Papal appointment was a medieval method of selecting the Pope. Popes have always been selected by a council of Church fathers; however, Papal selection before 1059 was often characterized by confirmation or nomination by secular European rulers or by the preceding pope.Fanning, William. "Papal Elections." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 6 October 2017 The later procedures of the Papal conclave are in large part designed to prohibit interference of secular rulers, which to some extent characterized the first millennium of the Roman Catholic Church, e. g. in practices such as the creation of crown-cardinals and the claimed but invalid jus exclusivae. Appointment may have taken several forms, with a variety of roles for the laity and civic leaders, Byzantine and Germanic emperors, and noble Roman families. The role of the election vis-a-vis the general population and the clergy was prone to vary considerably, with a nomination carrying weight that ranged from nearly determinative to merely suggestive, or as ratification of a concluded election.
The practice originated in late antiquity, where on many occasions the Roman Emperor stepped in to resolve disputes over the legitimacy of Papal contenders. An important precedent from this period is an edict of Emperor Honorius, issued after a synod he convoked to depose Antipope Eulalius. The practice passed to, and grew with, the King of the Ostrogoths, and then the Byzantine Emperor (or his delegate, the Exarch of Ravenna). After an interregnum, the Kings of the Franks and the Holy Roman Emperor (whose selection the Pope also sometimes influenced), generally assumed the role of confirming Papal elections. For a period, today known as the "saeculum obscurum", the practice passed from the Emperor to powerful Roman nobles—the Crescentii and then the Counts of Tusculum.
In many cases, the Papal coronation was delayed until the election had been confirmed. Some antipopes were similarly, putatively, appointed. The practice ended with the conclusion of the Investiture Controversy (cf. confirmation of bishops) due largely to the efforts of Cardinal Hildebrand, the future Pope Gregory VII, who was a guiding force in the selection of his four predecessors, and the 1059 Papal bull In Nomine Domini of Pope Nicholas II; some writers consider this practice to be an extreme form of "investiture" in and of itself.Brauer, Jerald C., and Gerrish, Brian Albert. 1971. The Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Westminster Press. . p. 216.
Although the practice was forbidden by the Council of Antioch (341) and the Council of Rome (465), the Bishops of Rome, as with other bishops, often exercised great control over selection of their successors, even after the sixth century.Josep M. Colomer and Iain McLean. (1998). "Electing Popes: Approval Balloting and Qualified-Majority Rule". The Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 1-22. In addition, most popes of the fourth to twelfth centuries were nominated or confirmed by a secular power.
Ancient Rome As to the earliest ages, St. Peter himself constituted a senate for the Roman Church, consisting of twenty-four priests and deacons. These were the councillors of the Bishop of Rome and the electors of his successors. This statement is drawn from a canon in the "Corpus Juris Canonici" (can. "Si Petrus", caus. 8, Q. 1). Historians and canonists, however, generally hold that the Roman bishopric was filled on its vacancy in the same manner as other bishoprics, that is, the election of the new pope was made by the neighbouring bishops and the clergy and faithful of Rome. Nevertheless, some maintain that the naming of the successor of St. Peter was restricted to the Roman clergy, and that the people were admitted to a part in the elections only after the time of Sylvester I (fourth century).
After Constantine had given peace to the Church, the Christian Roman emperors often took part in the institution of a new pope and at times their influence was very marked. From the fourth century onwards, therefore, a new force had to be reckoned with. The occasion for the interference of the Roman emperors and later of the kings of Italy was afforded by disputed elections to the papal chair. The most noted of the earlier instance was at the election of Boniface I (418). This gave occasion to the decree (c. 8, dist. 79) that when an election was disputed a new candidate should be chosen.
