In theory, any priest can be Pope. The priest is someone who performs religious functions, usually as intermediate between deities and the faithful, like the priest and, consequently, a man. It is that the Code of Canonic Law of the Catholic Church, in canon 1024, states that only baptized men can be ordained priests.
In practice, however, since 1379 all popes have been chosen among the members of the Cardinian College, the group that votes in the Conclave.
Following the official confirmation of the death of a Pope, the conclave begins to elect the next maximum chief of the Catholic Church. The elections happen to closed doors and without contact with the outside world.
To be the next religious leader to assume the pontificate, it is necessary to reach at least 2/3 of the votes of cardinals voters.
Remember last popes of the Catholic Church
The first Pope was St. Peter who, according to the press press, received from Jesus the supreme pontifical power, instituted the first ecclesiastical order and the prayer of the Our Father. Pope Francis was the 266th Vatican Pope.
See who the last five pontiffs were
Francisco (Argentina) (2013-2025)
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, died at the age of 88 on April 21, 2025.
In addition to being the first Pope in Latin America, it was the first non -European pontiff in over 1,200 years.
Francisco was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, in a family of Italian origin. He was the oldest of five children and was raised in the Portene de Flores neighborhood.
Before being a Pope, Francisco was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, where he kept a focus on helping the poor. He was appointed Cardinal by John Paul II in 2001.
Francisco was considered a simple person by close friends, and a lover of literature and football. With the informal way in words and gestures, he captivated millions of faithful.
Pope Francis had a diplomat side and used the Vatican’s influence to position himself in the face of humanitarian issues: he measured, for example, conversations for rapprochement between the United States and Cuba.
He also made dozens of refugee rights appeals and criticized the countries that closed the doors to immigrants. He has always been a hard critic of the Ukraine war and condemned civilian bombing in Gaza.
During a trip to Iraq in 2021, Francis survived two murder attempts. The details are in the autobiography “Hope”. The visit was marked as a pope’s first to the country.
Benedict XVI (Germany) (2005-2013)
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died at age 95 on December 31, 2022. “Lord, I love you!” In Italian, it was his last words, according to the Vatican.
Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 in Marktl, Germany. He grew up in the midst of Nazism in the country, having been forced to enter the army.
He was chosen Pope on April 19, 2005, after the death of John Paul II. The choice of the papal name was because it “ideally relating to Pontiff Bento XV”.
Benedict XVI had a more conservative stance and during different times it was criticized by hard postures in relation to the dogmas of the church.
During its pontificate, the church was under the spotlight of negative news of scandals involving accusations of corruption and pedophilia.
In February 2013, at the age of 85, Benedict XVI resigned, thus becoming the first Pope to do this in 600 years. He claimed health problems to leave office.
John Paul II (Poland) (1978-2005)
Karol Józef Wojtyła was born on May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, and was a teenager when Nazi Germany broke into the country in 1939.
He became Pope on October 22, 1978 and chose the name of John Paul II. It was the first non -Italian pope in 455 years.
John Paul II was chosen to replace Pope John Paul I, who died just over a month after taking office.
As a maximum chief of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II visited 129 countries on five continents, being considered “one of the most traveled popes in history”.
During the papacy, John Paul II survived two murder attempts, one in 1981, in St. Peter’s Square, in the Vatican, and another in 1982, in the city of Fatima, Portugal.
John Paul II died in April 2005 at the age of 84, thus ending a 26 -year -old pontificate, one of the longest in history. He had suffered a few years ago from Parkinson, Arthritis and other diseases.
In 2014, he was canonized by Pope Francis, after being attributed to him the cure of a serious brain injury, according to information from Vatican News, the Holy See News Portal. With this, he was called St. John Paul II.
John Paul II was accused of sexual abuse and was defended by Pope Francis, who classified the allegations as “offensive and unfounded” in 2023.
João Paulo I (Italy) (1978)
Albino Luciani was born on October 17, 1912, in Italy.
He was elected Pope on August 26, 1978 to succeed Paul VI and chose the name of John Paul I to govern.
The pontiff died unexpectedly on September 28 of the same year in Rome. Because of this, it became known for having one of the shortest pontificates in the history of the Catholic Church.
The death of John Paul I generated theories and rumors of what may have happened, involving allegations of murder and poisoning. The assumptions, however, were denied by the church and is believed to have died as a result of a heart attack while sleeping.
Pope John Paul II succeeded him and 1978 was recorded as “the year of the three popes.”
The pontiff was beatified in September 2022 after being
Appointed as responsible for a miracle that led to the cure of an Argentine girl who suffered from “severe acute inflammatory encephalopathy, refractory malignant epileptic state and septic shock,” according to Vatican News.
Beatification happens before canonization and is one of the stages of the process for someone to become holy in the Catholic Church.
“In just a few weeks of pontificate, he entered the hearts of millions of people, simplicity, humility, words in defense of the poor and the evangelical smile,” the Vatican recalled.
Paul VI (Italy) (1963-1978)
Paul VI was born on September 26, 1897 in Italy.
He became a Pope on June 21, 1963 and died in August 1978, a 15 -year pontificate.
A Vatican biography classifies him as “one of the most traveled popes in history and the first to visit the five continents.”
He was canonized in October 2018 and is pointed out by Pope Francis as one of his inspirations, as Vatican News points out.
*With information from CNN International
*Under the supervision of Derla Cardoso
This content was originally published in remember who were the last popes of the Catholic Church on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
