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This is a '''list of sexually active popes''', ] ] who were sexually active before becoming pope, and popes who were legally married. Some candidates were ] before their election as ], and it has sometimes been claimed that other popes were sexually active during their papacies. Since such relationships were sometimes undertaken outside of the bonds of ], and because sometimes the Pope was under a vow of ], the Catholic Church considers these to be grave abuses and causes of scandal.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} |
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{{pp|small=yes}} |
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] had 4 illegitimate children and made his illegitimate son ] the first ].]] |
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This is a '''list of sexually active popes''', ] ] who were not ] before they became ], and those who were legally married before becoming pope. Some candidates were allegedly ] before their election as ], and others were thought to have been sexually active during their papacies. A number of them had children. |
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There are various classifications for those who were sexually active during their lives. Allegations of sexual activities are of varying levels of reliability, with several having been made by contemporary political or religious opponents. Some claims are generally accepted by modern historians, while other remain more contested. |
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There have been ]. Since 1585, no pope is known to have been sexually active either before or after election to the Papacy. |
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== Background == |
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There are various classifications for those who were sexually active at some time during their lives. Periods in parentheses refer to the years of their papacies. |
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{{Main article|Clerical celibacy (Catholic Church)|Catholic teachings on sexual morality}} |
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For many years of the Church's history, celibacy was considered optional. Based on the customs of the times, it is assumed{{By whom|date=June 2021}} by many that most of the ] were married and had families. The ] (Mark 1:29–31;<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|1:29–31}}</ref> Matthew 8:14–15;<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|8:14–15}}</ref> Luke 4:38–39;<ref>{{bibleverse|Luke|4:38–39}}</ref> 1 Timothy 3:2, 12;<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Timothy|3:2–12}}</ref> Titus 1:6)<ref>{{bibleverse|Titus|1:6}}</ref> depicts at least Peter as being married, and ], ] and ] of the ] were often married as well. In epigraphy, the testimony of the ], synodal legislation, and papal decretals in the following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers, was a feature of the life of the Church. Celibacy was not required for those ordained and was accepted in the early Church, particularly by those in the monastic life. |
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==Background== |
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{{main|Clerical celibacy (Catholic Church)|Catholic teachings on sexual morality}} |
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Although various local Church councils had demanded celibacy of the clergy in a particular episcopal jurisdiction,<ref>{{cite CE1913|wstitle=Celibacy of the Clergy}}</ref> it was not until the ] (1139) that official made the promise to remain ] a prerequisite to ordination within the ] (and effectively ended any practice of a married priesthood). Subsequently sexual relationships were generally undertaken outside the bonds of ], and each sexual act thus committed would have been considered a ]. |
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For many years of the Church's history, celibacy was considered optional. Based on the customs of the times, it is assumed by many, that most of the ], such as Peter, were married and had families. It is clear from the ] (Mk 1:29–31; Mt 8:14–15; Lk 4:38–39; 1 Tim 3:2, 12; Tit 1:6) that at least Peter had been married, and that ], ] and ] of the ] were often married as well. It is also clear from epigraphy, the testimony of the ], synodal legislation, papal decretals and other sources that in the following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers, was a normal feature of the life of the Church. Celibacy was not required for those ordained, but still was a discipline practised in the early Church, particularly by those in the monastic life. |
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== Popes who were legally married == |
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Although, various local Church councils had demanded celibacy of the clergy in a particular area,<ref></ref> it was not until the ] (1139) that whole of the ] of the Catholic Church decided to accept people for ordination only after they had taken a promise of ].<ref> retrieved June 9, 2008</ref> The reasons for the imposition of celibacy in the Latin branch of the Church are not straightforward; there was certainly a strain of thought which regarded celibacy as being a more exalted state than marriage, but there was also the matter of married clergy who may have bequeathed Church property to a spouse or child. Regardless, although it is a long-established tradition, clerical celibacy is a matter of Church discipline, not of doctrine. If it were the latter, then Roman Catholic deacons would not be permitted to be married, nor would those clergy in the ]. |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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In this context, a celibate is a person who is not married. The discipline of priestly celibacy is not considered one of the infallible and immutable ]s. Celibacy is not synonymous with sexual abstinence, although it entails sexual abstinence because of the requirement of sexual abstinence outside of marriage. |
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!width=10%|Name |
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!width=10%|Reign(s) |
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!Relationship |
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!Offspring |
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!Notes |
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|] |
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|30/33–64/68 |
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|Mother-in-law (Greek πενθερά, ''penthera'') is mentioned in the ] verses {{bibleverse||Matthew|8:14–15|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|4:38|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Mark|1:29–31|KJV}}, and who ] at her home in ]. {{Bibleref2|1 Cor.|9:5}} asks whether others have the right to be accompanied by Christian wives as does "]" (Peter). ] wrote: "When the blessed Peter saw his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her return home, and called to her very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, and saying, 'Remember the Lord.' Such was the marriage of the blessed, and their perfect disposition toward those dearest to them."<ref>Cited by Eusebius, ''Church History'', . Full text at .</ref> |
