Definition
A person who claims to be Pope or holds the papal office in opposition to the Church's official Pope, often elected during periods of religious conflict.
Etymology
From 'anti-' (against) + 'pope,' used in medieval and Renaissance history when rival popes competed for legitimacy, each calling the other an antipope.
Kelly Says
During the Western Schism (1378-1417), there were actually THREE competing popes, each calling the others antipopes! It was like a holy game of 'no, you're the fake one'—imagine if different countries disagreed on who should be president.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
አንቲፓፓ
an-tee-pa-pa
ARالعربية
ال反بابا
al-fan-babaa
BNবাংলা
প্রতিপাপা
pro-tee-pa-pa
CACatalà
Antipapa
an-tee-pa-pa
CSČeština
Antipapež
an-tee-pa-pezh
DADansk
Antipaps
an-tee-paps
DEDeutsch
Antiklimax
an-tee-kli-maks
ELΕλληνικά
Αντιπάπας
an-tee-pa-pas
ESEspañol
Anticristo
an-tee-kree-stoh
FISuomi
Antipaavi
an-tee-pa-avi
FRFrançais
Anticliff
an-tee-kliff
GUGU
અંતિપાપા
an-tee-pa-pa
HAHA
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
HEעברית
אנטי-教皇
an-tee-ya-khoo-haal
HIहिन्दी
प्रतिपापा
pra-tee-pa-pa
HUMagyar
Antipapa
an-tee-pa-pa
IDBahasa Indonesia
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
IGIG
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
ITItaliano
Antipapa
an-tee-pa-pa
KMKM
អនតិពាព
an-tee-pa-aw
MRMR
अन्टिपापा
an-tee-pa-pa
MSBahasa Melayu
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
MYမြန်မာ
အန်တီပေါပ်
an-tee-pa-paw
NLNederlands
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
NONorsk
Antipaps
an-tee-paps
PAPA
ਅਨਟੀਪਾਪਾ
an-tee-pa-pa
PLPolski
Antyppapa
ant-ee-pa-pa
PTPortuguês
Anticristo
an-tee-kree-stoh
RORomână
Antipapă
an-tee-pa-pa
RUРусский
Антипапа
antipapa
SVSvenska
Antipaps
an-tee-paps
SWKiswahili
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
TAதமிழ்
எதிர்ப்போப்ப
e-thir-po-pp
TEతెలుగు
కంట్రాపోప్
kan-tra-po-pp
THไทย
ปฏิปักษ์พระสันตะปาปา
bat-ti-pak phra-san-ta-pa-pa
TLTL
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
TRTürkçe
Antipapal
an-tee-pa-pal
UKУкраїнська
Антипапа
antipapa
URاردو
مخالفت بابا
makh-al-fat ba-ba
VITiếng Việt
Chống giáo hoàng
chong giao hoang
YOYO
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
ZUZU
Antipaus
an-tee-paus
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
All historical antipopes were men, and the office itself was structurally unavailable to women due to clerical celibacy requirements and gender exclusion from priesthood. The term carries masculine institutional history without alternative gendered reference.
Inclusive Usage
The term is historically accurate for the male-only papal structure; when used neutrally in historical contexts, requires no modification. If discussing hypothetical or comparative religious authority, consider 'antipope' as male-specific or use 'rival religious authority' for broader contexts.
Inclusive Alternatives
["rival pontiff","disputed religious authority","schismatic claimant"]
Empowerment Note
Women's exclusion from papal succession—both orthodox and antipapist—reflects systemic clerical gender apartheid, not women's lack of theological or organizational capacity.