1676   CLEMENT IX 1667 - 1669   ALEXANDER VII 1655 - 1667   INNOCENT X 1644 - 1655   URBAN VI...