Out of the 266 popes that have ruled since the beginning of the Papacy, there has only ever been 6 popes that have come from Germany.
They are Pope Gregory V,
Pope Clement II, Pope Damasus II, Pope Leo IX, Pope Victor II, and Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Gregory V
Gregory V was the very first German Pope. He reigned between 996 – 999 (2 yrs, 291 days) and was the 138th Pope. He was born in 972 in a region called Carinthia, which is now in Austria but was once part of Germany.
Pope Clement II
Pope Clement II was the 149th Roman Catholic pope and served from 1046 to 1047. He was born in Germany around 967.
Clement II was one of the few popes born to a noble and royal family.
Pope Damasus II
Pope Damasus II was the second pope named Damasus and reigned for only 24 days in 1048. He was only the third pope in history who was born in Germany.
Pope Damasus II was born circa 1000 in Pildenau in the area of Bavaria, which was part of both Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
Pope Leo IX
Pope St. Leo IX served as lord of the Papal States and bishop of Rome during the years 1002 A.D. through 1054 A.D. Leo has received near-universal recognition for being the most important German pontiff from the Middle Ages.
The father of Pope St Leo IX was Holy Roman Emperor Conrad II’s first cousin.
Pope Victor II
Pope Victor II, born Gebhard of Dollnstein-Hirschberg, was the second German pope in the history of the Catholic Church, reigning from 1055 to 1057.
Born in the Kingdom of Germany, likely in Bavaria, Victor II was a close advisor to Holy Roman Emperor Henry III before his elevation to the papacy, which influenced his approach to Church-State relations.
Victor II’s German background was evident in his efforts to strengthen ties between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, while also working to continue the reformist policies of his predecessors.
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger, was the first German pope in nearly 1,000 years when he was elected in 2005. Born in Bavaria in 1927, Ratzinger grew up during the period of Nazi Germany, an experience that shaped his views on morality and the role of the Church in society.
In 2013, Benedict made the historic decision to resign, becoming the first pope in nearly 600 years to do so, citing his advancing age and declining strength.