Despite the fact that Pope Francis has a very beneficial effect on the Catholic Church, in its history there were not only white, but also black stripes. Here are the top ten scandals that erupted in the Vatican, ranging from secret materials to the trial of a dead body.
- John XII was elected heir to the Holy See at the age of 18. Soon his name thundered to the whole world: the young pontiff more than once attracted the attention of the public due to his personal life, which he was much more interested in than the affairs of the church. The list of accusations brought against John included a clause indicating that the young Pope summoned demons, killed and tortured people, and also often played gambling. Some historians claim that John XII had many intrigues with married ladies. His papacy ended in 964, when he died of a heart attack, allegedly spending time with one of his mistresses.
- It would seem that in the 1470s, Pope Sixtus IV “ripened” everywhere. He had six illegitimate children, one of whom was born as a result of his relationship with his sister. It is worth noting that the pontiff had his own principles. He brought the church a lot of money by collecting taxes from prostitutes. Moreover, Sixtus IV ordered priests to pay money for the right to have mistresses. However, the Pope was able to write his name in history not only because of his hectic personal life: the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina) was named after him.
- In his book, Pope Stephen VI wrote that revenge is especially sweet after death. Perhaps that is why he demanded that the body of his predecessor, Pope Formosa, be exhumed in order to send him to court. The body of the deceased pontiff was found guilty of many crimes, including his habit of introducing himself as archbishop after being deposed from this dignity. However, Pope Stephen after his act also faced a difficult fate: he was arrested and thrown into prison, where he died in 897.
- Despite the scandalous leak of secret documents of the Catholic Church in 2012, for the first time the Vatican’s secret records fell into the hands of the public in 1869, when the German publication published the negotiations of Pope Pius IX with officials, where discussed the impact of rationalism, liberalism and materialism.
- One of the biggest scandals erupted in the Vatican in 2010, casting a shadow over the time of the papacy of Benedict XVI. Four years ago, reporters learned that Pope’s assistant, Angelo Balducci, and Chinedu Thomas Ehiem, a member of St. Peter's Cathedral’s choir were involved in male prostitution scheme. The police established Balducci's involvement in this case when wiretapping Eichem, who was involved in the direct delivery of young people to the official. At the moment, investigators are sure that in total the chorister provided Baldui with at least 10 meetings with young people, including a model guy and a rugby player.
- At the very beginning of 2013, the Vatican faced serious financial problems when the Central Bank of Italy stopped servicing ATMs in the Vatican due to the authorities' failure to comply with all the rules aimed at preventing money laundering. The inability to use plastic cards cost the Vatican about 3 thousand euros a day until February 12, when the Swiss bank agreed to ensure the stable operation of idle ATMs.
- On June 28, 2013, Nunzio Sczrano, the former head of the accounting department, was arrested along with his two accomplices, a former spy and financier. He was presented smuggling charges of 20 million euroswhich he carried in a private jet. Later, the lawyer of the official explained that his ward refuses to admit his guilt. This scandal forced the resignation of the president of the Vatican Bank, as well as his deputy.
- On July 19, 1982, the body of Roberto Calvi, also known as the “Banker of God”, was found on the Blackfriars Bridge. Chairman of the Bank of Milan Ambrosiano (in which the Vatican is the main shareholder) accused of illegal export of especially large sums abroad. The man flew to London, where he was killed, and at that time the American archbishop, who was also involved in the Calvi case, received immunity.
- Catholic clergyman accused of pedophilia, was arrested for libel after he stated that gay prostitution flourishes in the Vatican. Patricio Poggi was detained after investigators suspected a lie in his statements. Podgy previously claimed that the former police officer was responsible for the search for gays.
- On May 23, 2012, Pope Benedict's “right hand”, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested for transmitting Vatican confidential documents to Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi. He immediately hastened to reveal the existence of corruption within the walls of the Vaticanand Gabriele was punished for stealing. In October 2012, he was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest.
