Pope Leo VIII


Leo VIII
Bishop of Rome
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began6 December 963 (as antipope); 23 June 964 (as pope)
Papacy ended26 February 964 (as antipope); 1 March 965 (as pope)
PredecessorBenedict V
SuccessorJohn XIII
Personal details
Born
Leo

c. 915
Died1 March 965 (aged c. 50)
Rome, Papal States
Other popes named Leo

Pope Leo VIII (c. 915 – 1 March 965) was a Roman prelate who claimed the Holy See from 963 until 964 in opposition to John XII and Benedict V and again from 23 June 964 to his death. Today, he is considered by the Catholic Church to have been an antipope during the first period and the legitimate Pope during the second. An appointee of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, Leo VIII's pontificate occurred after the period known as the saeculum obscurum.