The pope is arguably one of the most powerful people on Earth. Billions of people today look up to him for spiritual guidance, and he directs one of the largest organizations in the history of our planet, the Catholic Church. His influence is so great that, whether you favor him or not, his influence over the lives of many is undeniable. But how did he get into that position? Why does one man have such influence over so many people?
To understand this, we need to go back a couple thousand years. The Catholic Church started with Peter. He was the first pope. Ever since then, the pope has changed every few decades (either due to the pope stepping down or passing away). This has led to a chain of popes leading straight from Saint Peter directly up to Pope Francis (as of this writing). However, there is much more to the Catholic Church than just the pope. The number of traditions and customs can be quite staggering. After two thousand years, it is probably no surprise that it would have so many. Today, we are going to dive head first into the history of this vastly influential institution as we read 25 Intriguing Facts And Stories About Popes And Papacy You Might Not Know!
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President Johnson once exchanged gifts with Pope Paul VI. Johnson received a 15th century painting. The pope received a bust of Johnson.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaDespite what some may believe, a pope doesn't have to first be a cardinal or a priest. Any baptized male can be elected. However, the last non-cardinal, non-priest elected was Urban VI in 1378.
Image: commons.wikimedia, Source: lifeteen.comPope Gregory IX thought cats were the incarnation of Satan. This led to a massive killing of cats, which caused a massive increase in the rat population, which caused a massive outbreak of the black death.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaAn antipope is someone who is considered by some people to be the legitimate pope in opposition to the rightful pope.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn 1440, the Pope made a land deal with the city of Florence, but a small piece of land was accidentally left out of the contract. The people promptly declared independence, and the Republic of Cospaia was born. It maintained independence for nearly 400 years.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn 2000, the Pope gave his support to the world of Pokemon in order to counteract the controversy that it was "the work of the devil."
Image: wikipedia, Source: telegraph.co.ukPope Benedict IX is the only man to have been pope more than once and also the only pope to have ever sold the papacy.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaSome people wanted Pope Clement VII to ban coffee because they thought it was the "devil's beverage." After tasting some coffee though, the Pope said it would be a sin to only let unbelievers drink something so delicious.
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipediaPope John Paul II was educated in an underground university during the Nazi invasion.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaPope Benedict XII was elected by accident. This is because back in the day, the cardinals would all vote for a random candidate during the first round of voting to see who everyone else was leaning towards. However, they all voted for the same person.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn 1269, the cardinals took almost 3 years to elect the pope. To speed up the process, the villagers in Viterbo refused to send the cardinals anything more than bread or water.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn spite of being criticized for not speaking against Hitler, Pope Pius XII oversaw one of the largest rescue operations in history. It was responsible for saving the lives of nearly 1 million Jews.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaPope Francis was once a nightclub bouncer.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIf you think Pope Francis is pretty cool, check out our list of 25 Interesting Facts About Pope Francis You Probably Didn’t Know.
In 1951, Pope Pius XII declared that the Big Bang was compatible with Catholicism.
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipediaWhen Pope John XXIII was asked how many people worked in the Vatican, he replied, "about half of them."
Image: wikipedia, Source: huffingtonpostIf you are awarded one of the five orders of knighthood by the Pope, you can enter St. Peter's Basilica on horseback.
Image: pixabay, Source: businessinsiderDuring lent, some German monks were known for only drinking beer. They felt guilty, so they took some to the pope for his approval. On the way, the beer went bad, the Pope hated the taste, and he let them drink it for Lent.
Source: germanbeerinstitute.com, Image: pixabayPope Paul VI watched the first moon-landing through a telescope in the Vatican observatory.
Image: pixabay, Source: nasaIn 1537, the Pope announced that the Native Americans were "rational beings with souls" and shouldn't be enslaved.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaAccording to the Seventh Day Adventists, the Pope will be the Anti-Christ.
Image: wikipedia, Source: telegraph.co.ukIf a Catholic priest ever reveals anything that somebody confessed to him, that priest is excommunicated and can only be forgiven by the Pope.
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipediaSometimes the Pope names a new cardinal without telling anyone. Not even the cardinal. (In pectore)
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn 2005, lawyers of Pope Benedict XVI asked President George W. Bush to declare him immune as a foreign head of state. (According to the law, as a foreign head of state, he already had this immunity, so the letter was unnecessary, but the media ran with it.) This happened because Pope Benedict XVI had been accused of conspiring to cover up sexual abuse.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaSede vacante is a period of time when there is no pope (he dies or abdicates). It remains this way until a successor is named.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaPope Benedict XVI would fly his helicopter but never learned to drive a car.
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