For our first edition we are going to keep it light and quick, with this ridiculous story.
The Cadaver Synod (897 AD): When a Corpse was put on Trial
The defendant, Pope Formosus
The problem?
He was dead and had been dead for 9 months.
What lead to this unbelievable event
Formosus was a Pope during a very chaotic period when Rome was less spiritual and was more of a political battleground. Powerful noble families treated the papacy as if they were chess pieces, Popes rose and fell fast and often violently.
When Pope Formosus died, his successor Pope Stephan VI took office. Stephen was backed by a completely different political faction that hated Formosus.
And hatred, in 9th-century Rome, didn’t stop at death.
How did they do a trial with a corpse
The corpse was:
Dug up from its tomb
Dressed in full papal robes
Propped up on a throne in St. John Lateran Basilica
A deacon was assigned to answer questions on behalf of the dead pope.
Stephen then personally screamed accusations at the corpse. (sounds a little crazy right?)
The charges?
Perjury
Violating canon law
Illegally becoming pope
Serving as bishop of more than one diocese
We all already know the verdict Guilty.
The punishment:
All of his papal acts were declared null and void
He was stripped of his papal vestments
The three fingers he used to give blessings were cut off
His body was dumped into the Tiber River
The Aftermath (It Gets Worse… Then Better)
The public reaction was swift and furious.
People were horrified. Many believed the desecration angered God.
Soon after:
Rome was hit by earthquakes and unrest
Stephen VI was deposed, imprisoned, and strangled to death
Sadly, He didn’t get a corpse trial.
Later popes reversed the verdict, rehabilitated Formosus, and ordered his body be recovered and reburied. Apparently, his body washed ashore and was found by a monk.
Then—because history loves chaos—another pope later re-condemned him.
Why does this still matter
Because Authority doesn’t just rule the present, it also tried to medal with the past.
This also goes with the saying “The victor writes history “
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