The Bad Popes
The Bad Popes is a 1969 book by E. R. Chamberlin documenting the lives of eight of the most controversial popes (papal years in parentheses):
- Pope Stephen VI (896–897), who exhumed and tried his dead predecessor Pope Formosus.[1]: 19
- Pope John XII (955–964), who murdered several people.
- Pope Benedict IX (1032–1044, 1045, 1047–1048), who was accused of selling the Papacy.
- Pope Boniface VIII (1294–1303), who regularly interfered in the politics of neighboring kingdoms.
- Pope Urban VI (1378–1389), who tortured Cardinals who had conspired against him.[1]: 153
- Pope Alexander VI (1492–1503), who, besides being openly promiscuous, was found guilty of nepotism.[1]: 204
- Pope Leo X (1513–1521), who once spent 1/7 of the Papal reserves on a single ceremony, leading Martin Luther to publish the 95 Theses and spark the Protestant Reformation.[1]: 218
- Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), whose power-politicking led to the Sack of Rome.
Reviews
- 'Bad Popes' and Era Examined by Writer by Sam Milligan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram August 24, 1969
- Consumed by Greed, the Princes Wage War and Shear the Sheep by W. G. Rogers, The Grand Rapids Press August 31, 1969 (syndicated)
- People get the popes they deserve by James Cargill Thompson, Chicago Tribune August 31, 1969
- Popes Of Another Day by Bud Cox, The Charlotte News September 1, 1969
- Seven Popes Linked by Church Crises by Norman Johnson, The Courier-Journal September 7, 1969
- Balanced, Detached View of the Seven 'Bad' Popes by Robert Kirsch, The Los Angeles Times September 19, 1969
- Incredible years of 3 rival popes by William D. Hoyt, The Boston Globe September 23, 1969
- Papal fallibility with a vengeance by Bernie Goedhart, Edmonton Journal October 17, 1969
- (Books) by John A. O'Brien, The South Bend Tribune November 2, 1969
- (Books) by William J. Tucker, Jr, St. Louis Post-Dispatch November 4, 1969
- How Bad Were “the Bad Popes?” by Kevin Di Camillo, National Catholic Register November 26, 2019
- Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction | Kirkus Reviews – The bad popes
- The Bad Popes
References