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标 题: Top 10 Most Wicked Popes (十大邪恶教皇)
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Fri Sep 16 00:15:24 2011, 美东)
http://listverse.com/2007/08/17/top-10-most-wicked-popes/
Out of the 266 Popes to have ruled the Catholic Church, ten in particular
stand out for their wickedness. This is a list of the ten with a description
of their errors and faults.
1. Liberius, reigned 352-66 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Pope Liberius is the first Pope not to be canonised a saint. He reigned
during the height of the Arian crisis during which a large majority of the
Church believed that Jesus was not God, but merely a man. The Arian heresy
was fought against by the Patriarch of Alexandria Saint Athanasius who
consecrated Bishops without permission.
Pope Liberius, rather than defending Athanasius, signed a document that
supported those against him and condemned Athanasius. Nearing the end of his
pontificate he recanted his signature and reinstated Athanasius. While the
Pope did not embrace the heresy himself, he did not use his power fully to
put an end to it. His reign did nothing to stop the confusion spreading
throughout the Church.
2. Honorius I, reigned 625-638 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Like Liberius, Honorius I was condemned and excommunicated for heresy by the
sixth general council in 680. The heresy in question was Montheism in which
Jesus is seen as a divine-human, rather than the orthodox belief of physeis
that he is both fully God and fully man. Patriarch Sergius of
Constantinople wrote to Honorius asking him to decide the question that was
causing much division at the time. Instead of clarifying the view of the
Church, Honorius did nothing. His lack of action was so scandalous that for
3 centuries, each new Pope had to state at his coronation that he:
“smites with eternal anathema the originators of the new heresy, Sergius,
etc., together with Honorius, because he assisted the base assertion of the
heretics.”
The Roman Breviary contained the condemnation of Honorius on the Feast of St
Leo II right up until the 18th century.
3. Stephen VI, reigned 896-89 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Pope Stephen VI was consecrated (possibly against his will) by Pope Formosus
who, during his reign, was excommunicated for leaving the Papal seat and “
conspiring to destroy the papal see”. He was eventually forgiven and
returned to Rome. When Stephen VI came the Papal Throne, he had the body of
formosus exhumed and put on trial (this is the famous Cadaver Synod).
Formosus was accused of transmigrating sees in violation of canon law, of
perjury, and of serving as a bishop while actually a layman. Stephen had
Formosus’ papal vestments removed and two fingers from his right hand cut
off. Formosus’ body was thrown in to the Tiber. After the Synod, public
opinion turned against Stephen. He was deposed in an uprising and strangled
to death.
4. John XII, reigned 955-964 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Through his mother Alda of Vienne, John XII was a seventh generation
descendant of Charlemagne. John was the temporal and spiritual ruler of Rome
and during his pontificate he virtually turned it into a whorehouse. Moral
corruption in Rome became a major problem. After crowning Otto I Emporer of
Germany in order to secure his support in a war against Berengar II of Itlay
, he changed his mind and began communicating with Berengar. Otto learnt of
John’s treachery and returned to Rome after defeating Berengar. He called a
council which deposed John who was hiding in the mountains, and elected Leo
VIII in his place. John, with a large group of supporters, returned to Rome
to depose Leo VIII before Otto had even left. Otto pledged to assist Leo
against John but before the matter went any further, John died. It is
rumoured that he was killed by the husband of one of his mistresses.
An account of the charges against him in the Patrologia Latina states:
They testified about his adultery, which they did not see with their own
eyes, but nonetheless knew with certainty: he had fornicated with the widow
of Rainier, with Stephana his father’s concubine, with the widow Anna, and
with his own niece, and he made the sacred palace into a whorehouse. They
said that he had gone hunting publicly; that he had blinded his confessor
Benedict, and thereafter Benedict had died; that he had killed John,
cardinal subdeacon, after castrating him; and that he had set fires, girded
on a sword, and put on a helmet and cuirass.