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|Yes<ref>] wrote: "For Peter and Philip begat children" in {{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm|title=Clements, Stromata (book VII) / Eusebius, Church History (Book III)|publisher=Newadvent.org|access-date=2012-11-28}}</ref> |
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|Later legends, dating from the 6th century onwards, suggested that Peter had a daughter – identified as ]. This connection is likely to be a result of the similarity of their names.<ref>{{Cite CE1913 |wstitle=St. Petronilla}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/StPetronilla/StPetronilla.htm |title=St. Peter's – Altar of St Petronilla |publisher=Saintpetersbasilica.org |access-date=2011-10-18}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|483–492 |
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|Widowed before his election as pope |
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|Yes |
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|Himself the son of a priest, Felix fathered two children, one of whom was subsequently the mother of Pope ] (making the latter his grandson).<ref>R.A. Markus, Gregory the Great and his world (Cambridge: University Press, 1997), p.8</ref> |
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|] |
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|514–523 |
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|Widowed before he took holy orders |
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|Yes |
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|Father of ].<ref>{{cite CE1913|first=Johann Peter |last=Kirsch|wstitle=Pope St. Hormisdas |volume=7}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|867–872 |
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|Married to ] before he took holy orders,<ref>{{cite CE1913|first=James Francis |last=Loughlin |wstitle=Pope Adrian II |volume=1}}</ref> she was still living when he was elected pope and resided with him in the ]. |
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|Yes (a daughter) |
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|His wife and daughter both resided with him until they were murdered by Eleutherius, brother of ], the Church's chief librarian.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dopierała |first=K. |title=Księga Papieży |publisher=Pallotinum |location=Poznań |year=1996 |page=106}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|1003 |
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|Married before his election as pope |
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|Yes (three sons) |
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|All of his children became priests.<ref>* {{Cite CE1913 |first=Johann Peter |last=Kirsch |wstitle=Pope John XVII (XVIII) |volume=8}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|1265–1268 |
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|Widowed before taking holy orders |
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|Yes (two daughters) |
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|Both children entered a ]<ref>{{cite CE1913 |volume=4 |first=James Francis |last=Loughlin |wstitle=Pope Clement IV}}</ref> |
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|style=white-space:nowrap|] |
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|1285–1287 |
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|Widowed before entering the clergy |
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|Yes (at least two sons)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1261.htm|title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Cardinal Giacomo Savelli|publisher=Fiu.edu|access-date=2011-10-18}}{{Self-published source|date=January 2013}}<!-- references available at that source --></ref> |
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== Fathered illegitimate children before holy orders == |
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The ] held that virginity and celibacy were higher states than marriage, but more recently, popes have affirmed the gift and graces of both married and celibate states. In his ] reflections July 7, 1983, ] said, "The gift received by persons who live in marriage is different from the one received by persons who live in virginity and choose continence for the sake of the kingdom of God. All the same, it is a true gift from God, one's own gift, intended for concrete persons. It is specific, that is, suited to their vocation in life. We can therefore say that the Apostle stresses also the action of grace in every person—in one who lives in marriage no less than in one that willingly chooses continence." |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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==Popes who were married== |
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!width=10%|Name |
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*] ''(Simon Peter)'', whose mother-in-law is mentioned in the ] verses {{bibleverse||Matthew|8:14–15|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Luke|4:38|KJV}}, {{bibleverse||Mark|1:29–31|KJV}}. According to ],<ref>(Stromata, III, vi, ed. Dindorf, II, 276)</ref> Peter was married and had children, and his wife was martyred.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11781b.htm |title=De Rossi, 'Roma sotterranea', I, 180 |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1911-02-01 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> In some legends dating from at least the 6th century, Peter's daughter is ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/StPetronilla/StPetronilla.htm |title=St. Peter's – Altar of St Petronilla |publisher=Saintpetersbasilica.org |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> ] wrote: "For Peter and Philip begat children; When the blessed Peter saw his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her return home, and called to her very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, and saying, 'Remember the Lord.' Such was the marriage of the blessed, and their perfect disposition toward those dearest to them."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm |title=Clements, Stromata (book VII) / Eusebius, Church History (Book III) |publisher=Newadvent.org |date= |accessdate=2012-11-28}}</ref> |
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!width=10%|Reign |
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*] (514–523) was married and widowed before he took Holy Orders. He was the father of ].<ref>''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1910) </ref> |
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!Relationship |
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*] (867–872) was married before he took Holy Orders,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01156a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Adrian II |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1907-03-01 |accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref> to a woman called Stephania, and had a daughter. His wife and daughter were still living when he was elected Pope and resided with him in the ]. They were murdered by Eleutherius, brother of ], the Church's chief librarian.<ref>K. Dopierała, ''Księga Papieży'', Pallotinum, Poznań, 1996, p. 106</ref> |
