Who were the two popes in the great schism


Pope benedict xiii during the great schism of catholic church!

The Western Great Schism:
Two Popes at One Time

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The Western Great Schism began on September 20, 1378 with the election of Clement VII in Avignon, France. He was the second pope elected by the same college of cardinals in six months, and for the first time in history there were two "legitimate" claimants to be head of the church in Rome.

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"Antipope" Clement VII
Picture by David Henry, permission granted by Wikipedia Commons

Why Avignon?

Before the Western Great Schism came a time sometimes called the Babylonian Captivity of the Church; a time when the pope, the bishop of Rome, ruled not from Rome but from Avignon.

In A.D. 1294 Benedetto Gaetani was elected and took the name of Pope Boniface Pope benedict xiii during the great schism mass.