Pope Stephen II

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Stephen II

Name	???
Papacy began	ca. March 23, 752
Papacy ended	ca. March 26, 752
Predecessor	Saint Zacharias
Successor	Stephen III
Born	???
Place of birth	???
Died	ca. March 26, 752
Place of death	???

Stephen II was elected pope in March of 752.

The Holy See does not consider Stephen II as a pope (and, in 1959, deleted his name from its official list of popes), but many historians do. Stephen II was elected on the death of his predecessor Pope Zacharias on or about March 23, 752. Three days later he died of apoplexy, and was never consecrated. Because not all list-makers count him as having been pope, there exists an awkward nomenclature for later popes who chose the name Stephen. Later Stephens are sometimes numbered with parentheses, e.g., his immediate successor, also named Stephen, is sometimes referred to either as Stephen (II) III, or as Stephen II (III).