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!Offspring |
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*] (1003) was married before his election as Pope and had three sons, who all became priests.<ref>* {{ws|"]" in the 1913 ''Catholic Encyclopedia''}}</ref> |
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!Notes |
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*] (1265–1268) was married, before taking Holy Orders, and had two daughters, who both entered a ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04019a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia article on Clement IV |publisher=Newadvent.org |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|1458–1464 |
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|Not married |
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|Yes (at least two) |
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|Two children, both born before he formally entered the clergy. The first child, fathered while in Scotland, died in infancy. A second child fathered while in ] with a Breton woman named Elizabeth died 14 months later. He delayed becoming a cleric because of the requirement of chastity.<ref>{{cite CE1913 |volume=12 |
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|first=Nicholas Aloysius |last=Weber |wstitle=Pope Pius II}}</ref> |
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|1484–1492 |
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|Not married |
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|Yes (two) |
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|Both born before he entered the clergy.<ref>{{cite CE1913 |volume=8 |
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|first= Nicholas Aloysius |last=Weber |wstitle=Pope Innocent VIII}}</ref> Married elder son ] to ], who in return obtained the cardinal's hat for his 13-year-old son Giovanni, who became ].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Life of Girolamo Savonarola |url=https://archive.org/details/lifeofgirolamosa00rido |url-access=registration |year=1959 |first=Roberto |last=Ridolfi|publisher=New York, Knopf }}</ref> His daughter Teodorina Cybo married Gerardo Usodimare. |
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|] |
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|1523–1534 |
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|Not married. Relationship with a slave girl – possibly Simonetta da Collevecchio |
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|Yes (one) |
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|Identified as ], Duke of Florence.<ref>George L. Williams, ''Papal Genealogy: The Families And Descendants Of The Popes'', page 74: "Clement now made Alessandro de Medici "his illegitimate son by a slave" into the first duke of Florence", McFarland & Company, 1998, {{ISBN|0-7864-2071-5}}</ref><ref>Mara Wade, ''Gender Matters: Discourses of violence in early modern literature and the arts'', Editions Rodopi, 2013</ref> |
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== Known to or suspected of having fathered illegitimate children after receiving holy orders == |
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==Popes sexually active before receiving Holy Orders== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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*] (1458–1464) had at least two illegitimate children, one in ] and one in ], both born before he entered the clergy. Pius delayed becoming a cleric because of the requirement of chastity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12126c.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia article on Pope Pius II |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1911-06-01 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> |
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!width=10%|Name |
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*] (1484–1492) had two illegitimate children during his licentious youth, both born before he entered the clergy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08019b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia article on Pope Innocent VIII |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1910-10-01 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> According to the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', he "openly practised ] in favour of his children".<ref>Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911</ref> ] chastised him for his worldly ambitions.<ref><The Life of Girolamo Savonarola (1959) by Roberto Ridolfi</ref> |
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*] (1523–1534) had one illegitimate son before he took holy orders. Academic sources{{who|reason=the sources say "the source adds that this data is uncertain" and "historians are convinced", but we still need to know who these historians are|date=January 2013}} identify him with ].<ref>S. Miranda: </ref>{{Self-published source|date=January 2013}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/secret/famous/medici.html |title=Alessandro De Medici | FRONTLINE |publisher=PBS |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref>{{better source|date=January 2013}} |
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!Relationship |
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*] (1572–1585) had an illegitimate son before he took holy orders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07001b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Gregory XIII |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1910-06-01 |accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1565.htm#Boncompagni |title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Ugo Boncompagni |publisher=Fiu.edu |date=2007-12-03 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> |
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!Offspring |
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!Notes |
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|] |
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|1503–1513 |
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|Not married |
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|Yes (three daughters) |
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|Three illegitimate daughters, one of whom was ] (born in 1483, twenty years before his election as pope, and twelve years after his enthronement as bishop of Lausanne).<ref>{{cite CE1913 |volume=8 |first=Michael |last=Ott |wstitle=Pope Julius II }}</ref> The schismatic ], which sought to depose him in 1511, also accused him of being a "]".<ref>Louis Crompton, ''Homosexuality and Civilization'', page 278 (], 2006) {{ISBN|978-0-674-01197-7}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|1534–1549 |
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|Not married. Silvia Ruffini as mistress |
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|Yes (three sons and one daughter) |
