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An antipope (Latin: antipapa) is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the legitimately elected pope.[1] Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church itself and secular rulers.
Sometimes it was difficult to distinguish which of two claimants should be called pope and which antipope, as in the case of Pope Leo VIII and Pope Benedict V.[2]
- ^ "Antipope". Encyclopædia Britannica. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ^ Of Pope Leo VIII, the Annuario Pontificio, the Holy See's yearbook, says: "At this point, as again in the mid-eleventh century, we come across elections in which problems of harmonizing historical criteria and those of theology and canon law make it impossible to decide clearly which side possessed the legitimacy whose factual existence guarantees the unbroken lawful succession of the Successors of Saint Peter. The uncertainty that in some cases results has made it advisable to abandon the assignation of successive numbers in the list of the Popes" (note 19 to the list of popes in the Annuario Pontificio). Of Pope Benedict V it says: "If Pope Leo VIII was lawful Pope, [...] Benedict V is an antipope" (note 20 to the list of popes).