The 5 Most Sinful Popes in Roman History

There is nothing more dangerous than a fool with power. Dozens, if not hundreds, of madcap monarchs remain in history, whom absolute power corrupted to an inhuman state. But what of the monarchs, even if some pontiffs during the Middle Ages allowed themselves such that after centuries it is difficult to believe it.

Pope Stephen VI: 896–897

Stephen VI ascended the throne after the death of Boniface VI, who had been pope for only two weeks, and Formosus ruled before him, who died under unclear circumstances. Formosus prevented the influence of noble families on the church and, in particular, oppressed the Gvidonid family, to which Stephen belonged. Disagreements, apparently, were extremely tough, since, once in power, Stephen ordered the exhumation of the body of Formosus and put him on trial.

The half-decomposed corpse was dressed in ceremonial clothes, put on the throne and subjected to interrogation. The deacon who hid behind the throne spoke for Stefan. As a result, the defendant was found guilty of violating church rules and oaths, and all his significant reforms were declared invalid. Stefan pronounced a curse over the body and cut off his three fingers, with which the sign of the cross was made. Formosa's naked body was dragged through the streets and buried in a mass grave.

Sergius III: 904–911

Immediately after the enthronement (papal coronation ceremony), Sergius III strangled two of his predecessors - Christopher and Leo V. But he was not "famous" for this. Sergius became the first pope of the period of pornocracy (literally - "the power of whores"), when the pontiffs were under the influence of two women who had a reputation for harlots.

In his free time, Sergius took the fashion to have fun with the 15-year-old Marozia, and appointed her mother Theodora as the keeper of the papal treasures. “The influence of these two whores, Marozia and Theodora, was based on their beauty and wealth. They rewarded their most stubborn lovers with papal tiaras. And the Holy See was subsequently occupied by the illegitimate son and grandson of Marozia. A rare genealogy for the vicars of St. Peter on earth,” wrote the English historian Edward Gibbon.

John XII: 955–963

The pornocracy ended with the death of Marozia's grandson John XII. He was enthroned at the age of 18 and ruled for eight years, dealing more with women than with politics. Actually, history does not know a more immoral pontiff. John was said to have turned the Lateran Basilica into a brothel and raped women in St. Peter's. During the game of dice, the Pope called out to the pagan gods, and when he was drunk, raised a toast to the glory of Satan. According to one version, he died during sex from apoplexy. According to another, he was beaten to death by the offended husband of one of his mistresses.

Benedict IX: 1032-1044, 1045, 1047-1048

Benedict IX, we must give him his due, did not neglect his direct duties. In particular, he held several councils to resolve conflicts between bishops. But he also committed an unprecedented sin - he sold the Holy See.

The only pope in history three times was forced to leave his post in 1044, after his family was defeated in an armed struggle for power over Rome. But soon the situation changed, and Benedict returned to the throne. True, a month later he sold the title to his godfather. They say that in order to marry a cousin. Two years later, he became pope again and was eventually excommunicated for simony (selling church positions), as well as numerous rapes, homosexuality, and participating in orgies.

Alexander VI: 1492–1503

The Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia paved the way to the Holy See occupied by the Italians by intrigue and bribery. After becoming Pope Alexander VI, he proved to be a skilled diplomat and administrator. At the same time, he was the father of at least seven illegitimate children, whom he supported with money from church donations.

Apparently, Alexander was in an intimate relationship with his daughter Lucretia. In a letter to his master, the ambassador of the Duchy of Ferrara, who was present at Lucrezia's divorce trial, reported: “Lucrezia's husband categorically objected when asked whether the pope's statement about his inability to fulfill marital duties and that the marriage was essentially fictitious . On the contrary, he had frequent intercourse with his wife. However, the pope took away Lucretia from him in order to use her himself.

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