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|Held off ordination in order to continue his lifestyle, fathering four illegitimate children (three sons and one daughter) by Silvia Ruffini after his appointment as cardinal-deacon of Santi Cosimo and Damiano. He broke his relations with her ca. 1513. He made his illegitimate son ] the first ].<ref>Jean de Pins, ''Letters and Letter Fragments'', page 292, footnote 5 (Libraire Droze S.A., 2007) {{ISBN|978-2-600-01101-3}}</ref><ref>Katherine McIver, ''Women, Art, And Architecture in Northern Italy, 1520–1580: Negotiating Power'', page 26 (Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2006) {{ISBN|0-7546-5411-7}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|1559–1565 |
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|Not married |
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|Allegedly three |
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| One was a son born in 1541 or 1542. He also had two daughters.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Miles|last=Pattenden|title=Pius IV and the Fall of The Carafa: Nepotism and Papal Authority in Counter-Reformation Rome (page 34)|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2013}}</ref> |
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==Popes who were, or may have been, sexually active after receiving Holy Orders== |
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*] (1503–1513) had three illegitimate daughters, one of whom was ] (born in 1483, twenty years before his election).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08562a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Julius II |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1910-10-01 |accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref> The schismatic ], which sought to depose him in 1511, accused him of being a "sodomite covered with shameful ulcers."<ref>''Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History from Antiquity to World War II'', Robert Aldrich and Garry Wotherspoon, Routledge, 2001</ref>{{Better source|date=January 2013}} |
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|] |
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*] (1534–1549) who, according to some sources<!-- these need to be extracted from the following dubious citations -->, held off ordination in order to continue his promiscuous lifestyle, fathering four illegitimate children (three sons and one daughter) by his mistress Silvia Ruffini.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1493.htm#Farnese |title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Alessandro Farnese |publisher=Fiu.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref>{{Self-published source|date=January 2013}} He broke his relations with her ca. 1513. There is no evidence of sexual activity during his papacy. He made his illegitimate son ] the first ].<ref>Giovanni Drei, I Farnese, Parma, 1950</ref>{{failed verification|reason=unable to find|date=January 2013}} |
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|1572–1585 |
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|Not married. Affair with Maddalena Fulchini |
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|Yes |
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| Received the ecclesiastical tonsure in Bologna in June 1539, and subsequently had an affair that resulted in the birth of ] in 1548. Giacomo remained illegitimate, with Gregory later appointing him ] of the Church, governor of the ] and ].<ref>{{cite CE1913 |volume=7 |
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|first=Michael |last=Ott |wstitle=Pope Gregory XIII}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1565.htm#Boncompagni |title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Ugo Boncompagni |publisher=Fiu.edu |date=2007-12-03 |access-date=2011-10-18}}</ref> |
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|] |
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|1823–1829 |
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|Not married |
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|Allegedly three |
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|As a young prelate, he came under suspicion of having a liaison with the wife of a Swiss Guard soldier and as ] in Germany allegedly fathered three illegitimate children.<ref>''Letters from Rome'' in: , pp. 468–471.</ref> |
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==Popes sexually active, or accused of being sexually active, during pontificate== |
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== Popes alleged to be sexually active during pontificate == |
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A majority of the allegations made in this section are disputed by modern historians. |
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*] (904–911) was accused by his opponents of being the illegitimate father of ] by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13729a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Sergius III |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1912-02-01 |accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref> These accusations are found in ]'s ''Antapodosis'',<ref name="fmg.ac">http://web.archive.org/web/20080413210922/http://fmg.ac/FMG/Popes.pdf Lindsay Brook, ''Popes and pornocrats: Rome in the Early Middle Ages''</ref> as well as the ].<ref>Liber Pontificalis (first ed., 500s; it has papal biographies up to Pius II, d. 1464)</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2013}} The accusations are disputed by another early source, the annalist ] (c. 894–966): John XI was brother of Alberic II, the latter being the offspring of Marozia and her husband Alberic I, so John too may have been the son of Marozia and Alberic I. Bertrand Fauvarque emphasizes that the contemporary sources backing up this parenthood are dubious, Liutprand being "prone to exaggeration" while other mentions of this fatherhood appear in satires written by supporters of late ].<ref>Fauvarque, Bertrand (2003). "De la tutelle de l'aristocratie italienne à celle des empereurs germaniques". In Y.-M. Hilaire (Ed.), ''Histoire de la papauté, 2000 ans de missions et de tribulations''. Paris:Tallandier. ISBN 2-02-059006-9, p. 163.</ref> |
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*] (914–928) had romantic affairs with both ] and her daughter Marozia, according to ] in his ''Antapodosis'':<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fmg.ac/FMG/Popes.pdf |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080413210922/http://fmg.ac/FMG/Popes.pdf |archivedate=2008-04-13 |title=Lindsay Brook, "Popes and pornocrats: Rome in the Early Middle Ages" |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2008-04-13 |accessdate=2012-11-28}}</ref>{{Better source|date=January 2013}} "The first of the popes to be created by a woman and now destroyed by her daughter".{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} (See also ]) |
