Innocent II
Gregorio Papareschi · 1130 – 1143
Survived an eight-year schism with the antipope Anacletus II and convened the Second Lateran Council.
Gregorio was a Roman cardinal who was elected in a hurried, contested election in 1130. The antipope Anacletus II held Rome for eight years, forcing Innocent to wander in exile through France and Germany, where he gathered support from Bernard of Clairvaux. He returned to Rome only after Anacletus died in 1138. The Second Lateran Council of 1139 condemned the schism and enacted reform decrees.
Why He Matters
Innocent II spent eight years in exile, but he outlasted his rival. His story is a reminder that legitimacy and patience can prevail over raw power, even when the odds look terrible.