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How many Popes resigned from the Pontificate throughout history, why, and who was the first?
The resignation of Benedict XVI in 2013 was the first for nearly 600 years but the practice was much more common in an era of religious turmoil in Europe.
On 11 February 2013 Pope Benedict XVI announced his intention to resign, saying he no longer had the physical and mental strength to run the Church. Two weeks later he had abdicated and the council of cardinals began the process of searching for a successor.
However, Benedict was not the first pope to abdicate the position.
Who was the first pope to resign?
Pope Pontian, who reigned in the third century, was the first pope to abdicate. He had been exiled to Sardinia, now in Italy, during Christian persecutions in the Roman Empire. A month after his abdication in September 235 he was beaten to death. However, as historical evidence is scarce from this time period is is only asserted that Pontian resigned.
The first pope that can be said with certainty to have resigned was Benedict V. He was pope for just one month before being depsoed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor. Benedict was replaced by the antipope Leo VIII. Antipopes were member of the clergy who challenged the election of the pope in a bid to take the position.
How many popes have resigned in history?
In total, six popes have abdicated the position for definite. Notable examples include Benedict IX, who resigned three times including selling the title, and Gregory XII.
Gregory was the pope during the western schism, lasting from 1378 to 1417. At one stage during this period there were three elected popes at the same time with one ruling from Rome and the other from the southern French city of Avignon.
Gregory abdicated in 1415, “with the promise he would rank second in the hierarchy” according to historian John Julius Norwich, and the other two popes lost their positions to herald the election of Martin V and end the schism.