5. Benedict IX, reigned 1032-1048 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Benedict IX was Pope from 1032 to 1044, again in 1045, and finally from 1047
to 1048, the only man to have served as Pope for three discontinuous
periods. He was also one of the youngest Popes (reigning from around age 18-
20). He reportedly led an extremely dissolute life, and also allegedly had
few qualifications for the papacy other than connections with a socially
powerful family, although in terms of theology and the ordinary activities
of the Church he was entirely orthodox. St. Peter Damian described him as “
feasting on immorality” and “a demon from hell in the disguise of a priest
” in the Liber Gomorrhianus, a treatise on papal corruption and sex that
accused Benedict IX of routine homosexuality and bestiality.
He was also accused by Bishop Benno of Piacenza of “many vile adulteries
and murders.” Pope Victor III referred to “his rapes, murders and other
unspeakable acts. His life as a Pope so vile, so foul, so execrable, that I
shudder to think of it.”
Benedict gave up his papacy for the first time in exchange for a large sum
of money in 1044. He returned in 1045 to depose his replacement and reigned
for one month, after which he left again, possibly to marry, and sold the
papacy for a second time, to his Godfather (possibly for over 650 kg /1450
lb of gold). Two years later, Benedict retook Rome and reigned for an
additional one year, until 1048. Poppo of Brixen (later to become Pope
Damascus II) eventually forced him out of Rome. Benedict’s place and date
of death are unknown, but some speculate that he made further attempts to
regain the Papal Throne.
6. Boniface VIII, reigned 1294-1303 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Due to the King of France (Philip IV) taxing the clergy of the Church to
help finance his wars, Boniface VIII released one of the most important
papal bulls of Catholic History: Unam Sanctum. It declared that both
spiritual and temporal power were under the pope’s jurisdiction, and that
kings were subordinate to the power of the Church.
“Now, therefore, we declare, say, determine and pronounce that for every
human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority
of the Roman pontiff” (Porro subesse Romano Pontifici omni humanae
creaturae declaramus, dicimus, definimus, et pronuntiamus omnino esse de
necessitate salutis).
This is considered to be an infallible declaration of the Catholic Church.
Philip retaliated against the bull by denying the exportation of money from
France to Rome, funds that the Church required to operate. Boniface had no
choice but to quickly meet the demands of Philip by allowing taxation only
“during an emergency.” Philip’s chief minister declared that Boniface was
a heretic, and in return, Boniface excommunicated the King. On September 7,
1303 an army led by Nogaret and Sciarra Colonna of the Colonna family
surprised Boniface at his retreat in Anagni. The King and the Colonnas
demanded that he resign, to which Boniface VIII responded that he would ‘
sooner die’. Boniface was beaten badly and nearly executed but was released
from captivity after three days. He died a month later, on October 11, 1303.
7. Urban VI, reigned 1378-1389 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Urban VI was the first Pope of the Western Schism (which ultimately lead to
three people claiming the Papal throne at the same time). Urban VI was the
last Pope to be selected from outside of the College of Cardinals. Once
elected, he was prone to outbursts of rage. The cardinals who elected him
decided that they had made the wrong decision and they elected a new Pope in
his place (he took the name of Clement VII and started a second Papal court
in Avignon, France).
The second election threw the Church into turmoil. There had been antipopes,
rival claimants to the papacy, before, but most of them had been appointed
by various rival factions; in this case, the legitimate leaders of the
Church themselves had created both popes. The conflict quickly escalated
from a church problem to a diplomatic crisis that divided Europe. Secular
leaders had to choose which pope they would recognize.
The schism was repaired forty years later when all three of the (then)
reigning Popes abdicated together and a successor elected in the person of
Pope martin V.
8. Alexander VI, reigned 1492-1503 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Born Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI is so famous for his debased reign
that his surname has become synonymous with the debased standards of the
papacy in his era. Alexander’s elevation did not at the time excite much
alarm, and at first his reign was marked by a strict administration of
justice and an orderly method of government. But it was not long before his
passion for endowing his relatives at the church’s and his neighbours’
expense became manifest. To that end he was ready to commit any crime and to
plunge all Italy into war.
Alexander VI had three sons in addition to his famous daughter Lucrezia.
