Top 10 Greatest Popes in History
Pope John Paul II served as Pope and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 to 2005. He is called Saint John Paul the Great by some Catholics. John Paul II is the reason I am Catholic. I have never known a greater man who experienced Nazi and Soviet occupation and still kept his faith. He was the burning candle in an age of darkness. He saw the good in Western ideas and connected freedom and individuality to Jesus' teachings. His efforts thwarted communism and saved countless people from totalitarianism.
I had the opportunity to see him when I was a child. He came to my country in 1989, and it has now been 30 years. The first thing he did when he landed here was to lay straight on the ground and kiss my land. I love you, my favorite pope. You are an inspiration to everyone. May we follow your path, and I know that you are still praying for humanity from where you are. You are missed by each of us. By the way, I am a Hindu.
There was a zodiac sign named after him, I think!
Did he have an epic meeting with Attila the Hun? Oh, yes.
Pope Francis is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a title he holds ex officio as Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City. I love this guy. He represents everything that Jesus stood for: tolerance, love, goodwill, generosity, and kindness. We need more men like him in times like this.
Champion of civil rights, wonderfully down to earth, and the first pope in centuries to not only speak out against, but also attack corruption within the church. The man is a living saint and will be remembered as a brilliant, progressive, radical pope who changed Roman Catholicism for the better.
Pope Francis understands and emphasizes that "Love" is the greatest and must always be above all else.
Pope Gregory is one of the Doctors of the Church, and he performed a notable miracle.
One of the most powerful popes ever.
Pope Benedict XVI was born on April 16, 1927, in the town of Marktl, Germany. He served as the head of the Catholic Church in Vatican City from 2005 until his resignation in 2013... read more A great man who survived Hitler's youth and was an amazing pope who wrote tons of books. He is probably a future doctor and saint of the church.
A great man with a strong compassion for purifying the church and focusing the teachings of the church on its roots.
He issued the encyclical "Summorum Pontificum" to restore the Tridentine Mass.
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GOAT status. Eucharistic Prayer-type deal. Xysti in Latin... pretty impressive. Also a martyr for the faith. What does Francis have on that?
The first and greatest pope. A figurehead chosen while Christ was on earth and one of my favorite saints.
Peter was the person whom Jesus trusted. He was chosen above all the apostles and was the first pope.
The one whom Christ chose as His Rock. The Papacy is traced all the way back to him.
Without him, the Catholic Church wouldn't be more open-minded towards society. He was the one who reformed the Catholic Church to be more approachable towards the people.
He took great steps towards bringing the church up to date and always came across as a very warm and friendly man.
A great man who reformed the Church.
A person that deserves a higher spot on this list. The Crusades are an important part of the history of the Middle Ages, and a very misunderstood and unfairly vilified one. Thanks to Urban II, the march of the infidels was stopped.
He literally saved us from the Muslims during the Crusades. Even though he is misunderstood, he still deserves to be on the list because it took courage to tell the knights to fight.
The Pope who initiated the Crusades.
He was the most powerful of the Reformation popes and effectively sorted out the Papal States.
A very underrated pope. He managed to overcome both Frederick Barbarossa and Henry II of England despite having a schism to deal with. He also modified the papal election process, which is more or less the same today.
He was the first Pope to end the persecution against Christianity.
