Theory:Timeline - Pope

This page lists Popes in chronological the order. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories.

Years given are the ones confirmed by DWU stories.

Timeline

 * Saint Peter, 1st Pope
 * 'The pope is the anointed leader of the Holy Catholic Church and derives his authority from those who came before him all the way back to Saint Peter.'
 * 'Ah, yes, Peter. Very interesting man. A powerful speaker.' (PROSE: The Price of Conviction)


 * 800: Leo III
 * 'Pope Leo the third?' murmured the Doctor, looking panicked. 'This is the year 800! If that meeting doesn't happen...' His voice trailed off. (PROSE: The Lonely Computer)


 * Joan
 * "Aside from documenting his few recorded appearances within the City of the Saved, any account of Godfather Avatar rapidly becomes as speculative as a biography of Robin Hood or Pope Joan." (PROSE: Of the City of the Saved...)
 * TOP TEN THINGS WOMEN AREN’T ALLOWED TO DO AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT:
 * 3. BECOME POPE
 * Solution: Become Pope anyway. Oh, all right, you can disguise yourself as a man if you like. Just don’t give it away by giving birth during a procession (I’m looking at you, Joan). (PROSE: Girl Power!)


 * 1045: Benedict IX
 * ANGELO: As you can see, this is the personal recommendation of Pope Benedict IX. In 1045.
 * DOCTOR: Pope Benedict. Lovely girl. What a night. I knew she was trouble, but she wove a spell with her castanets. (TV: Extremis)


 * 1190: Pope
 * JOANNA: In Rome. His Holiness the Pope will not allow this marriage of mine to that infidel. (TV: The Crusade)


 * Honorius
 * ‘Well, well, well! The Grimoire of Pope Honorius!’ The Doctor had seized an ancient leatherbound volume with great excitement. ‘A copy I never knew existed...’ (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Dæmons)


 * 1511: Julius II
 * ‘Pope Julius II badgered him into it. But then, Michelangelo chose the subject – the Bible, from Creation to the Last Judgement, a graphic story from beginning to end.’ (PROSE: Managra)
 * QUOTE? (AUDIO: Fallen Angels)


 * 1514: Leo X
 * SYNOPSIS: Guiliano confesses to his brother Pope Leo X that he has angered the wealthy family of Ravelli and believes the newcomers may be part of an assassination plot. (AUDIO: The Ravelli Conspiracy)


 * 15XX: Gregory
 * "On 14 September, 1752, the country known as England – arguably the most important nation-state on Earth at that point in time – adopted the Gregorian calendar, the system of measuring time that had been championed by Pope Gregory nearly two centuries earlier." (PROSE: Interference - Book One)


 * 1609: Pope
 * The Doctor frowned. "Hmm, I must admit to a slight worry. Being mistaken for an emissary of the Pope in Venice in 1609 is, perhaps, not the safest thing that could have happened." (PROSE: The Empire of Glass)


 * 1799: Pius VI
 * "By all the sodomized choirboys of Pope Pius VI, thought Erskine, things are going from bad to worse around here." (PROSE: Christmas on a Rational Planet)


 * 1887: Leo XIII
 * "I was hit by a sudden crashing realization, and so when Holmes turned his head and said, 'Watson, may I introduce His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII,' I was at least half prepared." (PROSE: All-Consuming Fire)


 * Pius XII
 * "The current Conclave chair, Pius XII, was said to be ‘disappointed’ by his successor’s behaviour." (PROSE: A Hundred Words from a Civil War)


 * 1968: Paul VI
 * "La Stampa. 15 March 1968 (trans.): The appearance of the symbol of the Revolution Man on the floor of St Peter’s Cathedral has brought about amazement and consternation in the Vatican. Pope Paul VI is known to be deeply concerned, and it is believed that he considers this the most serious of crimes." (PROSE: Revolution Man)
 * Then, an American accent spoke out over the radio: 'Pope Paul IV [sic] has expressed his hopes for a peaceful Christmas following the bombings in Milan and Rome earlier this month...' (PROSE: Interesting Times)


 * 1981-1997: John Paul
 * "Someone tried, in 1981, to take the life of Ronald Reagan. Two months later, someone even took a pop at the Pope in St Peters Square." (PROSE: The Assassin's Story)
 * "She recognised Prince Charles, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul, the Queen …" (PROSE: Nothing O'Clock)
 * 'Well, it's one of the Big Questions, isn't it? Life on other planets. Do you think that Xznaal's a Protestant or a Catholic? The Pope has sought an audience with him, you know.' (PROSE: The Dying Days)


