Whether you’re a lapsed Catholic (me) or a practising Catholic (along with 1.4bn others on the planet), the history of corruption in the Roman Catholic church is gripping stuff. When I was a news producer at the BBC many years ago, the job of Vatican correspondent was coveted. The opportunity to investigate papal secrets, wealth, and power politics was very appealing. The recent movie Conclave only served to reawaken interest in the mysteries that surround the church. So, what are the worst examples of corruption in the history of Catholicism? Well, it’s a long list.
Let’s start with the most wicked popes.
Most corrupt popes in history
Pope Stephen VI (896–897) hated his predecessor Pope Formosus so much that he had him exhumed and put on trial … dead. A deacon stood next to the rotting body to answer charges on its behalf. Found guilty, the corpse had its blessing fingers cut off and was thrown in the Tiber. Stephen was later strangled in prison. This macabre event
Pope Sergius III (904–911) was believed to have fathered a child with Marozia, a teenage Roman noblewoman who was around 15 at the time. That child grew up to become Pope John XI. Sergius also almost certainly had Stephen VI’s successor murdered to take the throne. He’s the first pope of what historians call the “pornocracy” — a period when Roman noblewomen effectively controlled the papacy.
Pope John XII (955–964) became pope at around 18, possibly younger. Some think barely into his teens. He ran the Lateran Palace, where the popes lived at the time, as what contemporaries described as a brothel. At a church council, John was accused of sleeping with his father’s mistress, his niece, and a widow named Anna — all simultaneously. Died mid-affair, allegedly struck down by either a stroke or a cuckolded husband, depending on which chronicler you believe. He also castrated a cardinal and blinded another.
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Pope Boniface VIII (1294–1303) was despised by the poet Dante so much that he placed him in Hell in his great work: The Divine Comedy. Manoeuvered his predecessor Celestine V into resigning — the first papal resignation in history — then may have had him imprisoned until he died. Boniface became embroiled in a feud with King Philip IV of France who accused the pope of simony, heresy, withcraft, etc. Relations got so bad that Philip sent his chief minister, Guillaume de Nogaret, and a gang of thugs to beat up Boniface. He died shortly afterwards, most likely of a stroke.
Pope John XXIII (1410–1415) is not to be confused with the pope of the same title in the 1960s. Throughout the history of the Roman Catholic church there have been popes, officially recognised, and rival popes known as “anti-popes”. Sometimes there were three men all claiming to be pope. This Pope John XXIII had an appalling reputation, accused of having been a pirate before becoming pope. At the Council of Constance, he was accused of rape, sodomy, and the murder of his predecessor Alexander V by poison. He fled the council disguised as a groom. Deposed, imprisoned, and later ransomed. Remarkably, was eventually made a cardinal-bishop by the next pope. The Catholic Church would rather not talk about this one.
Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503) came from a power hungry Spanish family: the Borgias. Rodrigo Borgia bought the papacy openly, fathered at least four acknowledged children including Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia, threw the infamous “Banquet of Chestnuts” where 50 prostitutes allegedly danced naked and competed for prizes, and died. Some believe he was poisoned – ironic as Lucrezia was widely regarded as being a very proficient poisoner. As for Cesare, this ruthless creature was Machiavelli’s model for The Prince.
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Fun loving Pope Leo X (1513–1521) was a rotund figure who pronounced: “God has given us the papacy, now let us enjoy it.” Leo blew through the entire papal treasury his predecessor had accumulated within two years on parties, art, and spectacle. To raise funds, he massively expanded the sale of what were termed “indulgences” – basically, pilgrims paid the pope money and he cut years off their time in purgatory after death. Loads of indulgences were shifted to pay for Leo’s grandiose plans for the rebuilding of St Peter’s basilica, which can still be visited today. One monk who visited Rome was so shocked he left the Roman Catholic church and began the Protestant Reformation – that man was Martin Luther.
Corruption among Roman Catholic bishops
Popes could be corrupt – but skullduggery extended downwards to lower ranks within the church. Bishops were often some of the most venal figures in the church. For example, they might have attained their episcopal mitre, not from the pope but a local warlord. For example, Ippolito d’Este (1479-1520) became Archbishop of Esztergom after being appointed by his powerful aunt. Quite an achievement considering he was 8 years old. In fact, this is his illustrious church career:
- Abbot Commendatory of Casalnovo – aged 3
- Tonsured as a monk and becomes Abbot Commendatory of S. Maria di Pomposa (Ferrara) – aged 6
- Crowned Archbishop of Esztergom – aged 8
- Made a cardinal at 14 years of age
- Archbishop of Milan at 18
- Archbishop of Capua at 23, even though he had never been a bishop
Quite an illustrious career!
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