During his pontificate virtually everything he did was to further the
position of his children and family in the world. In order to dominate the
Sacred College of Cardinals more completely, Alexander, in a move that
created much scandal, created twelve new cardinals, among them his own son
Cesare, then only eighteen years old, and Alessandro Farnese (later Pope
Paul III), the brother of one of the Pope’s mistresses, the beautiful
Giulia Farnese.
The death of the Pope is well recorded by Burchard: Alexander VI’s stomach
became swollen and turned to liquid, while his face became wine-coloured and
his skin began to peel off. Finally his stomach and bowels bled profusely.
After more than a week of intestinal bleeding and convulsive fevers, and
after accepting last rites and making a confession, the despairing Alexander
VI expired on 18 August 1503 at the age of 72. It is highly likely that he
was poisoned, though others speculate that he may have died of malaria.
9. Leo X, reigned 1513-1521 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Pope Leo X is known primarily for his papal bull against Martin Luther and
subsequent failure to stem the Protestant Reformation, which began during
his reign when Martin Luther (1483–1546) published the 95 Theses and nailed
them to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. When he became Pope,
Leo X is reported to have said to his brother Giuliano: “Since God has
given us the papacy, let us enjoy it.”
Under his pontificate, Christianity assumed a pagan character, which,
passing from art into manners, gives to this epoch a strange complexion.
Crimes for the moment disappeared, to give place to vices; but to charming
vices, vices in good taste, such as those indulged in by Alcibiades and sung
by Catullus.” Alexandre Dumas
His extravagance offended not only people like Martin Luther, but also some
cardinals, who, led by Alfonso Petrucci of Siena, plotted an assassination
attempt. Eventually, Pope Leo found out who these people were, and had them
followed. The conspirators died of “food poisoning.” Some people argue
that Leo X and his followers simply concocted the assassination charges in a
moneymaking scheme to collect fines from the various wealthy cardinals Leo
X detested.
Not every aspect of his pontificate was bad; he raised the church to a high
rank as the friend of whatever seemed to extend knowledge or to refine and
embellish life. He made the capital of Christendom the center of culture.
The Venetian ambassador (Marino Giorgi) had this to say of the Pope:
The pope is a good-natured and extremely free-hearted man, who avoids every
difficult situation and above all wants peace; he would not undertake a war
himself unless his own personal interests were involved; he loves learning;
of canon law and literature he possesses remarkable knowledge; he is,
moreover, a very excellent musician.
Having fallen ill of malaria, Leo X died on 1 December 1521, so suddenly
that the last sacraments could not be administered; but the contemporary
suspicions of poison were unfounded.
10. Clement VII, reigned 1523-1524 [Catholic Encyclopaedia]
Clement VII (Giulio di Giuliano de’ Medici) brought to the Papal throne a
high reputation for political ability, and possessed in fact all the
accomplishments of a wily diplomat. However, he was considered worldly and
indifferent to what went on around him, including the ongoing Protestant
reformation.
The Pope’s wavering politics also caused the rise of the Imperial party
inside the Curia: Pompeo Cardinal Colonna’s soldiers pillaged the Vatican
City and gained control of the whole of Rome in his name. The humiliated
Pope promised therefore to bring the Papal States to the Imperial side again
. Soon he found himself alone in Italy too, as the duke of Ferrara had sided
with the Imperial army, permitting to the horde of Landsknechts led by
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, and Georg von Frundsberg, to reach Rome
without harm.
Charles of Bourbon died during the long siege, and his troops, unpaid and
left without a guide, felt free to ravage Rome from May 6, 1527. The
innumerable series of murders, rapes and vandalism that followed ended
forever the splendours of the Renaissance Rome. Clement was kept as a
prisoner in Castel Sant’Angelo for six months. After having bought some
Imperial officers, he escaped disguised as a peddler, and took shelter in
Orvieto, and then in Viterbo. He came back to a depopulated and devastated
Rome only in October 1528. Subsequently the Pope followed a policy of
subservience to the Emperor, endeavouring on the one hand to induce him to
act with severity against the Lutherans in Germany, and on the other to
elude his demands for a general council.
Pope Clement VII is remembered for having ordered, just a few days before
his death, Michelangelo’s painting of The Last Judgment in the Sistine
Chapel. |
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