EloRater: Greatest Pope of All Time
Vote for the most influential and impactful Pope in history, considering their contributions to religion, global affairs, and legacy.
| Rank | Elo Rating | Picture of Pope | Name of Pope | Papal Teachings | Key Achievements | Dates of Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1072 |
|
St. Peter (Simon Peter) | St. Peter's teachings centered on his unique authority and leadership role among the Apostles, as C… | Universally recognized as the foremost leader among the Twelve Apostles following Christ's Ascensio… | AD 30 - AD 64/68 |
| 2 | 1061 |
|
Pope St. Leo I "the Great" | Pope St. Leo I's teachings prominently featured his clear articulation of Christological doctrine i… | Pope St. Leo I's Tome was acclaimed at the Council of Chalcedon (451), establishing his Christologi… | 29 September 440 – 10 November 461 |
| 3 | 1055 |
|
Pope Pius IX (Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti) | After extensive consultation, Pope Pius IX solemnly defined ex cathedra the dogma of the Immaculate… | Pope Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), which, though prematurely suspended, f… | 16 June 1846 – 7 February 1878 |
| 4 | 1047 |
|
Pope Innocent XI (Benedetto Odescalchi) | Pope Innocent XI issued strong condemnations of moral laxism (notably in Sanctissimus Dominus, 1679… | Pope Innocent XI immediately focused on moral and financial reform of the Papal Curia, combating ne… | 21 September 1676 – 12 August 1689 |
| 5 | 1047 |
|
Pope St. Leo III | Pope St. Leo III clearly affirmed the Western theological understanding of the Filioque clause, dec… | The most historic achievement of Pope St. Leo III was the coronation of Charlemagne as Roman Empero… | 26 December 795 – 12 June 816 |
| 6 | 1042 |
|
Pope Leo XIII (Vincenzo Gioacchino Pecci) | Pope Leo XIII issued the landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891), addressing industrialization's s… | Pope Leo XIII made the Vatican Secret Archives accessible to scholars in 1881, fostering historical… | 20 February 1878 – 20 July 1903 |
| 7 | 1038 |
|
Pope St. Nicholas I "the Great" | Pope St. Nicholas I forcefully asserted the supreme jurisdictional and doctrinal authority of the R… | Pope St. Nicholas I successfully intervened in King Lothair II's attempt to divorce his wife, ultim… | 24 April 858 – 13 November 867 |
| 8 | 1025 |
|
Pope St. John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) | Pope St. John XXIII's landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris (1963), addressed "to all men of good wil… | Pope St. John XXIII's most historically significant achievement was unexpectedly convening the Seco… | 28 October 1958 – 3 June 1963 |
| 9 | 1016 |
|
Pope Gregory IX (Ugolino di Conti) | Pope Gregory IX was deeply committed to a clear, coherent, and universally applied legal framework … | Pope Gregory IX commissioned St. Raymond of Peñafort to compile the Decretals (Liber Extra, 1234), … | 19 March 1227 – 22 August 1241 |
| 10 | 1016 |
|
Pope St. John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła) | Pope St. John Paul II delivered 129 Wednesday catecheses (1979-1984) developing the Theology of the… | Pope St. John Paul II played a pivotal role in the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, particu… | 16 October 1978 – 2 April 2005 |
| 11 | 1007 |
|
Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti) | Pope Sixtus V's teachings are more evident in his governance than specific doctrinal pronouncements… | Pope Sixtus V comprehensively reorganized the Roman Curia in 1588 with the bull Immensa Aeterni Dei… | 24 April 1585 – 27 August 1590 |
| 12 | 1007 |
|
Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) | Pope Francis's pontificate centered on Mercy, describing the Church as a "field hospital" and procl… | Pope Francis undertook a major Reform of the Roman Curia, culminating in Praedicate Evangelium (202… | 13 March 2013 – 21 April 2025 |
| 13 | 1002 |
|
Pope St. Gregory I "the Great" | Pope St. Gregory I's teachings are epitomized by his "Book on the Office of a Bishop" (Liber Pastor… | A paramount achievement of Pope St. Gregory I was initiating the mission of St. Augustine of Canter… | 3 September 590 – 12 March 604 |
| 14 | 989 |
|
Pope Urban II (Odo of Châtillon) | Pope Urban II developed and proclaimed a theology of holy war that justified armed pilgrimage to re… | Pope Urban II's most influential achievement was launching the First Crusade in 1095 with an electr… | 12 March 1088 – 29 July 1099 |
| 15 | 985 |
|
Pope St. Pius V (Antonio Ghislieri) | Pope St. Pius V dedicated his pontificate to the energetic implementation of the Council of Trent's… | Pope St. Pius V was the chief architect of the Holy League, an alliance of Catholic maritime states… | 7 January 1566 – 1 May 1572 |
| 16 | 982 |
|
Pope St. Pius X (Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto) | Pope St. Pius X vigorously opposed and condemned theological Modernism, which he termed the "synthe… | Pope St. Pius X initiated the first comprehensive codification of Latin Church law in 1904, a monum… | 4 August 1903 – 20 August 1914 |
| 17 | 978 |
|
Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Alois Ratzinger) | Pope Benedict XVI's teachings consistently sought to articulate the reasonableness of faith and the… | As a renowned theologian, Pope Benedict XVI left a rich intellectual legacy through his encyclicals… | 19 April 2005 – 28 February 2013 |
| 18 | 968 |
|
Pope Innocent III (Lotario dei Conti di Segni) | Pope Innocent III asserted an unparalleled vision of papal authority, describing the Pope as the "V… | Pope Innocent III convened and masterfully guided the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), one of history… | 8 January 1198 – 16 July 1216 |
| 19 | 953 |
|
Pope St. Gregory VII (Hildebrand) | Pope St. Gregory VII articulated far-reaching claims for papal power in the Dictatus Papae, asserti… | Pope St. Gregory VII was the principal architect of the Gregorian Reform, a sweeping movement to pu… | 22 April 1073 – 25 May 1085 |
| 20 | 944 |
|
Pope Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici) | In response to Martin Luther, Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Exsurge Domine (1520), condemning 41… | A member of the powerful Medici family, Pope Leo X was a lavish patron of arts, literature, and sch… | 11 March 1513 – 1 December 1521 |
| 21 | 937 |
|
Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) | TBD. | TBD. | 8 May 2025 - Current |
| 22 | 917 |
|
Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere) | A core tenet of Pope Julius II's pontificate was the unwavering belief in and active pursuit of the… | Pope Julius II was an extraordinary patron of High Renaissance art, commissioning monumental works … | 1 November 1503 – 21 February 1513 |
| 23 | 912 |
|
Pope Boniface VIII (Benedetto Gaetani) | Pope Boniface VIII issued the bull Unam Sanctam (1302), one of the most forceful declarations of pa… | Pope Boniface VIII oversaw the compilation and publication of the Liber Sextus Decretalium (1298), … | 24 December 1294 – 11 October 1303 |