By Michael Tummillo There are many stories about the “bad popes” of Roman Catholicism. Though many of these are true, the famous “Pope Joan” story is regarded by many as a fabrication. Unless you talk to people like Donna Cross, a novelist who, after 7 years of research, wrote a book on “Pope Joan.” She claims the historical evidence is there. “I would say it’s the weight of evidence — over 500 chronicle accounts of her existence.” Another person who seems convinced, though no longer living, was Martin Polonus, a monk and close advisor to the pope. In his “History of Emperors and Popes,” Polonus wrote about a young woman from Mainz who learned Greek and Latin and became “proficient in a diversity of branches of knowledge.” Pope Joan supposedly served as pope from until 858. She was said to have been a poor German girl whose mud hut village of Mainz was taught Christianity by English missionaries. Supposedly, she took on her brother’s identity when he was killed by Vikings, calling herself John Anglicus (English John), and joined a monastery for boys called Fulda. She disguised herself as a monk to be with her cleric boyfriend in Rome, where she so impressed others with her Christian scholarly learning that she - still impersonating a monk - was eventually elected pope. With ambition and nerve, English John became secretary to a cardinal, and then, as Polonus writes, “the choice of all for pope” in the year A.D. 855. The jig was up when she gave birth during a procession, whereupon she and the child were killed. Other records say she was sent to a convent and that her son grew up and later became bishop of Ostia. The “experts” are torn regarding the legitimacy of the story. Oddly, future popes for 100 years avoided taking that dreadful route - a very direct one at that - upon returning to the Vatican. Polonus writes: “The Lord Pope always turns aside from the street … because of the abhorrence of the event.” If you travel to Italy and ask questions about Pope Joan, many will direct you toward the clues embedded in art, literature and architecture. The Renaissance poet Giovanni Boccaccio, best known for writing “The Decameron,” also wrote a book on “100 Famous Women.” No. 51 on his list? Pope Joan. Rare book dealers in Rome pull ancient tarot cards from their shelves. The card for hidden knowledge is called “La Papessa” — the Female Pope. Northward, in Siena, is the Duomo, where inside the cathedral is a gallery of terra-cotta busts depicting 170 popes, in no particular order. In the 17th century, Cardinal Baronuis, the Vatican librarian, wrote that one of the faces was a female — Joan the Female Pope. He also wrote that the when pope at the time decreed that the statue be destroyed, the local archbishop couldn’t stand to see a good statue go to waste. “The statue was transformed,” believes Donna Cross. “…literally, it [the name, John Anglicus] was scraped off…” and written in its place was “Pope Zachary.” At the Basilica in St. Peter’s Square are carvings by Bernini, one of the most famous artists of the 17th century. Among the carvings are eight images of a woman wearing a papal crown, each faces increasingly contorted as if it were a woman suffering in child birth. Seven of the carved images seem to tell the story of a woman giving birth, the eighth being the unmistakable carving of a smiling baby. Many other papal stories are undeniably true. In many cases, sins of the flesh were the least of their publicized sins. In the Middle Ages, many popes were elevated to office following the murder of their predecessors. During one particularly sad stretch of popes (882 to 1046), there were 37 popes, some of whom served less than a month. For example, Leo V (903) had been pope for only a month before being imprisoned and tortured by Christophorus, who then enthroned himself. Both men were killed in 904 on the orders of Pope Sergius III (904-911). That pope later had a son by his teenaged mistress Marozia who became Pope John XI (931-935). In 914, according to one chronicler, Marozia’s mother Theodora installed her lover on the papal throne as John X (914-928). (Theodora and Marozia effectively controlled the papacy through their lineage and, some say, may be the source of the Pope Joan stories.) John XII (955-963), who landed the pope job at age 19, was accused, perhaps falsely, of sleeping with his father’s mistress, committing incest with his niece, and castrating a deacon. “Popes … killed each other off, hammered each other to death,” says Mary Malone, a former Catholic nun. “There were 12-year-old popes … we have knowledge of a 5-year-old archbishop… It was a very odd time in history.” In later years, murder gave way to bribery as the way down the “Roman Road.” Some 40 popes are believed to have bought their Vatican jobs. But the lax attitude toward celibacy remained unchanged. In large part this was because the Roman Catholic Church was an important route to wealth and power. Sons of influential families were pushed into Church careers much as a wealthy, powerful Ivy League Alumni might pull some strings to get their kid to their Alma Mater. Noblemen with mistresses saw no reason to adjust their life-styles just because they had taken spiritual vows. Sadly, even today, far too many ministers of all denominations see their position as a job rather than a vocation; a calling from God Himself. Cardinals and popes getting their relatives a cushy job at the Vatican was the source of many jokes in Rome for centuries. Innocent VIII (1484-1492) had a son and daughter who lived with him in the Vatican. The notorious Alexander VI (1492-1503), born Rodrigo Borgia, had at least four illegitimate children while still a cardinal, among them the cutthroat Cesare Borgia and the reputed poisoner Lucrezia Borgia. Clement VII (1523-1534), himself illegitimate, had a son whom he attempted to make duke of Florence. Paul III (1534-1539) had four kids; two teen grandsons he made cardinals. Pius IV (1559-1565) had three children, et cetera, ad nauseam. Where papal kids and their holy fathers are concerned, there’s a tradition that Pope Hormisdas (514-523) was the father of Pope Silverius (536-537). It may not be proper to call Silverius illegitimate, since the rule of clerical celibacy was not firmly established in the early Church. Exactly how many “holy fathers” there were is probably impossible to determine, due to the lack of documentation for such things. The Catholic Church has been pretty forthcoming about these naughty popes, opening the Vatican archives to historians in the 19th century. The Church acknowledges that the office has been held by unworthy men, but maintains that their papal functions were unimpaired by their carnality, something we might hear more often in connection with politicians. Alas, the doctrine of papal infallibility applies only to certain formal pronouncements on faith and morals, so it is argued that the bad popes did not lead the church astray. Regarding papal infallibility, the Encyclopedia Britannica says, “The definition of the first Vatican Council … states the conditions under which a pope may be said to have spoken infallibly, or ex cathedra. It is prerequisite that the pope intend to demand irrevocable assent from the entire church in some aspect of faith or morals.” The ordinary teachings of the Church, by contrast, are not infallible. The pope can say what he likes about birth control, for example, and Catholics are obliged to obey, at least in the conservative view. But until he makes an infallible pronouncement on the subject, he has the option of someday changing his mind. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pastor Michael is founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). His eMail broadcasts, known as “Your Town for Jesus” (SEARCH it!) are reaching tens of thousands WEEKLY. He ministers by way of email and Instant Message, too. Write him at team1min@aol.com if you’d like to SUBSCRIBE to receive his messages directly.Michael’s mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Michael is the author of numerous booklets on a variey of subjects that will interest the thinking Christian. Since 1999, he has written and broadcast hundreds of inspirational articles and a dozen booklets, all designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God’s people. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Tummillo http://EzineArticles.com/?Roman-Catholicism:-Why-I-had-to-leave-PART-4&id=120492 interest only real estate loans no money down personal loan to fix up house cash advance with no faxing cash advance australia