 * 2005: Pope
 * "The new pope hadn’t made a public appearance yet, but the Vatican was insisting he was well and hadn’t been taken when the swarm hit St Peter’s Square." (PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles)


 * 2097: Pope
 * ‘It’s 2097, Fitz. When in Rome. . . This is a crucial point in Earth’s relations with alien species. The very first papal visit to Mars. The pope is going to consecrate the first cathedral here, and anoint the first native Martian archbishops, and if she’s ext –’ (PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles)


 * 25XX: Felix VIII
 * 'I once had the pleasure of meeting Pope Felix VIII,' Valeriani was telling me, 'at a presidential reception, when I was last on Earth. He was before your time, of course — a great statesman, though.
 * It is clear that Valeriani understands people all too well. If he is (as his reference to Pope Felix was obviously intended to suggest) more than a hundred years old (PROSE: Predating the Predators)


 * 26XX: Beatrix II, 314th Pope
 * BEATRIX II, the 314th Pope of the original Roman Catholic Church and a significant figure in resurrected ecclesiastical politics, has been sanctioned by the Conclave of All Popes for her alleged connections with the Sons of Tepes crime cartel. (PROSE: A Hundred Words from a Civil War)

Popes of Old Rome

 * Urban IX
 * 'You sound like a schismatic, Doctor. Back on Earth, they refer to the new Rome as Avignon. The new Babylonian captivity. They elected a rival Pope, back in Old Rome. Of course, he called himself Urban IX; and those who have succeeded him as antipope have also taken the name. Swine!' (PROSE: Companion Piece)


 * 27XX: Urban XII
 * 'The conclave has begun, and I have heard that Urban XII has left Earth. He feels strong enough to go to Rome and assert his claim in person. The Magellanic Tsar is bound to react. The choice that is made in Rome might cost us our lives.' (PROSE: Companion Piece)

Popes of new Rome

 * Athanasius
 * 'The question of the baptism of non-humanoid species split the Church in two. Did they or did they not have souls? ... There were riots, civil wars, governments became embroiled and secular authority also fragmented. Fearing for his safety, Pope Athanasius finally left Earth for Rome.' (PROSE: Companion Piece)


 * Sixtus
 * 'But it was clearly established in the reign of His Holiness Pope Sixtus ... that soul-death occurs five to seven years after brain-stem activity ceases. Until that sad event occurs, the throne is not vacant.' (PROSE: Companion Piece)


 * 27XX: John Paul XXIII
 * "For the moment, all you need to know is that I am Guii del Toro, Grand Inquisitor for all of this sector of Roman Catholic space, working under special dispensation from His Holiness Pope John Paul XXIII, and that you and your ship — your TARDIS — are now in my custody" (PROSE: Companion Piece)

Popes of the Magellanic Clouds

 * 27XX: Celestine VI
 * 'Doctor, Celestine VI is a highly evolved dolphin from beyond the Rakash Nebula! A dolphin, elevated to the throne of Saint Peter! A wretched fish!'
 * 'They're mammals,' said the Doctor.
 * 'Pope John Paul has made it an article of faith that dolphins are fish,' the Inquisitor spat. (PROSE: Companion Piece)

Later Popes

 * 3278: Lucian
 * ‘Pope Lucian. Of course! Now it’s coming back to me. It is the year AD 3278, or very close. That means we’re bang in the middle of the High Dogmatic period.’ (PROSE: Managra)


 * 45XX: Saint Peter (clone)
 * "The clones weren't real clones, of course, and only tended to live an hour or two. It was real cutting edge stuff, banned by the Vatican. Not because the Pope had any real ethical objections (how could he, having himself been grown from one of St Peter's fingernails?) (PROSE: Paydirt)

Alternate timelines

 * Shadow World Pope
 * BILL: Doctor! Here's a tip. When I'm on a date, when that rare and special thing happens in my real life, do not, do not under any circumstances, put the Pope in my bedroom!
 * ANGELO: Doctor! On behalf of every human soul in this world, of any creed, of any faith, with the utmost respect and in complete secrecy, His Holiness, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, requests most urgently, a personal audience. (TV: Extremis)

Unplaced

 * Clement
 * "The Doctor had been in many libraries - he had lent his reader's ticket for the British Museum to Marx, advised Pope Clement on the contents of the Vatican Library..." (PROSE: Timewyrm: Apocalypse)