A Godly Man With A Grudge

Jean-Paul Laurens on Wikimedia

You would expect the pope to be a stand-up guy with a strict moral code, right? Well that certainly wasn't the case with Pope Stephen VI, or VII, depending on who you ask. While Stephen wasn't one the worst popes—he didn't even father any illegitimate children—he's certainly not the best role model.

Stephen's clerical career was already off to a rocky start when he was named bishop against his will by the man who would become his sworn enemy: Pope Formosus. After Formosus and his successor both left for the pearly gates, Stephen was elected pope, thanks to the backing of a powerful Roman family, the Spoletans. And, as pope, the power almost immediately went to Stephen's head.

Less than a year into his short reign, Stephen held one of the most bizarre trials in human history: the Cadaver Synod. Formosus, 9 months dead, was dug up from his grave, dressed in ecclesiastical robes, and put on trial. Stephen wasn't entirely heartless, he gave the corpse his own lawyer.

Digging Up Old Beef

Now, you may be asking what crimes Formosus committed to warrant such treatment. Like a lot of Medieval feuds, it came down to infighting between factions. Remember how we said Stephen had wealthy backers? Well, Formosus wasn't a fan of the Spoletans, and had their rivals crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In short, the 9th century was a time of great political instability, and this happened to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

During the trial, Stephen accused Formosus of perjury, illegally serving as bishop, breaking Canon Law and, worst of all, openly coveting the papacy. Needless to say that neither Formosus' decaying corpse, nor the deacon assigned to speak for him got a word in. Not even an earthquake stopped Stephen from screaming at a corpse. Thanks to the dire state of the papal finances, damage to the basilica was not repaired until a decade later. We can only imagine the spectacle of such an event—and the smell!

Unsurprisingly, Formosus was found guilty on all charges. His time in office, along with all of his acts as pope were annulled. Then, the three fingers of his right hand, which were used for blessings, were cut off. The corpse was stripped of its papal vestments, dressed as a layman, buried again, exhumed, and then thrown into the river.

Unfortunately for Stephen, the corpse washed up on the riverbank. Even more unfortunately, people didn't take kindly to the desecration of a former pope. Riots broke out Stephen was deposed less than a year into his reign. He was strangled in prison.

Subsequent popes annulled the Cadaver Synod, reburied Formosus with honor, and declared Stephen's papacy invalid. To prevent such events from happening again, six cardinals were excommunicated, and it was made illegal for a corpse to stand trial.

It wasn't the last time a pope would meet a grisly end or be embroiled in scandal, but it was the last time one was found guilty post-mortem.