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Longest Serving Popes in the History of the Catholic Church: Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, died at the age of 88 on Monday after experiencing a stroke and cardiac arrest. The first Latin American pope, Francis, led the Roman Catholic Church following his appointment on March 13, 2013, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI.
His sudden demise took many by surprise, as he had been seen just days before Easter Sunday, greeting enthusiastic crowds in St Peter’s Square from an open-air popemobile, which indicated that he was recovering well.
Francis, with about 12 years of papacy, was the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, an institution that has existed for nearly 2,000 years.
Looking back through history, St Peter, the first pope ever, is traditionally recognised by the Catholic Church for having the longest papal reign, estimated at approximately 34 years.
However, many historians dispute that it is impossible to verify, as there is no beginning date of his papacy on the official Vatican website.
Accordingly, the longest-serving pope was Pius IX, who held the office for about 32 years, beginning his papacy in 1846 until he died in 1878.
On the contrary, Urban VII is known to have the record for the shortest reign as pope in history, as he died of malaria in September 1590 after serving just 13 days in the office.
| SNo. | Pope’s Name | Reign Period | Duration |
| 1 | Pius IX | 1846–1878 | 31 years, 7 months, 23 days |
| 2 | John Paul II | 1978–2005 | 26 years, 5 months, 18 days |
| 3 | Leo XIII | 1878–1903 | 25 years, 5 months, 1 day |
| 4 | Pius VI | 1775–1799 | 24 years, 6 months, 15 days |
| 5 | Adrian I | 772–795 | 23 years, 10 months, 25 days |
| 6 | Pius VII | 1800–1823 | 23 years, 5 months, 7 days |
| 7 | Alexander III | 1159–1181 | 21 years, 11 months, 24 days |
| 8 | Sylvester I | 314–335 | 21 years, 11 months, 1 day |
| 9 | Leo I | 440–461 | 21 years, 1 month, 13 days |
| 10 | Urban VIII | 1623–1644 | 20 years, 11 months, 24 days |
When a reigning pope passes away, the Roman Catholic Church goes through a period of deep mourning and transitions to select a new pope. The Church enters a state known as “sede vacante” (“empty seat” or “vacant see”), according to Reuters, and the conclave must begin between 15 and 20 days after the sede vacante begins.
This time normally lasts several weeks, during which the late pope’s body is placed in state, his funeral is held, and cardinals prepare for the conclave, a private meeting to elect a new pope.
