The corrupt Pope who sold his office for money and forced the church to create the Conclavio
With the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, streaming platforms brought to the forefront of their respective lists related to the historical form of Pontiff. One of what they revived is the documentary series « Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History » (the most powerful man in history).
Consisting of six episodes and narrator Liam Nyson, this 2018 non -fictional series that was produced by CNN examines the origin of what is considered one of the most meaningful places in the history of mankind. And he analyzes how about 1.2 billion Catholics were made by twelve apostles.
Two Benedicts of Catholic History
The second episode of the series deals with the controversial voluntary resignation of Pope Benedict E f 2013
Although it was a very rare move – it had only happened in more than 2,000 years – brought with her the arrival of Pope Francis. Father James M. Weiss, Professor of Theology at the University of Boston and a bishopric priest, explains to the documentary how the Argentine inherited from his predecessor « Economic Chaos, the Chaos of Sexual Abuse ».
CNN’s series links the story of this resignation with a much more controversial story, that of Pope Benedict I, who triggered the most emblematic processes, such as concussion and white tobacco, used to elect every new pope.
Neptune of many pops, he was a member of Rome’s strongest family, who acquired the position for him
The controversial figure of Benedict I ‘ / Wikimedia Commons
Participation in all kinds of crimes
Benedict I was a medieval young Pope who possessed up to three times during the 11th century. A nephew of many pops, he was a member of Rome’s strongest family, who acquired the position for him.
Benedict would take over his duties in 1032, while he was essentially a teenager. « At that time, Papism was the legal center of the Western world, » Weiss explains.
His corrupt kingdom led him to participate in all kinds of crimes and harm the image of the Church to such an extent that the Catholic Cardinals decided to force him to resign.
To persuade him, he was offered a generous amount of money, which some historians estimate at 1,500 pounds of gold. His successor, Silvestros III, withstood just six months in office.
An endless beyond-see
Benedict II resorted to a powerful army gathered by his significant family to overthrow Silvester by force and return to power
A few days after taking up his duties, he decided that he would prefer to leave to marry his cousin by choosing his godfather as his successor, Gregory VI. The marriage was not held and, once again, Benedict II decided to re -assume his role as a Pope.
As Susan Ways Bauer, a writer studying in Theology and Art and author of the book « The History of the Medieval World), recalls, this decision set the Church before three candidates who claimed to be held, The Benedict II won with the support of his strong family.
At that moment, the Cardinals decided to create a clear process for the election of the future Pontiff.
Benedict II resorted to a powerful army gathered by his significant family to overthrow Silvester by force and return to power
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Fic2Clzlw
Behind closed doors
It was the first step towards what we know today as Konclavio and white tobacco. During these years, many attempts have been made for an electoral process that all ended up, until Pope Gregory I made a decision in the 13th century.
He ordered a cardinal meeting to be held behind closed doors, locked and without any external contact for voters. The name of the assembly comes from the Latin cum-clavis (key): Konclavio.
The process is well explained to both the CNN documentary and the recent Conclave movie. The consultation begins with the presentation of the candidates. To be elected one of them, it takes the support of two -thirds of voters.
White and black smoke
If the candidate with the most votes does not achieve this percentage, the papers containing the anonymous votes are burned. In the past, they were mixed with wet straw to create black smoke, indicating that a new round of voting should start if no consent was reached.
When, at the end of one round, the names of one of the candidates appear in more than two -thirds of the ballots, they burn without spices, with the result that the smoke emerges white, announcing the arrival of a new modifika.
Currently, chemicals are used to paint the smoke that announces the result of each round of voting. From the mandate of Ioannis Pavlos II, the Cardinals involved in the concussion are housed at the residence of Santa Marta, built in the Vatican, to make this decision.
*With elements from elpais.com
