Is it true someone was once killed so a guy could be pope?

[ethereality]

At dinner tonight, I was discussing papal infallibility with a Protestant, former Mormon now atheist, former Southern Baptist now atheist, and lapsed Catholic. I was attempting to illustrate the distinction between infallibility and impeccability, and made some outlandish claims in an attempt to illustrate that, while there have been clergy and – in this case – popes who have done bad things, it did not follow that they taught error in matters of faith and morals.

I made the claim – and somewhat incoherently, as I’d had a beer (Yazoo Dos Perros) to drink – that “one guy had another guy killed so he could be pope – or so legend has it”. The former Mormon interjects, astonished, “And did this guy become pope?!” “Yeah, I think so.” “See?! Wow! Anyone can be pope!” “-- my point is that impeccability is not infallibility; infallibility does not mean that you don’t do bad things.” She countered, “But surely he was setting a bad example, leading through example.”

(The conversation shifted soon after to a different theological point, and they were pretty sure I was “redefining words”, since to them, infallibility and impeccability were still synonyms.)

So, can anyone provide me with resources about this claim I made? Was someone poisoned or stabbed or otherwise killed so someone could be pope? And was this pope involved? Or is this pure myth? I thought I heard of it somewhere relating to this community, either in these forums somewhere or on the Catholic Answers show when they’ve had the old historian guy on … … I hope he didn’t bring up this example precisely as a false urban myth … or maybe it in the Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Kreeft and Tacelli (of which I have read a little but do not own) … I’m not sure.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Alpha_One]

I believe you’re talking about Pope Vigilius.

I read his story is in the wonderful book Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by David Currie. I wish I had a copy of mine right now but I left it home, so some of this info might be wrong please correct any errors.

He was a monophysite heretic, and the empress was a suppoter of him and his heresy. Together with the empress they conspired to make him take over the Papacy. For a while he preached monophysitism as an antipope, before he, together with the empress, poisoned the current Pope while he was on his way to get rid of a heretical bishop.

After this he then was able to ascend into the papacy, where he could finally teach the monophysite heresy with full authority. Amazingly, the moment he became the actual Pope (as opposed to being a false claimant to the Papacy) he recanted and told the empress she could not and would no longer teach monophysitism. He was forced out of Constantinople and sent back to Rome and died in Syracuse on the way there.

 

[ethereality]

The Original Catholic Encyclopedia’s V section has two articles, “Vigilius” and “Vigilius, Saint”, neither of which are about this Pope Vigilius character. I didn’t see it skimming through “Monophysites and Monophysitism”, either. Oh well. Thanks for the post; it reminds me of a guest of Catholic Answers LIVE recounting a similar papal-infallibility-protection story, although perhaps with different names, and he didn’t go into detail about how the guy became pope.

 

[surritter]

I haven’t heard this particular story, but anyone who thinks that there hasn’t been some sins committed in order to get to be pope is woefully naive. So in a general sense I believe it.

 

[CatholicGuy22]

WOW how disturbing but im not really surprised.

 

[CatholicZ09]

I believe you’re talking about Pope Vigilius.

I read his story is in the wonderful book Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by David Currie. I wish I had a copy of mine right now but I left it home, so some of this info might be wrong please correct any errors.

I thought of that right when I read this title. I just finished reading “Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic” and I remember reading that story in the book. It sort of is an odd story, but it shows that God will never let Satan defeat His Church.