Apapal renunciation (Latin:renuntiatio), also called apapal abdication, occurs when the currentpope of theCatholic Church voluntarily resigns his position. As a pope conventionallyholds the office for life, a papal renunciation is an uncommon event. Before the 21st century, only five popes unambiguously resigned with historical certainty, all between the 10th and 15th centuries. There are disputed claims of four popes having resigned, dating from the 3rd to the 11th centuries; a fifth disputed case may have involved anantipope.
Additionally, a few popes during thesaeculum obscurum were "deposed", meaning driven from office by force. The history and canonical question here is complicated; generally, the official Vatican list of popes seems to recognize such "depositions" as valid renunciations if the pope acquiesced, but not if he did not. The later development ofcanon law has been in favor ofpapal supremacy, leaving no recourse to the removal of a pope involuntarily.[1]
The most recent pope to resign wasBenedict XVI, whovacated theHoly See on 28 February 2013, the date ofhis effective resignation. He was the first pope to do so sinceGregory XII in 1415.
Despite its common usage in discussion of papal renunciations,[2] the termabdication is not used in the official documents of the church for renunciation by a pope.
In theLatin Church of theCatholic Church, theofficial laws on all matters are codified in the Latin edition of the1983Code of Canon Law. This regulates papal renunciations incanon 332 §2, where it states:
This corresponds to canon 221 of the1917Code of Canon Law, which in Latin is:
Both the 1983 code and the 1917 code make explicit that there is no particular individual or body of people to whom the pope must manifest his renunciation. This addresses a concern raised in earlier centuries, specifically by 18th-century canonistLucius Ferraris, who held that theCollege of Cardinals or at least itsDean must be informed, since the cardinals must be absolutely certain that the pope has renounced the dignity before they can validly proceed to elect a successor.[2][8]
In 1996, Pope John Paul II, in hisApostolic ConstitutionUniversi Dominici gregis, anticipated the possibility of resignation when he specified that the procedures he set out in that document should be observed "even if the vacancy of the Apostolic See should occur as a result of the resignation of the Supreme Pontiff".[9]
TheCatholic Encyclopedia notes the historically obscure renunciations ofPontian[10] (230–235) andMarcellinus (296–308), the historically postulated renunciation ofLiberius (352–366),[2] and mentions that one (unspecified) catalogue of popes listsJohn XVIII as resigning office in 1009 and finishing his life as amonk.[11][12]
The first historically unquestionable[2] papal renunciation is that ofBenedict IX in 1045. Benedict had also previously been deposed bySylvester III in 1044, and though he returned to take up the office again the next year, the Vatican considers Sylvester III to have been a legitimate pope in the intervening months (meaning that Benedict IX must be considered to have validly resigned by acquiescing to the deposition in 1044). Then, in 1045, having regained the papacy for a few months, in order to rid the church of the scandalous Benedict,Gregory VI gave Benedict "valuable possessions"[2] to resign the papacy in his favour.[13] Gregory himself resigned in 1046 because the arrangement he had entered into with Benedict could have been consideredsimony. Gregory was followed byClement II, and when Clement died, Benedict IX returned to be elected to the papacy for a third time, only to resign yet again before dying in a monastery. He was thus pope for three non-consecutive periods of time, and either resigned or was deposed three times.
A well-known renunciation of a pope is that ofCelestine V, in 1294. After only five months as pope, he issued a solemn decree declaring it permissible for a pope to resign, and then did so himself. He lived two more years as ahermit and then prisoner of his successorBoniface VIII, and was latercanonised. Celestine's decree, and Boniface concurring (not revoking it), ended any doubt among canonists about the possibility of a valid papal renunciation.[14]
Gregory XII (1406–1415) resigned in 1415 in order to end theWestern Schism, which had reached the point where there were three claimants to the papal throne: Gregory XII in Rome,Benedict XIII inAvignon, andJohn XXIII inPisa. Before resigning, he formally convened the already existingCouncil of Constance and authorized it to elect his successor.
Benedict XVI's renunciation of the papacy took effect on 28 February 2013 at 20:00 (8:00 pm)CET (19:00 UTC), after being announced on the morning of 11 February by theVatican.[15][16][17] He was the first pope to relinquish the office sinceGregory XII resigned to end theWestern Schism in 1415[18] and the first to do so on his own initiative sinceCelestine V in 1294.[19] His action was unexpected,[20] given that themodern era popes have held the position from election until death.[20] He said he was motivated by his declining health due to old age.[21] Theconclave to select his successor began on 12 March 2013[22] and elected CardinalJorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who took the nameFrancis.
