The 11 most scandalous popes in history

Grotesque but true: Pope Stephen VI, elected in 896, decided to exhume the body of the previous pope, Formosus, and put it on trial. Formosus's body was dressed up in papal clothes and propped up on a throne while Stephen shouted out obviously unanswerable questions.

Formosus was found guilty of perjury that day and his body was tossed into the Tiber River. Later, it was recovered and given a proper burial.

Stephen VI, on the other hand, was eventually imprisoned then strangled to death by supporters of Formosus.

Source: Royal Scandals; The Smart Set

John XII came to the throne in 955, when he was just 18. Shortly thereafter, he turned his residence into a brothel, gambled with church offerings, and was even accused of castrating a cardinal.

German ruler Otto of Saxony once wrote to the young pope, saying, “Everyone [...] accuses you, Holiness, of homicide, perjury, sacrilege, incest with your relatives, including two of your sisters, and with having, like a pagan, invoked Jupiter, Venus, and other demons.”

John XII actually met his demise because of a tryst: A jealous husband discovered his wife in bed with the pope, and the man proceeded to severely beat the him. John XII died three days later.

Source: Royal Scandals

Benedict IX was "placed" into the papacy in 1032, when he was likely just 12 years old. Not much is known about his policies, but it's clear that he wasn't well liked. (Historian Ferdinand Gregorovius called him "a demon from hell.")

Soon, political opponents tried to murder him, so he fled St. Peter's Basilica and spent time in Rome, where he "stole, murdered and committed other, unspeakable deeds," according to one account.

But he came back for more: In 1045, Benedict IX deposed his replacement and became pope again. His second round of popedom lasted just two months, though. He was reportedly offered a large sum of money and, in essence, sold the papacy to his successor.

Benedict IX actually became pope a third time, seizing the throne after Pope Clement II died in 1047. Eight months later he was driven out by King Henry III of England — and he never returned.

Source: INSIDER

Suffice it to say that Boniface VIII wasn't exactly beloved. After his election in 1294, he erected statues of himself all over Rome and said that sleeping with boys was no more problematic than "rubbing one hand against the other."

His most flagrant offense? The entire city of Palestrina was destroyed on his orders — all because of a personal political feud.

An envoy from the King of Aragon once summed up this pope's unpopularity, writing that "the cardinals all desire his death and are weary of his devilries."

Fun fact: Boniface VIII makes an appearance in the eighth circle of hell in Dante's "Inferno."

Source: Royal Scandals; The Smart Set

Sixtus IV, elected in 1471, apparently had six illegitimate children, including one with his sister. That didn't stop him from policing the sexual appetites of his underlings, though. He created a church tax on prostitutes and charged priests for having mistresses.

Sixtus IV also had a taste for nepotism, as did many other popes: He made six of his nephews cardinals.

On the bright side, he did commission the Sistine Chapel.

Sources: The Smart Set; Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes

Innocent VII, who became pope in 1484, was the first pontiff to openly acknowledge eight illegitimate children, though he may have had more. (Before his admission, papal bastards were simply referred to as "nephews." Wink wink.)

He was also very concerned about witchcraft, and in a 1484 document he wrote that he encouraged and blessed the act of witch hunting.

Sources: Royal Scandals; The Smart Set; Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes; Fordham University

Alexander VI became pope in 1492 — but before then he was just Rodrigo Borgia, a member of the notorious Italian crime family the Borgias. And in true crime-family fashion, he used money to buy his way into the papacy.

He also had several mistresses and fathered at least nine illegitimate children — possibly as a result of hosting orgies.

During his pre-papacy stint as a church cardinal, Alexander VI received a letter from Pope Pius II condemning him for hosting "several ladies of Sienna" late at night. "We have heard that the most licentious dances were indulged in," Pius II wrote. "Shame forbids mention of all that took place [...] All Sienna is talking about this orgy."

Another source says he hosted an orgy in 1501 called the "Joust of Whores."

Source: Royal Scandals; The Smart Set; Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes

Historian Eamon Duffy describes Julius II, elected in 1503, as "the most ferocious pope of the period — imperious, hot-tempered, manically active." That's because he used to dress up in silver suit of armor and lead troops up and down Italy, engaging in battles to extend the reach of the church's territory.

But Julius II had also contracted syphilis, apparently via prostitutes, and on Good Friday in 1508 his feet were so covered by sores that the faithful could not kiss them.

Sources: The Smart Set; Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes

After becoming pope in 1513, Leo X became a famous patron of the arts and commissioned the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica. In order to help pay for his grand plans, he authorized the sale of "indulgences" — essentially, promises of reduced punishment time for sins.

Oddly enough, Leo X left the papacy close to bankruptcy upon his death in 1521.

Source: Royal Scandals, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes

Paul IV was elected in 1555 and is best known for his horrific acts of anti-Semitism. He created a Jewish ghetto in Rome, inside which Jews were forced to wear distinctive yellow hats. Some of Rome's synagogues were also destroyed under his reign.

Paul IV was so hated that, upon his death in 1559, people ran through Rome and destroyed statues of him.

Source: Royal Scandals

Back in 1633, famed scientist Galileo was condemned by the Vatican, which was then lead by Pope Urban VIII.

The church took issue with Galileo's discovery that the sun is really at the center of the universe — not the earth. He was put on trial and forced to recant his findings as "abjured, cursed, and detested" or be burned at the stake, according to the New York Times.

Galileo chose to stay alive, of course. But the church didn't formally apologize for their error until 1992, roughly 350 years later.

Source: New York Times