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The selection of the pope, the bishop of Rome and supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, prior to the promulgation of In nomine Domini in 1059 varied throughout history. Popes were often appointed by their predecessors or by political rulers. While some kind of election often characterized the procedure, an election that included meaningful participation of the laity was rare, especially as the popes' claims to temporal power solidified into the Papal States. The practice of papal appointment during this period would later result in the jus exclusivae, i.e., a right to veto the selection that Catholic monarchs exercised into the twentieth century.
The numbering of "Popes John" does not occur in strict numerical order. Although there have been twenty-one legitimate popes named John, the numbering has reached XXIII because of two clerical errors that were introduced in the Middle Ages: first, antipope John XVI was kept in the numbering sequence instead of being removed; then, the number XX was skipped because Pope John XXI counted John XIV twice.
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References
- 1 2 3 4 Kelly & Walsh 1988, p. 132.
- 1 2 3 4 5 McBrien 2000, p. 163.
- ↑ Kelly & Walsh 1988, pp. 132–133.
- 1 2 Levillain 2002, p. 842.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kelly & Walsh 1988, p. 133.
- ↑ McBrien 2000, pp. 163–164.
- ↑ Reardon 2004, p. 74.
- ↑ McBrien 2000, p. 164.
