Pope-elect Stephen
Stephen was a priest of Rome elected Pope in March 752 to succeed Pope Zachary; he died of stroke a few days later, before being ordained a bishop.[1] He was a cardinal presbyter, with the titulus of San Crisogono (the same titulus as Cardinal Frederick of Lorraine, later Pope Stephen IX), chosen by Pope Zachary in 745.
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[edit] Dual Papal numbering
The Annuario Pontificio included this Stephen its list of popes as Pope Stephen II until the Second Vatican Council (1962–65) declared that he was not a pope, and gave all papal Stephens that followed dual numberings to reflect this change.[1] Accordingly his successor, who was also called Stephen (752–757), was originally referred to as Stephen III but is now listed as Stephen II.
From 752 to 942, seven popes reigned bearing the name of Stephen. Originally, they were not otherwise distinguished, as regnal numbering was not applied to popes until the 10th century. They were named Stephen II to VIII respectively after their death. The next Pope to take the name Stephen in 1057, however, after numbering had become a custom, was called Stephen IX during his life and signed all his documents "Stephanus Nonus Papa".
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b History's great untold stories: larger than life characters & dramatic ... By Joseph Cummins. National Geographic Books. p. 13.
[edit] References
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2010) |
- Bishop of Rome, Patrick Saint-Roch
- Onomastics, Pontifical, Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller
- in Philippe Levillain (editor), The Papacy: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, 2002, 1780, p. ISBN 0-415-93752-3
