Stephen was a priest of Rome elected Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

in March of 752 to succeed Pope Zachary

Pope Zachary

Pope Saint Zachary was Pope of the Catholic Church from 741 to 752. A Greek from Calabria, he was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy...

; he died of stroke a few days later, before being ordained

Holy Orders

The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....

 a bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

. He was a cardinal presbyter, with the titulus of San Crisogono (the same titulus as Cardinal Frederick of Lorraine, later Pope Stephen IX

Pope Stephen IX

Pope Stephen IX was Pope from August 3, 1057 to March 1058.His baptismal name was Frederick of Lorraine , and he was a younger brother of Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine, who, as Marquis of Tuscany , played a prominent part in the politics of the period.Frederick, who had...

), chosen by Pope Zachary in 745.

Dual Papal numbering

The Annuario Pontificio

Annuario Pontificio

The Annuario Pontificio is the annual directory of the Holy See. It lists all the popes to date and all officials of the Holy See's departments...

 included this Stephen its list of popes as Pope Stephen II until the Second Vatican Council

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

 (1962–65) declared that he was not a pope, and gave all papal Stephens that followed dual numberings to reflect this change. Accordingly his successor

Pope Stephen II

Pope Stephen II was Pope from 752 to 757, succeeding Pope Zachary following the death of Pope-elect Stephen. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy.-Allegiance to Constantinople:...

, who was also called Stephen (752–757), was originally referred to as Stephen III but is now listed as Stephen II.

From 752 to 942, seven popes reigned bearing the name of Stephen. Originally, they were not otherwise distinguished, as regnal numbering was not applied to popes until the 10th century. They were named Stephen II to VIII respectively after their death. The next Pope to take the name Stephen in 1057, however, after numbering had become a custom, was called Stephen IX during his life and signed all his documents "Stephanus Nonus Papa".

See also

• Vicedomino de Vicedominis
  Vicedomino de Vicedominis
  Vicedomino de Vicedominis was an Italian cardinal.-Biography:Born at Piacenza, he was the cardinal-nephew of Pope Gregory X, his cousin who elevated him on June 3, 1273. From 1257 until 1273 he was archbishop of Aix, then cardinal-bishop of Palestrina...
  
  
• List of 10 shortest-reigning popes
• Pope John XX
  Pope John XX
  There has never been a Pope John XX, because the 20th pope of this name, formerly Petrus Hispanus, when elected Pope in 1276, decided to skip the number XX and to be counted as John XXI instead...