Pope Pontificate Notes 1 Peter, Apostle, Saint Reigned 33–67 According to Catholic doctrine, Peter was appointed Pope when Jesus said: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and even the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Behold, I give you the keys to the kingdom of Heaven."Matthew 16:182 Linus, Saint Reigned c.67 – 76 elected by Church fathers following martyrdom of St. Peter3 Anacletus, Saint Reigned 76–88 aka Cletus4 Clement I, Saint Reigned 88–975 Evaristus, Saint Reigned c.98 – c.106Aristus in the Liberian Catalogue6 Alexander I, SaintReigned c.106 – 1157 Sixtus I, Saint Reigned 115–125 XYSTUS in the oldest documents8 Telesphorus, Saint Reigned 125–1369 Hyginus, Saint Reigned c.136 – 14010 Pius I, Saint Reigned c.140 – c.15411 Anicetus, Saint Reigned c.157 – 16812 Soter, Saint Reigned c.166 – c.17413 Eleutherius, Saint Reigned c.175 – 18914 Victor I, SaintReigned 189 – c.19815 Zephyrinus, SaintReigned 198–21716 Callistus I, Saint Reigned 218 – c.22217 Urban I, Saint Reigned 222–23018 Pontian, Saint Reigned 230–23519 Anterus, Saint Reigned 235–236 aka Anteros20 Fabian, SaintReigned 236–250A dove flew into the crowd and settled on Fabian's head; the gathered clergy and laity took this as a sign that Fabian had been anointed by the Holy Spirit, and he was chosen the 20th Pope by acclamation“Pope Saint Fabian“. CatholicSaints.Info. 4 February 201721 Cornelius, Saint Reigned 251–25322 Lucius I, Saint Reigned 253–25423 Stephen I, Saint Reigned 254–25724 Sixtus II, Saint Reigned 257–258 XYSTUS in the oldest documents25 Dionysius, Saint Reigned 260–26826 Felix I, Saint Reigned 269–27427 Eutychianus, Saint Reigned 275–28328 Caius, Saint Reigned 283–29629 Marcellinus, Saint Reigned 296–30430 Marcellus I, Saint Reigned 308–30931 Eusebius, Saint Reigned 309 or 31032 Miltiades, Saint Reigned 311–31433 Sylvester I, Saint Reigned 314–33534 Mark, Saint Reigned 336; aka Marcus35 Julius I, Saint Reigned 337–35236 Liberius Reigned 352–366 Considered a saint by the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches but not officially canonized by the Roman Catholic Church37 Damasus I, Saint Reigned 366–38338 Siricius, Saint Reigned 384–39939 Anastasius I, Saint Reigned 399–40140 Innocent I, SaintReigned 401–41741 Zosimus, Saint Reigned 417–41842 Boniface I, Saint Reigned 418–42243 Celestine I, Saint Reigned 422–43244 Sixtus III, Saint Reigned 432–440 XYSTUS in the oldest documents45 Leo I, Saint Reigned 440–46146 Hilarus, Saint Reigned 461–46847 Simplicius, Saint Reigned 468–48348 Felix III (II), Saint Reigned 483–49249 Gelasius I, Saint Reigned 492–49650 Anastasius II Reigned 496–49851 Symmachus, Saint Reigned 498–51452 Hormisdas, Saint Reigned 514–52353 John I, Saint Reigned 523 – c.526
Ostrogoths On November 22, 498, both Pope Symmachus and Antipope Laurentius were elected pope; both Byzantine Emperor Anastasius I and the Gothic King Theodoric the Great originally supported Laurentius, who was installed in the Lateran Palace, but Symmachus prevailed when Theodoric expelled Laurentius from Rome, fearing that he was too influenced by the Byzantine ruler.DeCormenin and de Lahaye, 1857, p. 98. Appointer Pope Pontificate NotesTheodoric the Great/AthalaricFelix IVJuly 13, 526 – September 22, 530"On Theodoric's recommendation, Felix was elected pope, and his election was confirmed by Athalaric, the successor of Theodoric"Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. 1842. Penny cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. C. Knight. p. 320.Appointed "for all practical purposes" by TheodoricHolland, David. 1989. The Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Incorporated. . p. 87.Pope Felix IV/AthalaricBoniface IISeptember 17, 530 – October 532Appointment meant to avoid split between "Byzantine" and "Gothic" factionsCoulombe, 2003, p. 96.AthalaricJohn IIJanuary 2, 533 – May 8, 535During the sede vacante of over two months, "shameless trafficking in sacred things was indulged in. Even sacred vessels were exposed for sale. The matter was brought before the Senate, and before the Arian Ostrogothic Court at Ravenna" (cf. Senatus Consultum)TheodahadAgapetus IMay 13, 535 – April 22, 536"Theodahad was well placed to coerce the new pope Agapetus, for he had been elected with his support"Evans, James Allan Stewart. 2002. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian. University of Texas Press. . p. 65.SilveriusJune 8, 536 – June 20, 537Legitimate son of Pope HormisdasCoulombe, 2003, p. 99.
Byzantine