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*] (955–963) was accused by his adversaries of ] and ].<ref name="newadvent.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08426b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope John XII |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1910-10-01 |accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author=Martin, Malachi | title= Decline and Fall of the Roman Church | location=New York | publisher=Bantam Books | year=1981 | isbn=0-553-22944-3}} p. 105</ref> The monk ] noted in his volume XXXVII that he "liked to have a collection of women". According to ] in his ''Antapodosis'',<ref name="fmg.ac"/> "they testified about his adultery, which they did not see with their own eyes, but nonetheless knew with certainty: he had fornicated with the widow of Rainier, with Stephana his father's concubine, with the widow Anna, and with his own niece, and he made the sacred palace into a whorehouse." According to E. R. Chamberlin, John XII was "a Christian Caligula whose crimes were rendered particularly horrific by the office he held".<ref>The Bad Popes by E. R. Chamberlin</ref> Some sources report that he was rumoured to have died 8 days after being stricken by paralysis while in the act of adultery,<ref name="newadvent.org"/> others that he was killed by the jealous husband while in the act of committing adultery.<ref>Peter de Rosa, ''Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy'', Poolbeg Press, Dublin 1988/2000, pages 211–215.</ref><ref>Hans Kung, ''The Catholic Church: A Short History'' (translated by John Bowden), Modern Library, New York. 2001/2003. page 79</ref><ref>''The Popes' Rights & Wrongs'', published by Truber & Co., 1860</ref><ref>Dr. Angelo S. Rappaport, ''The Love Affairs of the Vatican'', 1912</ref> (See also ]) |
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*] (1032– became pope in 1044, again in 1045 and finally 1047–1048).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02429a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia article on Benedict IX |publisher=Newadvent.org |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> He was accused by Bishop Benno of ] of "many vile adulteries."<ref>“Post multa turpia adulteria et homicidia manibus suis perpetrata, |
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postremo, etc.” {{Cite document|last=Dümmler|first=Ernst Ludwig|authorlink=Ernst Dümmler|title=Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Libelli de lite|publisher=Deutsches Institut für Erforschung des Mittelalters|year=1891|location=Hannover|pages=584|volume=I|edition=Bonizonis episcopi Sutriensis: Liber ad amicum|url=http://www.uan.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/(volumiID)/A9E60829767DA2D2C1256D6B0074177B/$FILE/AlimBonizoAdamicum.doc?openelement|accessdate= 2008-01-03.|postscript = <!--None-->}}</ref><ref>''The Book of Saints'', by Ramsgate Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine's Abbey, A.C. Black, 1989. ISBN 978-0-7136-5300-7</ref> Pope ] referred in his third book of Dialogues to "his rapes... and other unspeakable acts."<ref>"Cuius vita quam turpis, quam freda, quamque execranda extiterit, |
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horresco referre." {{Cite document|last=Victor III|first=Pope|authorlink=Pope Victor III|title=Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Libelli de lite|publisher=Deutsches Institut für Erforschung des Mittelalters|year=1934|location=Hannover|pages=141|edition=Dialogi de miraculis Sancti Benedicti Liber Tertius auctore Desiderio abbate Casinensis|url=http://www.uan.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/(volumiID)/D8115E7BB6446DC9C1256D660075CE62/$FILE/AlimDesiderioDialogi.doc?openelement|accessdate=2008-01-03|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> His life prompted ] ] to write an extended treatise against sex in general, and ] in particular. In his ''Liber Gomorrhianus'', Damian accused Benedict IX of routine sodomy and bestiality and sponsoring orgies.<ref>Liber Gomorrhianus, ISBN 88-7694-517-2</ref> In May 1045, Benedict IX resigned his office to pursue marriage.<ref>Dr. Angelo S. Rappaport, ''The Love Affairs of the Vatican'', 1912, pp. 81–82.</ref> |
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*] (1492–1503) had a long affair with ] before his papacy, and by her had his illegitimate children ] and ]. A later mistress, ], was the sister of Alessandro Farnese, who later became ]. Alexander fathered at least seven, and possibly as many as ten illegitimate children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1456.htm#Borja |title=''The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church'': Rodrigo Borja |publisher=Fiu.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> |
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===Relationships with women=== |
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===Popes accused of having male lovers during pontificate=== |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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!width=10%|Name |
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!width=10%|Reign |
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!Relationship |
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!Offspring |
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!Notes |
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|]{{efn|name=alleged|This allegation is disputed by some modern historians.}} |
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|904–911 |
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|Not married |
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|Yes (at least one) |
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|Accused of being the illegitimate father of ] by ], the fifteen year old daughter of ] and ].<ref>{{cite CE1913 |volume=13 |
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|first=Horace Kinder |last=Mann |wstitle=Pope Sergius III}}</ref><ref name="auto">George Williams, ''Papal Genealogy: The family and descendants of the Popes'', McFarland, 1998</ref> Such accusations lay in ]'s ''Antapodosis''<ref name="fmg.ac">{{cite journal | last=Brook | first=Lindsay Leonard | date=January 2003 | title=Popes and pornocrats: Rome in the early middle ages | journal=Foundations | volume=1 | number=1 | pages=5–21 | publication-place=Hereford, UK | publisher=Foundation for Medieval Genealogy | issn=1479-5078 | url=http://fmg.ac/phocadownload/userupload/foundations1/issue1/05Popes.pdf}}</ref> and the ].<ref>Liber Pontificalis (first ed., 500s; it has papal biographies up to Pius II, d. 1464)</ref><ref>Reverend Horace K. Mann, ''The Lives of the Popes in the Early Middle Ages, Volumes 1–13'' quote: "Was John XI the son of Pope Sergius by the abandoned Marozia? Liutprand says he was, and so does the author of the anonymous catalogue in the ''Liber Pontificalis'' in his one-line notice of John XI." (1928)</ref><ref>Anura Gurugé, ''The Next Pope: After Pope Benedict XVI'', page 37: "John XI (#126) would also appear to have been born out of wedlock. His mother, Marozia, from the then powerful Theophylacet family, was around sixteen years old at the time. ''Liber Pontificalis'', among others, claim that Sergius III (#120), during his tenure as pope, was the father." (WOWNH LLC, 2010). {{ISBN|978-0-615-35372-2}}</ref> The accusations have discrepancies with another early source, the annalist ] (c. 894–966): John XI was the brother of ], the latter being the offspring of Marozia and her husband ], so John too may have been the son of Marozia and Alberic I.{{fact|date=October 2023}} Fauvarque emphasizes that contemporary sources are dubious, Liutprand being "prone to exaggeration" while other mentions of this fatherhood appear in satires written by supporters of ].<ref>Fauvarque, Bertrand (2003). "De la tutelle de l'aristocratie italienne à celle des empereurs germaniques". In Y.-M. Hilaire (Ed.), ''Histoire de la papauté, 2000 ans de missions et de tribulations''. Paris:Tallandier. {{ISBN|2-02-059006-9}}, p. 163.</ref> |
