Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History
Episode 2: The Resignation of Benedict XVI
CNN, first aired 3/18/18
I finally caught up with the second episode of this series via on-demand.
The title of this episode is deceptive. Yes, it begins with the unusual resignation of pope Benedict XVI aka Joseph Ratzinger in 2013, but the docudrama then explores several historical cases in which a pope resigned or was deposed due to nefarious circumstances
Case #1: His powerful Italian family used bribery to buy the papacy for nineteen-year-old, Benedict IX, in 1032. He was subsequently driven from Rome due to flagrant corruption, but managed to regroup and expel his successor, Sylvester III, and become pope again in 1045. But Sylvester III hung around on the fringes, still claiming to be the legitimate pope. Benedict IX then sold the office, but had second thoughts. When he attempted to regain the office from Gregory VI in 1047, Roman clergymen appealed to Henry, King of the Germans, who cleared Benedict IX, Sylvester III, and Gregory VI from the deck and installed his own pope, Clement II, who dutifully crowned Henry as Holy Roman Emperor.
Case #2: Peter the Hermit was elected pope Celestine V in 1294 because of his personal ascetic piety, but it became immediately clear that the “holy man” wasn’t cut out for the job of a cut-throat administrator. Cardinal Benedetto Caetani pressured him to resign and Celestine complied after only five months in office, clearing the way for the ambitious Caetani to become the next pope, Boniface VIII. The new pope kept his predecessor under lock and key until his death. Watching from the sidelines, King Philip IV of France was eager to acquire more power for himself and his country. He was able to depose Boniface VIII and move the official seat of the papacy from Rome to Avignon in France in 1309, where he installed a pope loyal to him, Clement V.
Case #3: Pope Gregory XI returned the papacy from Avignon to Rome in 1377, but his successor, Urban VI, was so cruel that a large group of cardinals fled back to Avignon and elected their own pope, Clement VII. A church council was called at Pisa in 1409, which deposed the popes of Rome and Avignon and elected a third pope. But the popes of Rome and Avignon would not yield. Another council was called in Constance, Germany, which deposed the three claimants and elected Pope Martin V in 1417. The Council of Constance is also notable for condemning reformer, Jan Hus, to death as a heretic. On a personal note, I was able to visit the council building in Constance in 2016 (photo below). For more on the largely-unheard-of “Western Schism” led by the competing popes, see here.

The above cases are just three examples of the rank corruption of the papacy throughout history. To its credulous membership, the Catholic church presents its “succession” of popes as the tranquil transfer of power from one pope to the next as guided by the Holy Spirit, but the historical reality was that the papal office was often secured by means of bribery, murder, and military force. CNN did an excellent job with this second episode and I recommend it highly.
Next episode: The Price of Progress
As soon as we get settled into our next assignment I’m going to watch these. They look very interesting, thank you for pointing them out! How is the RCC reacting to them?
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Thanks, sister! The first episode seemed to support as many of Rome’s idealized claims about the papacy as it contested, but the second episode came down very hard on the “succession” process. If I were a credulous Catholic, I would have been very disturbed by it. The small number of reviews from the conservative Catholic press that I’ve seen are understandably not favorable.
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That’s interesting, considering the turmoil happening right now I imagine the RCC doesn’t want another front to fight. I wonder what the point is, are the makers of this series Catholic?
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RE: I wonder what the point is…
Good question. This series definitely is not “pro-Catholic.” After two episodes, I would say it’s more of an attempt to undermine “religion” by the secular media (although not overtly). Since Catholicism is the biggest target, that’s who they’re going after. But my prayer is that some Catholics will watch this series and realize the history they’ve been presented from their church is sugar-coated and not factual and will start digging like I did. In that way, this series can be very helpful in opening the eyes of credulous Catholics.
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Man what a crazy history of bad papists and infighting…
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It as an excellent expose of papal “succession.” If I were a naive Catholic, I would have been very troubled by the episode.
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And also an honest Catholic would also be very troubled!
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I just listened to a Catholic apologist on the radio attempt to sidestep these embarrassing historical episodes by saying the office is what is holy and not necessarily the individual, yada, yada. But they also claim direct intervention and guidance of the Holy Spirit so they try to have it both ways.
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But when they attack Protestants I’ve seen them often smear characters that they won’t do with the Pope, double standard
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Very true. Several times I have heard radio priests point out the personal failings of the early Reformers, but there is no comparison in scale to the corruption of the popes, and none of the Reformers claimed direct divine guidance as the RCC claims for its popes.
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Next time a Catholic brings up Servetus with Calvin, they need to hear about Hus, Wycliff, etc with the Pope, etc
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Amen! There is no comparison.
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(thumbs up)
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One day the TRUTH will stun them for an eternity. Great post!
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Thanks, sister! This series is VERY informative and would be disturbing for those who place their trust in the Catholic institution.
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