Not only secular, but also church authority corrupts people, especially absolute power. For many centuries, the Catholic Church has chosen from its ranks the best leader, the Pope, who is called to lead the multimillion flock. However, among hundreds of pontiffs, not everyone was a model of faith and obedience. Some of them were completely remembered by monstrous acts and shocking scandals.
Stephen VI (VII): 896–897
Pope Formosa, who died in 896, was succeeded by Boniface VI, who also died two weeks later. Stephen VI (VII) ascended the throne. This pontiff belonged to the noble Frank family of the Guidonides. Relatives of Pope Stephen VI were Western emperors Guido and Lambert, with whom Stephen's predecessors fiercely clashed.
The pope jealously defended the interests of his family, sometimes crossing all sorts of boundaries. His predecessor, Papa Formoz, paid for his disagreement with the Guidonides even after his death.
Stephen VI ordered the exhumation of the body of the recently buried Formosa and a brutal trial. The dilapidated corpse of the previous pope was taken out of the grave, dressed in papal clothes and put in the chair of the defendant in the hall of the church court. The process began, and the corpse was asked questions that the acting pontiff himself answered.
The corpse was accused of violating church rules and oaths, as well as the coronation of the representative of the Carolingian dynasty by the emperor of the West. The election of Formosa as pope, all his decisions and actions in court were invalidated. In conclusion, Formosa's body was sentenced to cruel punishment. Stephen VI pronounced curses on him and personally cut off his three fingers, with which the sign of the cross and blessing of believers was performed.
Formosa’s naked corpse was stretched through the streets and buried in a mass grave, according to some sources, the body was cut into pieces and thrown into the river. Such an act was not to the liking of ordinary Romans and many members of the clergy. Pope Stephen VI himself was sent to prison as a result, where he was strangled. Subsequently, the body of Formosa was reburied in a papal grave.
John XII: 955–963
John XII is considered the last pope of the period of pornocracy. He was the son of the Roman patrician Alberich and the grandson of Marosia, the mistress of Pope Sergius III. Relatives put him at the age of 18 as a pontiff; therefore, the reign of John XII is hardly mature. For 8 years of his papacy, he managed to earn the unspoken title of the most immoral pope in the history of the Catholic Church.
The young pope was a libertine, turned the Lateran Basilica into a brothel and openly raped female pilgrims in St. Peter's Basilica. At the same time, he liked to appeal to pagan gods, played dice on the donations of believers, arranged drinking parties on which he made toasts in the name of Satan. Not surprisingly, many Romans considered him the embodiment of the devil.
Even an ally of Pope Otton I, in a personal conversation, accused John XII of murders, blasphemy, oath-crime and incest with his sisters. According to various sources, John XII died either from an apoplexy blow during the next sex, or after being beaten by an insulted husband of one of his mistresses, making them in bed. As a result of the beating, the dissolute pontiff died three days later.
Benedict IX: 1032-1044, 1045, 1047-1048
Benedict IX was the son of Count Tuscolo, the nephew of Popes Benedict VIII and John XIX. This pontiff occupied the Holy See three times and even sold it once. According to various sources, at the time of the first election, he was 12, 18, 20, or 25 years old. He was not only one of the youngest, but also one of the most scandalous popes in the history of the church. Historians speak of Benedict IX as "a demon from hell who ascended the Catholic throne in the form of a priest."
In 1044, when the Crescent family defeated Tuscolo, the pope was forced to leave Rome. For two months, the Pope Sylvester III reigned in the Vatican. Soon the political situation changed, Benedict returned to the throne. A month later, he sold the papal title to his godfather, presbyter Giovanni Graziano, allegedly in order to marry his cousin.
Two years later, Benedict tried again to claim the rights to the papacy, but ran into resistance from secular authorities. This wicked and shameful thrice-dad was eventually excommunicated for simony - the sale of church offices, clergy, priests, sacred relics. Benedict IX was also accused of rape, homosexuality, participation in orgies, murders, theft and adultery.
In the papal palace, Benedict lived as an eastern sultan, surrounded by wealth and concubines. Moreover, despite the young age of the papacy, no one controlled him as a puppet, only his own vicious desires. He decided to violate absolutely all the canons and even being a pontiff to enter into an official marriage, a completely wild act for that time.
Innocent VIII: 1484-1492
Dzhanbattista Chibo ascended the papal throne and became Pope Innocent VIII under the patronage of the de la Rover family, to which the previous pontiff belonged. The Chibo family was related and had the support of the influential and wealthy Genoese clan Doria.
This is the only pope who openly recognized his eight illegitimate children. However, Innocent VIII is more known for the fact that during his reign the church supported and fully approved the activities of Heinrich Kramer, the notorious author of The Hammer of the Witches. Papa also issued a bull calling to punish witches for their relationship with the devil. All this led to the famous inquisitorial processes against women, the so-called witch hunt throughout Europe.
At the same time, Dad himself was distinguished by increased attention to the beautiful half of humanity. His love of love knew no bounds both before the adoption of the clergy, and after. According to historians, in his old age, to save himself from death, Innocent VIII regularly drank blood that was pumped from three boys who later died.