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|- |
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|]{{efn|name=alleged|This allegation is disputed by some modern historians.}} |
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|914–928 |
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|Not married. Affairs with Theodora and Marozia. |
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|No |
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|Had romantic affairs with both ] and her daughter Marozia, according to ] in his ''Antapodosis''.<ref name="auto"/><ref>], ''Crises in The history of The Papacy: A Study of Twenty Famous Popes whose Careers and whose Influence were important in the Development of The Church and in The History of The World'', page 130 (New York; London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1916)</ref> However, Monsignor ] (ecclesiastical historian and Catholic priest) wrote, "This statement is, however, generally and rightly rejected as a calumny. Liutprand wrote his history some fifty years later, and constantly slandered the Romans, whom he hated."<ref name="Kirsch"> Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 September 2017</ref> |
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|- |
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|] |
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|955–964 |
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|Not married |
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|No |
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|Accused by adversaries of ] and ].<ref name="CE1913, Pope John XII">{{cite CE1913 |volume=8 |
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|first=Johann Peter |last=Kirsch |wstitle=Pope John XII}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Martin |first=Malachi |title=Decline and Fall of the Roman Church |location=New York |publisher=] |year=1981 |isbn=0-553-22944-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/declinefalloft00mala }} p. 105</ref> ] noted that he had "a collection of women". According to ],<ref name="fmg.ac" /> "they testified about his adultery, which they did not see with their own eyes, but nonetheless knew with certainty: he had fornicated with the widow of Rainier, with Stephana his father's concubine, with the widow Anna, and with his own niece, and he made the sacred palace into a whorehouse". According to Chamberlin, John was "a Christian Caligula whose crimes were rendered particularly horrific by the office he held".<ref>The Bad Popes by E. R. Chamberlin</ref> Some sources report that he died eight days after being stricken by paralysis while in the act of adultery,<ref name="CE1913, Pope John XII" /> others that he was killed by the jealous husband while in the act of committing adultery.<ref>Peter de Rosa, ''Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy'', Poolbeg Press, Dublin 1988/2000, pages 211–215.</ref><ref>Hans Kung, ''The Catholic Church: A Short History'' (translated by John Bowden), Modern Library, New York. 2001/2003. page 79</ref><ref>''The Popes' Rights & Wrongs'', published by Truber & Co., 1860</ref><ref>Dr. Angelo S. Rappaport, ''The Love Affairs of the Vatican'', 1912</ref> |
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|- |
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|] |
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|1492–1503 |
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|Not married. Relationships with Vanozza dei Catanei and Giulia Farnese. |
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|Possibly |
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| Had a long affair with ] while still a priest, and before he became pope; and by her had his illegitimate children ], ], ], and ].<ref name="auto"/> A later mistress, ], was the sister of ], giving birth to a daughter Laura while Alexander was in his 60s and reigning as pope.<ref>Eamon Duffy, ''Saints and Sinners: A history of the popes'', ], 2006</ref> |
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===Relationships with men=== |
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*] (1464–1471) is popularly thought to have died due to indigestion arising from eating melon in excess,<ref>Paolo II in Enciclopedia dei Papi", Enciclopedia Treccani, http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/paolo-ii_%28Enciclopedia_dei_Papi%29/</ref><ref>"Vita Pauli Secundi Pontificis Maximi", Michael Canensius, 1734 </ref> though a rumour was spread by his detractors that he died while engaging in ].{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} <!--<ref>Karlheinz Deschner, Storia criminale del cristianesimo (tomo VIII), Ariele, Milano, 2007, pag. 216. Nigel Cawthorne, Das Sexleben der Päpste. Die Skandalchronik des Vatikans, Benedikt Taschen Verlag, Köln, 1999, pag. 171.</ref><ref>Claudio Rendina, I Papi, Storia e Segreti, Newton Compton, Roma, 1983, p. 589</ref> --- sources need to be checked --> |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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*] (1471–1484) was alleged to have awarded gifts and benefices to court favourites in return for sexual favours. Giovanni Sclafenato was created a ] by Sixtus for "ingenuousness, loyalty,...and his other gifts of soul and body",<ref name="aldrich">{{cite book|author=Aldrich, Robert; and Wotherspoon, Garry|year=2002|title=Who's who in gay and lesbian history |page=481|accessdate=2009-06-18|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=zLWTqBmifh0C&lpg=PA481&ots=pXvmq_rS29&dq=Giovanni%20Sclafenato%20epitaph&pg=PA481}}</ref>{{Better source|date=January 2013}} according to the papal epitaph on his tomb.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?lr=&ei=CWUPSMLhGKDsygTH0ti9Ag&output=html&as_brr=1&id=BM6DAz1tefoC&jtp=21 |title=diary records of Stefano Infessura (1440–1500) |publisher=Books.google.com |date= |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=January 2013}} |
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!width=10%|Name |
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*] (1513–1521) was allegedly a practising homosexual, according to some modern and contemporary sources (Francesco Guicciardini and Paolo Giovio). He was alleged to have had a particular (albeit one-sided) infatuation for ].<ref>C. Falconi, ''Leone X'', Milan, 1987</ref> |
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!width=10%|Reign |
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*] (1550–1555) was alleged to have had a long affair with ]. The Venetian ambassador at that time reported that Innocenzo shared the pope's bed.<ref>Burkle-Young, Francis A., and Michael Leopoldo Doerrer. ''The Life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte: A Scandal in Scarlet'', Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen, 1997</ref> |
