Papacy: Funny & Curious Papal Facts
- May 9, 2025
- 2 min read
1. A Pope Who Resigned… Then Was Put on Trial After Death
Pope Formosus (d. 896) had such enemies that after he died, his corpse was exhumed, dressed in papal robes, and put on trial in the infamous Cadaver Synod. His body was found guilty, stripped of titles, and thrown in the Tiber River.
2. The Shortest Papacy
Pope Urban VII holds the record for the shortest papacy—just 13 days in 1590. He died of malaria before his coronation. At least he didn’t have to worry about church politics for long!
3. A Pope Who Banned Snuff
In 1642, Pope Urban VIII declared taking snuff (a powdered form of tobacco) inside churches a sin. He was apparently tired of people sneezing during Mass.
4. The Papal Astronomer
Pope Gregory XIII, who gave us the modern Gregorian calendar, loved astronomy. But he also accidentally made October 1582 10 days shorter—October 4th was followed by October 15th!
5. The Pope Who Loved Harleys
Pope Francis once received a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle as a gift. He blessed it and then auctioned it for charity. Rock on, Holy Father.
6. Papal Escape Artist
When French troops invaded Rome in 1809, Pope Pius VII was taken prisoner. His guard once fell asleep—and the Pope escaped! (He was caught later, but still…)
7. Pope Benedict IX: The Chaos Pope
He was pope three times (yes, three!), and at one point, he sold the papacy to his godfather. Historians have called him “a disgrace to the Chair of Peter.”
8. Pope Who Tweeted
Pope Benedict XVI was the first pope to send a tweet (@Pontifex), in 2012. His first tweet? “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response.”
9. Popes Have a Personal Astronomer
Yes, the Vatican has its own observatory and a Chief Astronomer. Apparently, even popes like to stargaze.
10. A Papal Beard Ban?
In 1566, Pope Clement VIII declared that beards were unseemly for clergy and discouraged them—making him perhaps the least hipster pope in history.
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