how many popes?

The first pope of the Catholic Church was St. Peter. Since then, there have been a total of 266 popes in a continuous line of apostolic succession spanning almost 2000 years. The current pope (#266) is Benedict XVI. (FYI, if you find discrepancies in this official number sometimes, it’s because there have actually been 264 popes but 266 pontificates. Pope Benedict IX served multiple times, but with interruptions. So depending on how you count that, the number may vary.)

The current pope has revived an old kind of papal hat called the camauro, which is a sort of red (white around Easter time) cloth bag with an ermine lining. 

jpr: I love this bag hat and recall Pope John 23rd wearing it often.