Data bite – News – Pope John Paul II fourth-longest-serving pontiff in Catholic Church history – Brief Article
Pope John Paul II, who turns 83 on May 18, became the fourth-longest-serving pontiff in Catholic Church history on April 24. On that day, he exceeded the tenure of Plus VI, who was pope from 1775 to 1799. The Polish-born pope, leader of the world’s 1 billion Catholics, recently issued the 14th encyclical of his nearly 25-year papacy. Of the church’s 264 popes, only Leo XIII, Pius IX and St. Peter, the first of the popes, have had longer reigns. John Paul, elected October 16, 1978, and invested six days later, could become third on the list, surpassing Leo (1878-1903) if he remains in office in March next year.
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