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Pope (Catholic Church)
Coat of arms of the Holy See
Coat of Arms of the Holy See.
History
Saint Peter and the origin of the office
Election, death and abdication
Titles
Residence and jurisdiction
Regalia and insignia
Status and authority
Political role
Objections to the papacy
Antipopes
Other popes
Longest-reigning popes
Shortest-reigning popes
Article discussion

Shortest-reigning popes[]

Conversely, there have been a number of popes whose reign lasted less than a month. In the following list the number of calendar days includes partial days. Thus, for example, if a pope's reign commenced on 1 August and he died on 2 August, this would count as having reigned for two calendar days.

  1. Urban VII (15 September–27 September 1590): reigned for 13 calendar days, died before consecration.
  2. Boniface VI (April, 896): reigned for 16 calendar days
  3. Celestine IV (25 October–10 November 1241): reigned for 17 calendar days, died before consecration.
  4. Theodore II (December, 897): reigned for 20 calendar days
  5. Sisinnius (15 January–4 February 708): reigned for 21 calendar days
  6. Marcellus II (9 April–1 May 1555): reigned for 22 calendar days
  7. Damasus II (17 July–9 August 1048): reigned for 24 calendar days
  8. Pius III (22 September–18 October 1503): reigned for 27 calendar days
  9. Leo XI (1 April–27 April 1605): reigned for 27 calendar days
  10. Benedict V (22 May–23 June 964): reigned for 33 calendar days.

Note: Stephen (23 March–26 March 752), died of apoplexy three days after his election, and before his consecration as a bishop. He is not recognized as a valid Pope, but was added to the lists of popes in the fifteenth century as Stephen II, causing difficulties in enumerating later Popes named Stephen. He was removed in 1961 from the Vatican's list (see "Pope-elect Stephen" for detailed explanation).

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