The Story of Why Did We Have Three Popes at Once?

Learn about the Papal Schism, which divided the Catholic Church as three popes fought for dominance. The Pope has served as the ultimate spiritual leader for Catholics all across the world for almost two millennia. However, by the end of the 14th century, Catholics had not one, not two, but three popes. Where did all of these popes appear? And which one of them was the real deal?

The Pope has served as the ultimate spiritual leader for Catholics all across the world for almost two millennia. However, by the end of the 14th century, Catholics had not one, not two, but three popes. Where did all of these popes appear? And which one of them was the real deal? This papal crisis got its start in 1296 when King Philip IV of France decided to increase church taxes.

Given the political influence of the clergy, this outraged Pope Boniface VIII, who therefore wrote the "Unam Sanctam": a dramatic edict declaring the Pope's complete sovereignty over all earthly authorities.

But King Philip retaliated. He labeled Boniface a heretic and attempted to have him taken into custody during a bloody raid. Despite surviving the attack, Boniface passed away very quickly. After a brief succession, Pope Clement V was chosen in 1305.

A French diplomat working for peace in the conflict between his country and England, Clement wished to remain close to the battle while avoiding Rome's demands. So, in 1309, he relocated the papal throne to Avignon, a city that was controlled by the Church but was near France.

The papacy remained in this location for seven popes' reigns before the current pope eventually went back to Italy in 1376. But a few months after his arrival, he passed away unexpectedly.

This unexpected situation necessitated the election of a new pope right away—and in Rome, where a papal election hadn't taken place in more than 70 years.

Rome was to once again serve as the center of Western Christianity, and the Romans were resolved to elect one of their own. While raucous mobs ransacked the conclave and pillaged the papal wine cellar, local officials pressed cardinals to elect an Italian pope.

In the midst of this confusion, the cardinals selected the Neapolitan Archbishop of Bari to become Pope Urban VI. Urban was at first thought of as a reliable option. But he soon revealed himself to be a reformer who worked to constrict the cardinal's financial power. The cardinals, desperate to maintain their opulent lifestyles, ruled the most recent election invalid because it was made under duress from the Roman people. They declared Urban to be a usurper and called for the election of Pope Clement VII in a new conclave.

Urban rejected Clement's and his avaricious cardinals' authority when Clement tried to excommunicate him. Urban established himself in Rome and appointed new cardinals to his court. Clement and his supporters went back to Avignon during this time. The division had formally started. Avignon and Rome were now the two major cities in Western Christianity each with a separate pope and cardinal court.

Each line's cardinals appointed successors as popes passed away, keeping the situation going for decades.

Most regular Catholics weren't affected by this unique circumstance, because there were no major theological divisions. Instead, the drama took place in the sphere of diplomacy. Due to the rivalry between the two popes for spiritual and political hegemony, European tyrants were driven to take sides.

The only way to formally settle the dispute was to convene a general council, but both parties declined to do so. A group of cardinals from France and Rome met in 1409 to discuss whether they should intervene on their own. They asserted that cardinals had the authority to convene a council because there was disagreement over both popes. At their meeting, the cardinals ousted the imposters and chose a new pope.

Unfortunately, neither the Pope of Rome nor that of Avignon recognized this assembly. So, rather than finding a solution to the situation, there were three popes. This odd arrangement persisted for another five years, up until the Constance Council in 1417.

Here, the recently established third line and popes descended from the Roman line resigned. They decided to install Martin V as the new Pope to unify the church. Without a doubt, Martin easily excommunicated the lone opponent remaining—after 39 years, the schism was eventually put to a stop by the Pope of Avignon.

According to current church archives, the Roman line has always held the actual papal authority. Regardless of how the schism resolved itself, the fact that it ever existed shows that even those who are supposed to be pious are prone to small-scale power struggles.