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!Relationship |
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!Notes |
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|- |
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|] |
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|1464–1471 |
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|Not married. Alleged affair with a ] |
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|Thought to have died of ] arising from eating melon,<ref>Paolo II in Enciclopedia dei Papi", Enciclopedia Treccani, http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/paolo-ii_%28Enciclopedia_dei_Papi%29/</ref><ref>"Vita Pauli Secundi Pontificis Maximi", Michael Canensius, 1734 </ref> though his opponents alleged he died while being sodomized by a page.<ref>Leonie Frieda, ''The Deadly Sisterhood: A Story of Women, Power, and Intrigue in the Italian Renaissance, 1427–1527'', chapter 3 (HarperCollins, 2013) {{ISBN|978-0-06-156308-9}}</ref><ref>Karlheinz Deschner, Storia criminale del cristianesimo (tomo VIII), Ariele, Milano, 2007, pag. 216. Nigel Cawthorne, Das Sexleben der Päpste. Die Skandalchronik des Vatikans, Benedikt Taschen Verlag, Köln, 1999, pag. 171.</ref><ref>Claudio Rendina, I Papi, Storia e Segreti, Newton Compton, Roma, 1983, p. 589</ref> |
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|- |
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|]{{efn|name=alleged|This allegation is disputed by some modern historians.}} |
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|1471–1484 |
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|Not married |
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|According to ], Sixtus was a "lover of boys and ]" – awarding benefices and bishoprics in return for sexual favours, and nominating a number of young men as cardinals, some of whom were celebrated for their good looks.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BM6DAz1tefoC |title=Studies in the psychology of sex — Havelock Ellis — Google Boeken |date=2007-07-30 |access-date=2013-06-23|last1=Ellis |first1=Havelock }}</ref><ref name="NC">{{cite book |last=Cawthorne |first=Nigel |title=Sex Lives of the Popes |publisher=Prion |year=1996 |page=160|id={{ASIN|185375546X|country=uk}} }}</ref><ref>Stefano Infessura, ''Diario della città di Roma (1303–1494)'', Ist. St. italiano, Tip. Forzani, Roma 1890, pp. 155–156</ref> Infessura had partisan allegiances to the ] family and so is not considered to be always reliable or impartial.<ref>Egmont Lee, ''Sixtus IV and Men of Letters'', Rome, 1978</ref> |
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|- |
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|]{{efn|name=alleged|This allegation is disputed by some modern historians.}} |
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|1513–1521 |
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|Not married |
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|Posthumously accused of homosexuality (by ] and ]). Falconi suggests he may have offered preferment to ] because he was attracted to him.<ref>C. Falconi, ''Leone X'', Milan, 1987</ref> Historians have dealt with the issue of Leo's sexuality at least since the late 18th century, and few have given credence to the imputations made against him in his later years and decades following his death, or else have at least regarded them as unworthy of notice; without necessarily reaching conclusions on whether he was homosexual.<ref>Those who have rejected the evidence include: Fabroni, Angelo, ''Leone X: Pontificis Maximi Vita'', Pisa (1797) at p. 165 with note 84; {{harvnb|Roscoe|1806|pp=478–486}}; and {{harv|Pastor|1908|pp=80f. with a long footnote}}. Those who have treated of the life of Leo at any length and ignored the imputations, or summarily dismissed them, include: ], ''History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages'' Eng. trans. Hamilton, Annie, London (1902, vol. VIII.1), p. 243; {{harvnb|Vaughan|1908|p=280}}; ], article "Leo X" in ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', Cambridge (1911, vol. XVI); ], ''A History of the Papacy from the Great Schism to the Sack of Rome'', London (new edn., 1919), vol. 6, p. 210; Pellegrini, Marco, articles "Leone X" in ''Enciclopedia dei Papi'', (2000, vol.3) and '']'' (2005, vol. 64); and ] ''The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance'' (a popular history), London (2003, pbk 2005), p. 277. Of these, ] and Hayes are known Catholics, and Roscoe, Gregorovius, and Creighton are known non-Catholics.</ref> |
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|- |
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|] |
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|1550–1555 |
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|Not married. Alleged affair with ennobled cardinal |
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|Accusations of his homosexuality spread across Europe during his reign due to the favouritism shown to ], who rose from beggar to cardinal under Julius' patronage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cromptom |first=Louis |date=2007-10-11 |title=Julius III |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/julius_III.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011091614/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/julius_III.html |archive-date=2007-10-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=E. Joe |title=Idealized Male Friendship in French Narrative from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment |publisher=Summa Publications |year=2003 |isbn=1883479428 |edition=1st |location=USA |pages=69 |language=English}}</ref> |
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===Relationships with women and men=== |
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==See also== |
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*] |
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*] |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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<!-- Dead note "AnastasiusI": {{cite book | author=Kelly, J.N.D | title=Oxford Dictionary of the Popes | location=New York | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1986 | isbn=0-19-213964-9}} p. 36–37 --> |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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==References== |
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*''The Bad Popes'', Chamberlin, E.R., Sutton History Classics, 1969 / Dorset; New Ed edition 2003. |
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*''The Pope Encyclopedia: An A to Z of the Holy See'', Matthew Bunson, Crown Trade Paperbacks, New York, 1995. |
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*''The Papacy'', Bernhard Schimmelpfennig, Columbia University Press, New York, 1984. |
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*''Lives of the Popes'', Richard P. McBrien, Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1997. |
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*''Papal Genealogy'', George L. Williams, McFarland& Co., Jefferson, North Carolina, 1998. |
