During this time, many people from all walks of life flocked to the Holy Land to see the Pope.
The overly aggressive religious fanaticism of the popes and the promise of redemption of sin made the popes and the crusades popular.
In effect of this, the Catholic Church soon became the collective, uniting religious institution. Conflicts between church and state eventually weakened the Pope’s power.
Also, the end of the feudal system and the Protestant Reformation led to a further weakening of the Pope’s power.
Here’s eight worst ones
1. Pope Stephen VI 896 to 897, Also called Stephen VII
2. Pope John XII, 955 to 964
3. Pope Benedict IX, 1032, to 1044, 1045, 1047, 1048
4. Pope Boniface VIII, 1294 to 1303
5. Pope Urban VI, 1378 to 1389
6. Pope Alexander VI, 1492 to 1503
7. Pope Leo X, 1513 to 1521
8. Pope Clement VII, 1523 to 1534
1. Pope Stephen VI 896 to 897, Also called Stephen VII
This Pope’s one short year reign is mostly known for having put on trial the dead previous Pope. Pope Stephen ordered the body of Pope Formosus exhumed, dressed in the Papal ceremonial garments, and set upon a throne.
In what is known as the Cadaver Synod, Stephen charged the rotting corpse with perjury, coveting the Papacy and breaking other laws of the church.
During the trial, Pope Stephen screamed at Formosus, mocking, and insulting him.
Formosus was found guilty and was punished by having his clothes stripped off, three of his fingers chopped off, and the rest of the body thrown into the Tiber River.
Pope Stephen’s reign did not last much longer – he was strangled to death.
2. Pope John XII, 955 to 964
For much of the tenth century, the city of Rome was dominated by the Theophylact family, and they often made the decision who would sit on Saint. Peter’s Throne.
Perhaps they didn’t have too many choices, but hard to imagine they could have picked someone better than John XII, who was around 18 years old when he became Pope.
His youth and courage had one benefit, as he began his pontificate by personally leading armies against the local enemies.
We learned that Pope John was more interested in the women of Rome than in handling church affairs.
Emperor Otto I, called a synod to depose the young Pope when he learned about his antics.
According to one chronicler’s writings of past events, the charges against John included: that he had fornicated with the widow of Rainier, with Stephana his father’s concubine, with the widow Anna, and with his own niece, and charged with making the sacred palace into a whorehouse.
It was said that he had gone hunting publicly, that he had blinded his confessor Benedict, A priest who hears confession and gives absolution, and Benedict had died thereafter, that he had killed John, cardinal a subdeacon, after castrating him, he was A clergyman an order which was below a deacon. Also that he had set fires, girded on a sword, and put on a helmet, and cuirass. All, clerics as well, as laymen, declared that he had toasted to the devil with wine.
They said when playing at dice, he invoked Jupiter, Venus, and other demons. They even said he did not celebrate Matins at the canonical hours, a Roman Catholic Church procedure that was one of seven specified times for prayer, nor did he make the sign of the cross.
Another response was when Pope John XII, excommunicated the synod, and when he caught three of the men who took part, he had one flogged, cut off the right hand of the second, and removed the nose and ears of the third. his reign ended soon after, at the age of 27, when was “stricken by paralysis in the act of adultery” and died.
3. Pope Benedict IX, 1032, to 1044, 1045, 1047, 1048
Another descendant of the Theophylact family, Benedict was at least 20 when he became Pope.
Sexual scandals soon started, leading many church officials to complain about him.
The Abbot of Monte Cassino, who later became a Pope too, wrote about “his rapes, murders and other unspeakable acts. His life as a pope was so vile, so foul, so execrable, that I shudder to think of it.”
What also sets Benedict apart from most other popes, was that he resigned as well.
Unlike Pope Benedict XVI, who resigned because of his old age, this Benedict resigned in exchange for a large sum of money, bribed by his godfather John Gratian, who then became the new Pope, Gregory VI.
However, Benedict soon had seller’s remorse, someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money Eventually the German Emperor came down and removed all the contenders, naming a new Pope.
Benedict lived on until 1056, but never regained the Papacy.
4. Pope Boniface VIII, 1294 to 1303
Before he became Pope, Boniface was instrumental in persuading his predecessor, Pope Celestine V, to retire.
Once he got to the Papal Throne, Boniface made a decision, he decided that having Celestine around was too much of a threat, so he captured the elderly man and imprisoned him until his death ten months later.
Most of his reign was spent in conflicts with the other states in Italy, but Boniface got in trouble when he decided to pick a fight with Philip IV, King of France.
Eventually, he excommunicated the French king and proclaimed that all monarchs were subordinate to the Papacy.
Philip responded by sending an army into Italy, where they captured Boniface at his summer retreat.
The French troops beat up and nearly killed Boniface, and three days later he was dead, perhaps he killed himself.
He is lampooned in Dante’s Divine Comedy.
The Italian poet Dante is , remembered in his work, The Divine Comedy, has Boniface relegated to the eight circle of hell for simony.
5. Pope Urban VI, 1378 to 1389
He complained that he did not hear enough screaming when Cardinals who had conspired against him were tortured.
6. Pope Alexander VI, 1492 to 1503
While he may not have been guilty of all the deeds depicted in the popular show The Borgias, Pope Alexander VI was one of the most notorious schemers to hold the Papacy.
He made many efforts to enrich his family and get his children into positions of power, and he also had enough time to have a mistress.
His death in 1503 is something of a mystery, Alexander may have been poisoned, and his son Cesare Borgias was suspected of committing the crime.
Rumors soon spread, aided by the rapid decomposition of Alexander’s remains.
One person who saw the body commented, “It was a revolting scene to look at that deformed, blackened corpse, prodigiously swelled, and exhaling an infectious smell; his lips and nose were covered with brown drivel, his mouth was opened very widely, and his tongue, inflated by poison, fell out upon his chin. Therefore as could be noted, no fanatic or an ardent follower and admirer dared to kiss his feet or hands, as custom would have required.”
7. Pope Leo X, 1513 to 1521
A spendthrift member of the Medici family who once spent 1/7 of his predecessors’ reserves on a single ceremony.
8. Pope Clement VII, 1523 to 1534
Also a Medici, Aristocratic Italian family of powerful merchants and bankers who ruled Florence in the 15th century.
Pope Clement VII, whose power was politicking with France, Spain, and Germany was able to sack Rome.