In 1294, Celestine V, a simple hermit in his 80s, was elected Pope. He was
shocked at the immorality in Rome and the riches accumulated by the Church.
He set up his seat in Naples and began giving away church possessions. The
Cardinals were alarmed and an influential cleric, Benedict Gaetano, was
ordered to trick the Pope into quitting. Gaetano bored a hole in the Pope's
cell and inserted a speaking tube.Late at night, he whispered "Celestine,
Celestine. lay down your office. It is too much for you." After several
nights of listening, the Pope, thinking it was the Holy Ghost, stepped down.
He was pope for about 5 months.
Gaetano now claimed the papal throne for himself as Pope Boniface VIII. He
had old Celestine locked up in a castle where he died a few moths later.
Boniface lost no time making three of his nephews cardinals and bestowing
possessions on them.
In 1302, Boniface penned his famous Bull 'Unam Sanctum' (One Holy):
__ "There is one Hole Catholic Church outside of which there is no
salvation... We declare that it is wholly necessary for Salvation for every
creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff."
Boniface had made many enemies. They came storming into Anagni, his
favourite retreat, burnt the main doors and slaughtered those that remained,
including bishops. Sciarra from the powerful Colonna family confronted
Boniface, 86, sitting alone in the audience chamber, attired in full
regalia, including a gold cross in his hands. Sciarra shouted 'Resign' and
slapped his face. Boniface refused whereupon Sciarra stripped him of his
garments and threw him into a dark dungeon. But the people got together and
rescued the pope. But Boniface was a broken man and died a few weeks later.
The first French pope was Clement V. To please King Philip of France,
Clement never set foot in Rome. He moved to Avignon, a small city in
Provence and created a large number of cardinals, most of them French, 5
from his own family.
The next Pope John XXII had alienated the German King Louis IV who marched
to Rome, crowned himself Emperor , deposed Pope John and appointed Anti-Pope
Nicholas V. He was followed by Benedict XII who was smitten by the sister of
Petrarch, the scholar. He offered to make him Cardinal if he could have her.
Petrarch refused; so bribed his brother and won her. The next pope, Clement
VI, elected in 1342, lived in style in a sumptuous palace. He used to say
'If the English King wants his donkey to be made a bishop, he has only to
ask.' He had an eye for beautiful women, his favourite being Cecile, a
Countess.
The next two popes did leave for Rome but civil unrest forced them to return
to Avignon. Finally, the last of the French popes, Gregory XI did return to
Rome in 1377 to find Italy in turmoil. The papal legate (a future anti-pope)
had ordered a massacre of 8000 and the pope was forced to retire to Anagni.
Soon he took ill and died.
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Eddie
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