Mapping the Papacy

Where the last eleven popes were born, and how the College of Cardinals that elects them slowly stopped being an Italian institution.

A data visualisation by Vimal Vivegananda

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Eleven popes,
four countries.

For more than a century every pope was born within 500 km of Rome. The last three came from Poland, Argentina and the United States — mirroring the diversification of the cardinals shown below.

1Pius XRiese, Italy1903–1914
2Benedict XVGenoa, Italy1914–1922
3Pius XIDesio, Italy1922–1939
4Pius XIIRome, Italy1939–1958
5John XXIIISotto il Monte, Italy1958–1963
6Paul VIConcesio, Italy1963–1978
7John Paul ICanale d'Agordo, Italy1978
8John Paul IIWadowice, Poland1978–2005
9Benedict XVIMarktl, Germany2005–2013
10FrancisBuenos Aires, Argentina2013–2025
11Leo XIVChicago, USA2025–

Who picks the pope

Regional composition of the College of Cardinal Electors at each conclave, 1903–2025

Illustrative reconstruction · Sources: Wikipedia (College of Cardinals, papal biographies) · Birthplace coordinates approximate.

Note: The current pope, Leo XIV, was born in Chicago, United States, and also holds Peruvian citizenship, acquired by naturalisation on 24 August 2015. Source: Holy See biography.