Pope-elect Stephen

Pope-elect Stephen
Pope-elect Stephen
	File:Vatican coa.png
Installed	ca. March 23, 752
Term ended	ca. March 26, 752
Predecessor	Saint Zacharias
Successor	Stephen III
Personal details
Born	???; ???
Died	ca. March 26, 752

Stephen, elected pope in March of 752 to succeed Pope Zacharias, died of apoplexy three days later, before being consecrated. In those times, consecration prevailed over election: he was not considered a legitimate pope and forgotten on all lists of popes. His immediate successor, called Stephen too, is as a rule numbered Stephen II, since the name Stephen had been already borne by Pope Stephen I (242-257).

From 752 to 942, seven popes bearing the same name did reign. They didn't have a number during their life, since the custom of numbering popes dates back approximately from the 10th century, but they were later numbered from Stephen II to Stephen VIII. When a new pope Stephen was elected in 1057, after the numbering has become a custom, he was naturally called Stephen IX.

Approximately from the beginning of the 13th century, it was considered that election prevailed over consecration and then, an unconsecreted pope was a legitimate pope from his very election. According to this new rule, when Pope Celestine IV (1241) or Pope Urban VII (1590) died just after their election, before being consecrated, nobody did intend to erase them from the lists. And then, from the 16th Century, some began to consider that this article's Pope Stephen was indeed a legitimate pope. He had then to be called Stephen II and the following Stephens had to be requalified from Stephen III to Stephen X — even if the last one was called officially Stephen IX during his life!

From the 1961 edition of Annuario pontificio, which gives the "authorized" list of popes (there is no real official list), our Stephen was erased again and the folling Stephens are numbered again from II to IX. But because not all list-makers count him as having been pope, there exists in other lists an awkward nomenclature for later popes who chose the name Stephen. Later Stephens are sometimes numbered with parentheses, e.g., his immediate successor is sometimes referred to either as Stephen (II) III, or as Stephen II (III). However, neither Celestin IV nor Urban VII have been similarly erased, since at their time, one was pope since election.

Contrary to a widespread idea, the eviction of pope Stephen from the list is accepted by most historian and is no more a debate in the Church, but the Catholic Encyclopedia on which a lot of articles lean dates from 1913 and is no more up to date.

This very minor matter has no theological significance however, nor any historical consequence: Stephen died without having taken any decision. To recognize him or not has only implication for the drawing up and clarity of the lists of popes. The next pope Stephen can be called either Stephen X or Stephen XI, it will be up to him to chose — but isn't it actually the reason explaining no recent pope dared to chose that name?

See also