The end of Antipopes

[dhgray]

I am studying the history of the Popes. Antipopes started challenging the authority of the Pope around 199 AD and continued until April 7, 1499 with the death of Felix V. My question is this,

What happened, why were there no more antipopes after Felix? What changed?

Thank you for helping me understand this.

Peace,
Davis

 

[CTBcin]

For one, as time went on, the political authority of the pope became more established and centralized. Furthermore, the method for choosing a pope became more formalized. This means that it is more difficult for rival groups to try and elect their own “pope.”

With today’s system, it’s pretty hard to try and establish your own rival pope. There are, however, modern day claimants to the papacy. The most infamous of these is probably Pope Michael, who was “elected” by his family and a few friends.

 

[Genesis315]

Antipopes were usually the result of a dispute between Catholic countries–having the Pope on your side would be a huge political asset. However, after the Reformation, the conflicts were more between Catholic and Protestant countries and, as papal political influence waned in the subsequent centuries, so did the need for antipopes. Antipopes can’t really get anywhere without strong civil backing.

There were a couple that were more theologically based, but, apart from St. Hippolytus (who didn’t have much influence outside Rome), they also usually had some sort of political backing too. As has been mentioned, there are some obscure ones today, but nothing as serious as in the past.