| Pontificate | Portrait | Regnal name | Personal name | Reason for renunciation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alleged resignations | |||||
| 21 July 230 – 28 September 235 (5 years, 69 days) |  | StPontian | Pontianus | Exiled by Roman authorities | Renunciation documented only in theLiberian Catalogue, which records his renunciation as 28 September 235, the earliest exact date in papal history.[23][24] |
| 30 June 296 – 25 October 304 (8 years, 117 days) |  | StMarcellinus | Marcellinus | Said to have been tainted by offerings to the pagan gods during theDiocletian persecution | Renunciation is documented only in theLiberian Catalogue. |
| 17 May 352 – 24 September 366 (14 years, 130 days) |  | Liberius | Liberius | Banished by EmperorConstantius II[2] | Renunciation is speculated to explain the succession ofAntipope Felix II,[2] althoughLiber Pontificalis argues that Liberius retained office in exile. |
| 25 December 1003 – 18 July 1009 (5 years, 205 days) |  | John XVIII | Giovanni Fasano | Abdicated and retired to a monastery | Renunciation documented only in one catalog of popes |
| 13 January 1045 – 10 March 1045 (56 days) |  | Sylvester III | Giovanni dei Crescenzi-Ottaviani | Driven out of office by the return ofBenedict IX | Some claim he was never pope, but anantipope. The official Vatican list includes him however, which assumesBenedict IX acquiesced to his first deposition and that the new election was valid. Sylvester returned to his old bishopric, seemingly accepting the deposition. |
| Reliable resignations | |||||
| 22 May 964 – 23 June 964 (32 days) | .png) | Benedict V | Benedetto | Deposed by EmperorOtto I | Deposed in favor of the antipopeLeo VIII, who then became a valid pope. Benedict's abdication was considered valid. Retained the rank of deacon. Lived out the rest of his life in Hamburg under the care ofAdaldag, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. |
| Oct 1032–Sept 1044 April 1045–May 1045 Nov 1047–July 1048 | .png) | Benedict IX | Teofilatto diTuscolo | Deposed briefly from his first term as pope, bribed to resign his second term after several reputed scandals, and also resigned his third term | Earliest renunciation recognized in the ordering of popes. He was pope on three occasions between 1032 and 1048.[25] One of the youngest popes, he was the only man to have been pope on more than one occasion and the only man ever to have sold the papacy. |
| 1 May 1045 – 20 December 1046 (1 year, 233 days) | .png) | Gregory VI | Giovanni Graziano Pierleoni | Accused ofsimony for bribing Benedict IX to resign | Abdicated or deposed at theCouncil of Sutri. |
| 5 July 1294 – 13 December 1294 (161 days) |  | StCelestine V,O.S.B. | Pietro Angelerio da Morrone | Lack of competence for the office | With no administrative experience, Celestine V fell under the control of secular politicians. To protect the church, he resigned. He was the first pope to establishcanons for renunciation. |
| 30 November 1406 – 4 July 1415 (8 years, 216 days) |  | Gregory XII | Angelo Correr | To end theWestern Schism | Abdicated during theCouncil of Constance, which had been called by his opponent,Antipope John XXIII. |
| 19 April 2005 – 28 February 2013 (7 years, 315 days) | .jpg) | Benedict XVI | Joseph Alois Ratzinger | Main article:Resignation of Pope Benedict XVI Physical infirmity due to advanced age (85 at the time) | Becamepope emeritus upon renunciation. |
Before setting out forParis to crownNapoleon in 1804,Pope Pius VII (1800–1823) signed a document of renunciation to take effect if he were imprisoned inFrance.[2]
DuringWorld War II,Pope Pius XII drew up a document ordering that his resignation take effect immediately if he werekidnapped by the Nazis, as was thought likely in August 1943. It was thought that theCollege of Cardinals would evacuate to a neutral country, perhapsPortugal, and elect his successor.[26]
According to longtimecurial official CardinalGiovanni Battista Re,Pope Paul VI handwrote two letters in the late 1960s or 1970, well before his death, in anticipation of an incapacitating illness. One letter was addressed to theCollege of Cardinals, the other to theSecretary of State, whose name was not specified. Pope John Paul II showed them to Re, and they were shown to Pope Benedict XVI in 2003.[27][28] In 2018, Paul's letter dated 2 May 1965 and addressed to thedean of the College of Cardinals was published. He wrote that "In case of infirmity, which is believed to be incurable or is of long duration and which impedes us from sufficiently exercising the functions of our apostolic ministry; or in the case of another serious and prolonged impediment", he renounced his office "both as bishop of Rome as well as head of the same holy Catholic Church".[29][30]
Pope John Paul II wrote a letter in 1989 offering to resign if he became incapacitated. The letter said that if ill health or some other unforeseen difficulty prevented him from "sufficiently carrying out the functions of my apostolic ministry … I renounce my sacred and canonical office, both as bishop of Rome as well as head of the holy Catholic Church." In 1994 he wrote a document that he apparently planned to read aloud, which explained that he had determined he could not resign merely because of age, as other bishops are required to do, but only "in the presence of an incurable illness or an impediment", and that he would therefore continue in office.[31][32] He prayed in his will, written in 2000, that God "would help me to recognise how long I must continue this service", suggesting that renunciation was possible.[33] In the weeks before his death in 2005, there was press speculation that John Paul might resign because of his failing health.[34]
Pope Francis had confirmed he had a resignation letter prepared in the first months of his pontificate, in the event he needed to abdicate his position due to illness "impeding his work" as pope. This letter was never enforced, and hedied in office in 2025.[35]
Canon law makes no provision for a pope being incapacitated by reason of health, either temporarily or permanently; nor does it specify what body has the authority to certify that the pope is incapacitated.[36] It does state that "When theRoman See is vacant, or completely impeded, no innovation is to be made in the governance of the universal Church."[37][38]
I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
