The Pope Who Put a Dead Man on Trial

Ever heard of a trial where the defendant was a corpse?

In 897 AD, Pope Stephen VI held the Cadaver Synod—where he dug up the body of his predecessor, Pope Formosus, dressed it in papal robes, and put it on trial for “crimes against the Church.” The corpse was found guilty, stripped of titles, and tossed in the Tiber River.

It was so disturbing, it caused riots—and Pope Stephen ended up imprisoned and strangled.

#Pope #CadaverSynod #PapalHistory #History #Shorts #Catholic #Catholicism