Antipopes

An antipope is a person who, in the judgment of the Catholic Church, makes a claim to be the pope in opposition to the pope who is widely recognized as the legitimate successor of Saint Peter. Antipopes have appeared at various times in church history, often during schisms or political conflicts when different factions sought control of the papacy. The designation is retrospective: a claimant may be labeled an antipope after a council or pope has declared the rival pontificate illegitimate.

Antipopes typically arose when civil or regional powers backed a different candidate, or when rival bishops and local churches elected competing popes. They usually maintained a separate accompanying court, clergy, and liturgical practices, and sometimes influenced the election of future popes through the aftermath of their defeat.

Notable examples include Hippolytus of Rome, who opposed Pope Pontian around 217; Novatian, who set up a rival papal line during the Decian persecution in the mid-3rd century. The Western Schism (1378–1417) produced several antipopes, notably Clement VII and Benedict XIII, opposed by Urban VI in Rome; the schism was resolved by the Council of Constance, which elected Martin V as pope. Another case is Felix V, elected by the Council of Basel in the 1430s in opposition to Eugene IV, who abdicated in 1449.

Today the term is chiefly historical. In Catholic canonical terms, antipopes are not recognized as legitimate successors, and their claims are rejected by subsequent popes and councils. The study of antipopes sheds light on the political dimensions of papal authority and the mechanics of medieval succession disputes.