Popes who had resigned did so on account of wanting to get married or simply because they had paid to be named Popes, investigation reveals.<\/p>\n
Here are some examples of previous popes who have given up the papacy:<\/p>\n
\u2013 In 1045, Benedict IX, renowned as one of the most disgraceful popes the Church has known, sold his papacy to his godfather, pious priest John Gratian, so that he could get married. Reportedly unable to persuade the woman in question to have him, he returned to seize Rome.<\/p>\n
\u2013 In 1046, Gratian, who had reigned shortly as pope Gregory VI and was considered the true pope by many despite Benedict IX\u2019s violent return to claim the throne, was forced to resign himself amid accusations he had bought the papacy.<\/p>\n
\u2013 In 1294, Celestine V, a simple hermit who was elected to end a deadlock among cardinals, proved incompetent and stepped down after reigning a mere five months. He had issued a decree declaring it possible for a pope to resign, opening up the way for his own departure.<\/p>\n
\u2013 In 1415, Gregory XII resigned in a bid to end the \u201cWestern Schism\u201d, when two rival claimants declared themselves pope in Pisa and Avignon and threatened to tear apart Roman Catholicism.<\/p>\n
\u2013 In 1804, Pius VII signed an abdication of the papal throne before setting out for Paris to crown Napoleon to be put into effect in case he were imprisoned in France.<\/p>\n
\u2013 During the Second World War, Pius XII is reported to have signed a document which said that he was to be considered as having resigned his office should he be kidnapped by the Nazis.<\/p>\n
Several popes were resigned or martyred as the Roman Empire collapsed, and the Eternal City \u2014 sacked and depopulated by barbarian hordes \u2014 fell prey to quarrelling factions. But the historical details of how they fell are often lost in the mist of time, and often only the legends remain.(AFP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Popes who had resigned did so on account of wanting to get married or simply because they had paid to be named Popes, investigation reveals. Here are some examples of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9397,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n