Daily
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| Stephen VI |
| John XII |
| Boniface VIII |
| All the Above |
Your answer was: All the Above. |
Answer: For many centuries, the Catholic Church has elected the best and most worthy leader, called to lead the multimillion flock. However, among the 266 popes of Rome, not all were models of faith and obedience. Some of them are remembered for cruel punishments, shocking scandals and dark financial affairs. Stephen VI - 113th pope (896-897) - exhumed the body of a previous pope, Formosus, and put it on trial and found guilty of perjury. Stephen VI ordered the amputation of Formosus’ fingers, had him stripped of his papal vestments, dressed in rags, and dumped in a pauper’s grave. Stephen was later arrested, locked in a dungeon and strangled to death by supporters of Formosus. John XII - 130th pope (955-963) - accused of "homicide, perjury, sacrilege" and even incest. He met his demise because of a tryst: a jealous husband discovered his wife in bed with the pope, and the man proceeded to severely beat him. He died 3 days later. Boniface VIII - 193rd pope (1294-1303) - erected statues of himself all over Rome and said pedophilia was no more problematic than "rubbing one hand against the other." It so happens, Boniface VIII makes an appearance in the eighth circle of hell in Dante's "Inferno." Innocent VIII - 213th pope (1484-1492) - the first pontiff to openly acknowledge eight illegitimate children. He was also very concerned about witchcraft, and in a 1484 document he wrote that he encouraged and blessed the act of witch-hunting. Paul IV - 223rd pope (1559-1565) - best known for his horrific acts of anti-Semitism. He created a Jewish ghetto in Rome, inside which Jews were forced to wear distinctive yellow hats. Some of Rome's synagogues were also destroyed under his reign. Urban VIII - 235th pope (1623-1624) - took issue with Galileo's discovery that the sun is really at the center of the universe — not the earth. He was put on trial and forced to recant his findings as "abjured, cursed, and detested" or be burned at the stake. Galileo chose to stay alive, of course. But the church didn't formally apologize for their error until 1992, roughly 350 years later. These are just a few of the recorded scandals that have occurred within the papacy of the church. More examples can be found on today's internet sites. 
 Pope Stephen VI; Pope John XII; Pope Boniface VIII; Pope Innocent VIII; Pope Paul IV; Pope Urban VIII |
