Background to the Trial of the Dead Pope

Imagine a courtroom unlike any other where the “defendant” is “stiffly” waiting to stand trail, decaying, quite literally, because it is dead. This isn’t a scene from a horror movie, but a chilling historical event called the Cadaver Synod, where the disinterred remains of a dead pope was made to stand trial. During this infamous incident, the grave of a former pope, Pope Formosus, was exhumed, and his body taken to stand trial for the crimes he was accused of committing before he had died. The pope had been dead for seven long months by that time. This bizarre trial happened in the year 897 AD in Rome. So why was the dead pope put on trial? Join us as we explore the story behind the trial of the dead pope, the charges against the dead Pope Formosus, and the verdict of the Cadaver Synod.

From Rome to France: The Early Life of Pope Formosus

Pope Formosus was born in the year 816 AD in the city of Rome, capital of the Papal States at the time. He became a cardinal, and over the following years rose through the ranks of the papal bureaucracy to become an envoy of the Papal States. Pope Nicholas I recognized Formosus’ talents for diplomacy and made him the papal legate in Romania to solidify the region’s conversion to Christianity. He was then appointed as the envoy of the Papal States to France where his stature as a trusted papal emissary grew.

Rise of Pope Formosus: Missions and Growing Influence

Pope Formusus’ career as a papal diplomat faced a serious blow after he sided with Charles the Bald and facilitated his coronation. Formosus was playing the dangerous game of king-making and he was chased out of Rome by the rival of Charles the Bald and his factions. Due to the changing alliances, Formosus became a controversial figure in Rome and the Papal State for his role in the coronation.

Controversy: Excommunication to Pope

Pope Formosus was ordered back to Rome and when he refused to return, he was excommunicated for deserting his diocese without papal approval, conspiring against the emperor, and scorning the Holy See. His condemnation was announced in 876 AD; however, it was short lived. In 878 AD, his excommunication was annulled on the condition that he will not return to Rome or attempt to retake his priestly functions. He remained at the center of the changing landscape of the Papal States amidst shifting alliances, and in 883 AD, he was restored to the Holy See. In 891 AD, he was unanimously elected the pope.

Papacy of Pope Formosus

Pope Formosus’ papacy lasted from 891 to 896 AD, and his term was marked by political intrigue and tumultuous reign due to the strengthening of church influence and the growth of Christianity around the world. He intervened in power struggles, implemented church reforms, and navigated the complexities of politics at a time when the political landscape of Europe was tumultuous. Not much is known beyond that about Pope Formosus’ papacy.

Trial of the Dead Pope: The Cadaver Synod

Pope Formosus died in 896 AD after remaining in office for five years. He intervened in political struggles across Europe which earned him many enemies within and outside the church. His death would not spare him from reprisals for his role in the power play of politics. One of those enemies within the church was a person named Stephen who replace the successor of Pope Formosus and became the pope.

Synod Cadaver and the Trial of the Dead Pope

When Pope Formosus died, his troubles were far from over; in fact, they had just started. When Pope Stephen VI became the pope, he banded with other enemies of Pope Formosus within the church and decided to punish the dead pope for the inequities he had committed during his lifetime.

So, in 897 AD, the body of Pope Formosus was exhumed from his grave – seven long months after his death – and brought to the church to stand trial in an event that was later named the Synod Cadaver. Synod means “council of the clergy” and cadaver is a dead body, so the name of the trial, Synod Cadaver, literally meant the council of the clergy that prosecuted a dead body.

The rotting body of the accused body was dressed in papal garments and sat on a throne to face the charges against. The “trial” was nothing less than a mockery of justice; the decaying corpse was propped up on a throne and the charges against it were read to the Synod.

The former pope stood trial for several offenses that he was accused of committing during his time in papal office. The charges against the dead corpse of Pope Formosus included perjury, lying under oath as pope, violating Christian canon law, and coveting and illegally ascending the papacy. Naturally, all of these accusations were politically motivated to de-legitimize the rule of Pope Formosus.

A Mockery of Justice: The Trial, Verdict, and Judgement

The dead body of the former pope, propped up on a throne in decaying papal vestments, was, naturally, unable to defend itself. During the trial, which can be only described as a show trial, a deacon was appointed for the dead pope; however, the verdict was preordained and there was nothing that the deacon could do to defend the former pope.

The most serious charges against the dead pope included violation of Canon Law, perjury, and coveting the papacy. Pope Formosus was basically accused of manipulating and scheming his way to the position of the pope.

The dead pope was found guilty on all counts and was pronounced to have been unworthy of the position of pontificate. The Roman law of damnatio memoriae was applied on the dead pope. Damnatio memoriae meant “condemnation of memory” and it indicated that the accused would be erased from history and all other accounts. Additionally, his edicts were declared invalid and all his actions as pope were declared as null and void.

After the trial, Pope Formosus’ body was stripped of papal vestments, his body was desecrated, and his body was paraded through the streets of Rome. His body was subsequently dumped into the River Tiber, an ancient Roman punishment for criminals to inflict humiliation and indignity.

Legacy

The infamous incident of the Cadaver Synod is testament to the brutal power struggles that plagued the Papal State at that point in history.

The accusations against Pope Formosus were politically motivated and history has exonerated him of any wrongdoing. The trial was an attempt to de-legitimize Pope Formosus who belonged to a different faction in the church hierarchy, one that Pope Stephen VI and his contemporaries disliked. The evidence for the accusations were flimsy to none.

Pope Stephen VI’s papacy was short-lived and he was overthrown within months of the trial. He was subsequently strangled to death. It is unclear whether this sham trial and the desecration of Pope Formosus’ body played a part in his downfall.

In 897 AD, Pope Theodore II rehabilitated Pope Formosus and the Cadavar Synod was annulled. The remains of Pope Formosus were recovered from the River Tiber and reburied in the Saint Peter’s Bascilica with proper ceremony and honors.