Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Bad Popes !

I was just thinking Benedict was a really bad choice for Pope.

Then I realized " He's not even the worst Pope named Benedict"

Let's look at possibly the worst Pope ever, certainly the worst one named Benedict:

Pope Benedict IX: the Pope who sold the papacy





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. 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. 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.


Sure sounds like a great Namesake to me :-)

6 comments:

Asylum Seeker said...

He managed to sell the papacy twice, and then get chased out of the Vatican?

Greatest. Pope. Ever.

pboyfloyd said...

In his defense, no one was allowed to read the Bible but the Catholic priests, so no-one knew that he wasn't supposed to be doing all this stuff!

I suppose that God(or a messenger) might have warned him that he would go down in history as a total asshole, but non-believers doubt that that is possible and believers are more than willing to shrug and say, "Funny old people living in funny old times!", and leave it at that.

mac said...

It is also rumored that he had a sexual relationship with his daughter.

Yes, his DAUGHTER !

Stacy S. said...

eeeeeewwwwww!!!

Asylum Seeker said...

"It is also rumored that he had a sexual relationship with his daughter."

I wouldn't judge him for that. Could've been a really sexy daughter who was totally into it. Not exactly Pope-ly behavior, but as long as choir boys aren't involved, it is arguably a step up. Guess it's good to see who Cardinal Ratz aspires to be, though...

The Maze Monster said...

Oh come ON MAC!!!! He didn't touch little boys... can't you at least let him have his DAUGHTER! Sheesh!




:-p