Why does the Catholic Encyclopedia count 265 popes while the Vatican acknowledges 264?
The confusion arises around Stephen II (752) who died 3 days after his election, but prior to his consecration. The Vatican list does not contain him, whereas the Catholic Encyclopedias list does. The Vatican refers to Pope John Paul II as the 264th pope. The official list is based on the definitive study of Popes, completed in 1947 by Msgr. Angelo Mercato, Director of the Vatican Archives. The Vatican accepted and published his findings as the official list. This list and the Popes since then add up to 264. The Pope Chart includes these 264 Popes.