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*''Sex Lives of the Popes'', Nigel Cawthorne, Prion, London, 1996. |
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*''Popes and Anti-Popes'', John Wilcock, Xlibris Corporation, 2005. |
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*''La véritable histoire des papes'', Jean Mathieu-Rosay, Grancher, Paris, 1991 |
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|] |
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] |
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|1032–1044, 1045, 1047–1048 |
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|Not married |
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|No |
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|Accused by Bishop Benno of ] of "many vile adulteries".<ref>"Post multa turpia adulteria et homicidia manibus suis perpetrata, postremo, etc." {{cite journal|last=Dümmler |first=Ernst Ludwig |author-link=Ernst Dümmler |title=Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Libelli de lite |publisher=Deutsches Institut für Erforschung des Mittelalters |year=1891 |location=Hannover |pages=584 |volume=I |edition=Bonizonis episcopi Sutriensis: Liber ad amicum |url=http://www.uan.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/(volumiID)/A9E60829767DA2D2C1256D6B0074177B/$FILE/AlimBonizoAdamicum.doc?openelement |access-date=2008-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713211642/http://www.uan.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/%28volumiID%29/A9E60829767DA2D2C1256D6B0074177B/%24FILE/AlimBonizoAdamicum.doc?openelement |archive-date=2007-07-13 }}</ref><ref>''The Book of Saints'', by Ramsgate Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine's Abbey, A. C. Black, 1989. {{ISBN|978-0-7136-5300-7}}</ref> Pope ] referred in his third book of Dialogues to "his rapes… and other unspeakable acts".<ref>"''Cuius vita quam turpis, quam freda, quamque execranda extiterit, horresco referre''." {{cite journal|last=Victor III |first=Pope |author-link=Pope Victor III |title=Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Libelli de lite |publisher=Deutsches Institut für Erforschung des Mittelalters |year=1934 |location=Hannover |pages=141 |edition=Dialogi de miraculis Sancti Benedicti Liber Tertius auctore Desiderio abbate Casinensis |url=http://www.uan.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/(volumiID)/D8115E7BB6446DC9C1256D660075CE62/$FILE/AlimDesiderioDialogi.doc?openelement |access-date=2008-01-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715072854/http://www.uan.it/alim/letteratura.nsf/%28volumiID%29/D8115E7BB6446DC9C1256D660075CE62/%24FILE/AlimDesiderioDialogi.doc?openelement |archive-date=2007-07-15 }}</ref> In May 1045, Benedict IX resigned his office to get married.<ref>Dr. Angelo S. Rappaport, ''The Love Affairs of the Vatican'', 1912, pp. 81–82.</ref> |
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== See also == |
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*] |
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== Notes == |
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{{notelist}} |
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{{reflist}} |
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== References == |
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{{Refbegin|30em}} |
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* Bunson, Matthew, ''The Pope Encyclopedia: An A to Z of the Holy See'', Crown Trade Paperbacks, New York, 1995. |
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* Cawthorne, Nigel, ''Sex Lives of the Popes'', Prion, London, 1996. |
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* Chamberlin, E.R.,''The Bad Popes'', Sutton History Classics, 1969 / Dorset; New Ed edition 2003. |
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* Mathieu-Rosay, Jean, ''La véritable histoire des papes'', Grancher, Paris, 1991 |
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* McBrien, Richard P., ''Lives of the Popes'', Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1997. |
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*{{cite book |last=Pastor |first=Ludwig von |author-link=Ludwig von Pastor |year=1908 |title=History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages; Drawn from the Secret Archives of the Vatican and other original sources |volume=8 |location=London |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co |url={{GBurl|uqUPAAAAMAAJ}} }} (English translation) |
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*{{cite book |last=Roscoe |first=William |author-link=William Roscoe |year=1806 |title=The Life and Pontificate of Leo the Tenth |edition=2nd |volume=4 |location=London}} |
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* Schimmelpfennig, Bernhard, ''The Papacy'', ], New York, 1984. |
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*{{cite book |last=Vaughan |first=Herbert M. |year=1908 |title=The Medici Popes|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99911 |location=London |publisher=Methuen & Co.}} |
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* Wilcox, John, ''Popes and Anti-Popes'', Xlibris Corporation, 2005.{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} |
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* Williams, George L., ''Papal Genealogy'', McFarland & Co., Jefferson, North Carolina, 1998. |
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{{Refend}} |
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There are various classifications for those who were sexually active during their lives. Allegations of sexual activities are of varying levels of reliability, with several having been made by contemporary political or religious opponents. Some claims are generally accepted by modern historians, while other remain more contested.
For many years of the Church's history, celibacy was considered optional. Based on the customs of the times, it is assumed by many that most of the Twelve Apostles were married and had families. The New Testament (Mark 1:29–31; Matthew 8:14–15; Luke 4:38–39; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6) depicts at least Peter as being married, and bishops, priests and deacons of the Early Church were often married as well. In epigraphy, the testimony of the Church Fathers, synodal legislation, and papal decretals in the following centuries, a married clergy, in greater or lesser numbers, was a feature of the life of the Church. Celibacy was not required for those ordained and was accepted in the early Church, particularly by those in the monastic life.
Although various local Church councils had demanded celibacy of the clergy in a particular episcopal jurisdiction, it was not until the Second Lateran Council (1139) that official made the promise to remain celibate a prerequisite to ordination within the Latin Church (and effectively ended any practice of a married priesthood). Subsequently sexual relationships were generally undertaken outside the bonds of marriage, and each sexual act thus committed would have been considered a mortal sin.
A majority of the allegations made in this section are disputed by modern historians.
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