The post on Papal infallibility and the related “Classic” set me to thinking: Since the Vatican archives are now more or less open and the RCC sort of admits there were in fact a few bad popes, is there a semi-official score of how many people occupying the papacy (“true” Popes, “Anti-Popes”, Quasi-Popes, Pope-for-a-day, whatever) were the sons of popes?
The book Vicars of Christ by Peter DeRosa (out of print now) had some interesting information on popes who were not exactly ideal role models for the common man, including a discussion on alleged sons of popes who themselves took the office. I’m sure there must be other books on Church history still in print that cover similar ground - the religious section of a good library ought to have something on the shelf.
I don’t think the Vatican archives would have much documentation concerning any illegitimate sons of popes becoming popes themselves (why would they?). The non-ecclesiastic historical records are themselves pretty fuzzy, and you’d think that opponents of the RCC would have documented such irregularities with some vigor.
I thought you were going to refer to the II in Pope John Paul II’s name: he wouldn’t be called junior since his predecessor died. :D:D
That information has never been a secret. To the extent that anyone ever really knew who fathered whom, there has always been a pretty good understanding of which children were fathered by popes.
The linked site mentions some of the more egregious abuses of nepotism that occurred in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries (the heyday of the “bad” popes), but it does not mention any pope’s son becoming pope:
History of the Christian Church ch 6
Alexander VI was the nephew of a pope and the father of Lucrezia and Caesar Borgia (whom he elevated to Cardinal), but that was a pretty extreme case even among the wild popes of that century. There are quite a few popes who had uncle/nephew relationships, but I am not aware of any of those relationships being a euphemism for father/son.
While your at it, can anyone find out the exsitence of Pope Joan? (I don’t believe that was her name during her papacy). She supposedly was a woman, passing as a man, who became pope. The church found her out when she had a baby during a papal parade, or some such story. The church struck out all mention of her/him and officially denies such a person exsisted. I don’t know…but then again, you never know.
The columnist formerly known as Cecil once wrote about Pope Joan.
Ah, silly me. I must have read it in one of Cecil’s books a long time ago.