AlexBKaiser
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Lutheran Bishop who became a Catholic Priest! Fr. Joseph Jacobson | Vocare. A Lutheran Bishop persuades Roman Catholicism and becomes a Catholic Priest! Fr. Joseph Jacobson, former Lutheran Bishop and …More
Lutheran Bishop who became a Catholic Priest! Fr. Joseph Jacobson | Vocare.
A Lutheran Bishop persuades Roman Catholicism and becomes a Catholic Priest! Fr. Joseph Jacobson, former Lutheran Bishop and currently a Catholic priest, believes the priesthood as an instrument of God. It was the faith and sacrifice of Catholics that spurred him to take the biggest decision of his life. Any loss bound to happen in his life could never match his boundless love towards Lord. He chose himself to be happily serving professional in the world by becoming a Catholic priest.
Ultraviolet
Tell me, JTLiuzza ... are you old enough to remember what a "card catalog" was? Or were you in one of those "special" classes that always stayed in the Children's Section over by the colored blocks?
The reason I ask is this subject has already been covered in scholarly works long before the internet became what we see today. Over thirty years ago Peter DeRosa published Vicars of Christ: the Dark …More
Tell me, JTLiuzza ... are you old enough to remember what a "card catalog" was? Or were you in one of those "special" classes that always stayed in the Children's Section over by the colored blocks?

The reason I ask is this subject has already been covered in scholarly works long before the internet became what we see today. Over thirty years ago Peter DeRosa published Vicars of Christ: the Dark Side of the Papacy (New York, 1988) and he was not alone. Eamon Duffy tread much the same ground in his exhaustive Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes, (Yale, 2002).

Admittedly, I'm not providing those citationa for your edification, but for those here who are, in fact, capable of pursuing an interesting subject on their own. You, on the other hand, need to be spoon-fed, probably both literally and figuratively. Fair enough. Open wide...

Sergius III (904-11), was popularly know to his Curia as "the slave of every vice" and became Pope by murdering his predecessor. Pope Sergius also fathered a son with his teenage mistress, a protitute who was 30 years younger. This happy family's illegitimate offspring became the next pope, John XI.

John XII (955-64) reputedly slept with both of his sisters and history records he died while fornicating with another man's wife. Some source indicate he was murdered by the lady's husband while caught in the act.

Benedict IX, (1032-48) was a noted pederast. Evoking today's former papacy of a similar name, Benedict abdicated and then changed his mind and seized power for a second time. Saint Peter Damian described him as "a wretch who feasted on immorality" and "a demon from hell in the disguise of a priest."

Boniface VIII (1294-1303) had the Italian town of Palestrina massacred after they surrendered to his troops. He, too, favored young boys and notoriously justified his vice by claiming it was "no more a sin than rubbing one hand against the other".

Clement VI (1342-52) earned the sobriquet of "Ecclesiastical Dionysus" from the poet Petrarch. Clement eventually caught gonorrhea from one of his numerous mistresses. Still, at least they were women. The Papacy was making some moral advances, it seems.

Sixtus IV (1471-84), insituted a Church tax on prostitution and apparently also sur-charged priests who kept mistresses. , but critics argued that this merely increased the prevalence of clerical homosexuality. His own appetites were more Grecian, so to speak. Even nominally sympathetic fellow Italian historians noted his choices for cardinals were extremely attractive young men.

Innocent VIII (1484-92) acknowledged eight illegitimate sons and was known to have at least twice that number. He also once graciously received a gift of 100 dark-skinned slaves and handed them out as gifts to favored cardinals.

Alexander VI (1492-1503) one of the Borgia Popes was famous for his celebrated Banquet of Chestnuts in 1501, better known as "The Joust Of The Whores". His method of financing the Vatican was to confiscate the wealth and the estates of others on spurious charges.

Julius II (1503-13), the succeeding Pope is best known for commissioning Michelangelo to paint the Sistene Chapel’s ceiling. He's much -less- known for being the first Pope recognized as having caught syphillis which ultimately consumed him.

Julius III (1550-55) became smitten with a beggar boy he noticed in the streets. Julius eventually appointed the youth to a cardinalship at the age of seventeen, dismissing critics who pointed out the boy was illiterate.

Those, mind you, are some of the truly scandalous Popes. There are certainly others, far more obscure ones. They tend not attract as much attention since history generally views spite, malice, greed and corruption as simply the marks of a shrewd leader, either temporal or spiritual.

The point we can derive from this long and sordid list, is truly flawed men have carried on the apostolic succession, many times over.

No, JTLiuzza Francis isn't a novelty at all. Except, obviously, for those dim-witted souls who never thought to compare him against his predecessors. Or those who lack even the basic skills to do so.

None of this material was particularly difficult to find, least of all now in the so-called "Information Age". Does the word "google" have any meaning for you? I mean outside of that funny noise you make with your sippy-cup during "snack-time"?

Sometimes I genuinely how people like you even manage to get online in the first place. Do the orderlies turn on a computer in the rec-room and wheel your chair over to it?

From some your comments, I wouldn't at all be surprised.