L
larryo
Guest
While it’s true that there were bad men who became pope, the actual number is very small, when compared with the total number of approximately 264. The following popes can safely be placed in this category: 1) Vigilius, 2) Stephen VII, 3) Sergius III, 4) John XII, and 5) Benedict IX. The Spanish Pope Alexander VI is a special case in that he has been accused of every imaginable form of immorality. It’s true that prior to being elected pope, he had lived an immoral life and had sired at least 4 illegitimate children. He was also very acquisitive and had accumulated great wealth through the abuse of multiple benefices. As pope, he was a very effective administrator and accomplished much good by suppressing banditry and protecting Jews. It should be noted that many of the salacious stories about him were penned by political and ecclesiastical enemies. I’m aware of only 2 popes who were the legitimate sons of earlier popes. Pope Anastasius I at the end of the 4th century was succeeded by his legitimate son Innocent I. Pope Hormisdas in the 6th century, after 5 intervening popes, was succeeded by his legitimate son Silverius. All 4 of these men are considered saints. Universal celibacy was not yet the law of the Church. There were allegations made against Sergius III that he had an illegitimate son who eventually became John XI. However, there is no credible evidence for this charge. The story of a female Pope Joan has been proven to be a myth concocted in the 13th century about an event that supposedly occurred in the 9th century. There’s absolutely no evidence for this story. Just as a bad man, Judas, was chosen to be an apostle, so has the Church survived a relatively small number of immoral and incompetent leaders. When told by the Soviet leader Kruschchev that Communism would bury the Church, Pope John XXIII replied that, if Catholics like him hadn’t destroyed the Church in almost 2,000 years, it was unlikely that Communism would succeed. Thank the Holy Spirit who is always there to guide and protect the Catholic Church founded by Jesus.
As a matter of fact I recall reading the Catholic Answers article on him and his tracts, and in one tract it accused the Catholic Church of hiring prostitutes and sending them somewhere, I can remember where…