# Advice and Info on Immoral popes?



## Shane (Mar 18, 2006)

Does anyone know of reliable resources on the Net with regard to History of the Popes and specifically which Popes were more ungodly in practice. (Reliable resources please)
I know all of them are ungodly but specifically whick ones stand out in immoral practices and such.

Secondly: As you all probably know I am a converted Catholic and my family is still Catholic, my mom devotedly so. She has placed the Pope on such a high pedistal and now has been given a book on the History of the popes. I am not sure who the author is but I can only hope he will be a reasonably honest historian who will show that some Popes definetely did not come close to qualifying to be the so called "Vicar of Christ" in terms of morality and Godliness.

I would like to have some info not to confront my mom but to ask questions about these men which might show here that they fall far short of what God requires His people to be especially in leadership positions. Do you think this will be the wrong thing to do?

I do first and foremost pray for my family and know that only God can call and save them.


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## py3ak (Mar 18, 2006)

I found this little excerpt on the website of Catholic apologist Robert Sungenis:

For example, it´s no secret that Pope Sergius III (904-911) illegitimately fathered Pope John XI (931-935). Pope Sergius has been called "œan unscrupulous man" who ruled the Church "œarrogantly" (Quoted from page 162 of The Popes, A Concise Biographical History, edited by Eric John, Imprimatur, George L. Craven, 1962. Originally published in 1964 by Burns and Oates, publishers to the Holy See.)

Alexander VI (1471-1503) had at least six children, four of them by a Roman lady, Vanozzza dei Catanei (Ibid., p. 304.) "œThere is evidence" says The Popes: A Concise Biographical History that Alexander "œmaintained a mistress after he became pope and that her influence persuaded him to make her brother, Alexander Farnese, later Paul III, a Cardinal". Alexander VI became especially known for advancing his children´s careers. John XII (955-964) who became pope at age sixteen, is described in the Catholic Encyclopedia as "œa coarse, immoral man, whose life was such that the Lateran was spoken of as a brothel, and the moral corruption in Rome became the subject of general odium." (Catholic Encyclopedia, (New York: Appleton, 1910) Volume VIII, p. 426). "œThere is no doubt" write the authors of The Popes, "œthat he (John XII) was a scandal to the whole Church" (P. 166).

At times, popes and bishops have accepted bribes for favors, as well as murdered political opponents. For example, Pope Sergius III "œtook the Papacy by force," while Pope John XII is reportedly to have been "œstruck with paralysis while visiting his mistress" and died shortly after; and Pope Sixtus IV was involved in the plot to murder Lorenzo de Medici (The Popes, Eric John, pages 162, 166 and 301). Sixtus IV (1471-1484) made nepotism "œthe chief influence of papal policies." His revenues, which exceeded 60,000 gold ducats a year, "œenabled him to lead a life of luxury which astonished contemporaries and shocked many." (The Popes, Eric John, p. 301). Pope Innocent VIII (1484-1492) a man whose morals were unsuitable for the papacy, would "œopenly avow his illegitimate children." (Ibid., p. 302).

http://www.catholicintl.com/epologetics/dialogs/church/larson-part2-2.htm

I am sure there is more; from other accounts I would suspect that it was strongly toned down. But it is from the mouth of a catholic.

[Edited on 3-19-2006 by py3ak]


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## py3ak (Mar 18, 2006)

Another Catholic website had this:



> Dear Cecil:
> 
> I've read that a respectable number of disrespectable popes in the early Roman Catholic Church had illegitimate children. I understand that many of these children became cardinals in the church, some eventually ascending to the papal throne with infallibility. Does the Catholic Church officially acknowledge these transgressions, and, if so, how does it rationalize them? Also, is there any truth to the scandalous story of an ancient pope's bastard daughter disguising herself as a man, becoming a respected cardinal in the church, and finally getting elected pope by his/her peers--only to be stoned to death by an angry Roman crowd that discovered "him" hiding an advanced pregnancy under those heavy velvet robes? --Jeffrey R., Madison, Wisconsin
> 
> ...



http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_139.html


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