Antipope John XXIII

Baldassarre Cossa was a real person who lived a long, long time ago. He wanted to be the Pope, but there was already a Pope! So, he became an 'antipope,' which is like a pretend pope. The church didn't think he was the real leader. He called himself John XXIII, but the church today says he wasn't the true Pope. It's like having two kids claim to be the class president at the same time!

This happened during a time called the Western Schism. It was a big disagreement where people couldn't agree on who the real Pope was. There were even three people claiming to be Pope at the same time! Antipope John XXIII was one of them. He was chosen because some people wanted a new Pope to fix the mess, but it just made things more confusing for a while.

Even though he wasn't the real Pope, Antipope John XXIII is important because he was part of a huge event in church history. The church had to figure out how to solve this big argument. They had a big meeting called the Council of Constance to decide who the real Pope was. This helped the church become one again, which is super important!

To sort out the Pope problem, a giant meeting called the Council of Constance was held. It was like a super important school meeting where everyone had to agree. At this meeting, they decided to remove all the pretend popes, including Antipope John XXIII. Then, they picked a new, real Pope to lead everyone. This ended the big church argument!