During the reign of Henry VIII, there were two Popes. Initially, Pope Leo X held the papacy from 1513 until his death in 1521. He was the Pope when Henry VIII became King of England in 1509. However, the relationship between Henry and Leo was complex, particularly due to Henry’s desire for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which Leo was hesitant to grant.
After Leo X, Pope Clement VII became Pope in 1523 and served until 1534. It was under Clement VII that Henry VIII’s marriage annulment request was famously denied, which ultimately led to Henry’s break with the Catholic Church and the establishment of the Church of England. Thus, while Pope Leo X was the Pope at the start of Henry VIII’s reign, it was Clement VII’s decisions that significantly impacted Henry’s religious policies.