Do We Learn From History? Pope Formosus, Pope Stephen and the Cadaver Synod

By DEACON MIKE MANNO

(The Wanderer) I fell in love with history as a kid. My mom bought me a set of the World Book Encyclopedia and put it in my bedroom to help me with my homework. One of the reasons she purchased the set was a sales special for our school, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. Apparently, as I recall, for every so-many sets that were purchased by St. Theresa parents, a set would be given to the school.

I didn’t think too much of it at first, but it was convenient. I remember browsing through the books and wondering why I needed so many books in grade school, but, beyond that, it didn’t make much of an impression at first.

But as time went by, and the weather would turn so that I couldn’t go outside, I started to just grab a volume at random and flip through the articles. I started to find many of them interesting, especially those related to history and historical events. By the time I reached high school, I had read all the biographies of our presidents, much of the history of the United States, the media, the Church, and the history of the papacy, as well as other topics of interest.

I remember ultimately stumbling across the conflict between Pope Formosus and his Successor, Pope Stephen VI, set in the year 897, which, for some reason, intrigues me now.

First a little background on the times in which Formosus and Stephen lived. This was a period of time from about the year 800 — the beginning of the Carolingian Empire — for another 200 years when the history of the papacy was probably at its lowest.

There was papal corruption, with the buying and selling of Church offices, nepotism, concubines, and the domination of the papacy by kings and emperors, including that of the Holy Roman Empire, with which Popes of this time were required to politically maneuver to support or oppose certain rulers of the day. It was also a time when the Roman laity participated with the clergy in choosing their bishop: the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.

Into this mix arose two men who are at the heart of this story.

Pope Formosus was born around 816. A man of exceptional intelligence and ability, he nonetheless made several bitter political enemies, including one of his Successors, Pope Stephen VI. Stephen was a factional partisan who was a member of the ruling Spoleto family, which Formosus, favoring the Frankish party, opposed.

Formosus was named a cardinal in 864 and became bishop of Porto. As the cardinal-bishop he came to the notice of Pope Nicholas I, who named him a papal legate and sent him on diplomatic missions to France. Rome became uneasy when Formosus’ uncle, Charles the Bald, was chosen as Holy Roman Emperor. Many, including Formosus, fearing violence, fled the city.

When Pope John VIII requested his return, Formosus remained in hiding. John responded by excommunicating him for leaving his diocese without permission. The excommunication was lifted when Formosus agreed not to work as a cleric and not to return to Rome. Pope Marinus finally recalled Formosus to Rome and restored him as bishop of Porto. When Pope Stephen V died in 891, Formosus was unanimously elected the 111th Supreme Pontiff, succeeding him on October 6. He reigned during a period of political instability with which Formosus and his pontificate became entangled.
He died on April 4 in 896 after a reign of approximately four and one-half years. He was succeeded by Pope Boniface VI who reigned only 15 days before he, too, died. He was succeeded by Stephen VI. Stephen had been consecrated bishop of Anagni, apparently against his will by Formosus, and was elected the 113th Pope on May 22 in 896.

Stephen, harboring ill will toward the dead Formosus, claimed that his Predecessor had committed perjury by violating the oath he gave Pope John, and claimed that Formosus, before becoming Pope, had tried to usurp the papacy from him. In addition, Stephen also asserted that Formosus had attempted to exercise the office of bishop as a layman and had despoiled the cloisters in Rome.

Stephen, for reasons history still disputes, decided to “try” Formosus for his crimes. To do so he had the body of Formosus exhumed, attired in pontifical vestments, and placed on a throne before a synod of the Roman clergy. There a “trial” was for held for Formosus with Stephen as chief prosecutor and a deacon appointed to answer for Formosus.

Of course the trial was a travesty and Formosus was duly found guilty of all charges. Upon the finding of guilt, the body of the former Pope was stripped of its vestments and the three fingers on its right hand, used by Formosus for blessings, were cut off. The body was ultimately thrown into the Tiber.

He was tried, found guilty, and, at Stephen’s order, his pontificate was erased from history and all his decrees were declared null and void. Stephen even forced several clerics who had been ordained by Formosus to resign their offices.

Restored To The Official List

So much for ex-Pope Formosus! Stephen’s vengeance was satisfied. A sad ending for Formosus? Well, we’re not quite at the end of the story.

The people of Rome were so incensed by the spectacle of what history has called “the cadaver synod,” they arrested, imprisoned, and deposed Stephen, who was later strangled August 14, 897, after serving only fifteen months as Pope.

Ultimately, the actions of Stephen and the synod were themselves declared null and void by Pope Theodore II (r. 897), who called his own synod to annul Stephen’s rulings and to restore the Ordinations of Formosus which Stephen — who ironically was ordained by Formosus — had annulled. Formosus was thus restored to the official list of Popes.

When the body of Formosus did finally wash ashore, there were rumors of miracles that accompanied it. It was finally attired in pontifical vestments and the former Pope was finally laid to rest in St. Peter’s Basilica.

I learned a lot from that old World Book. I wonder if Joseph the Devout or Nancy the Pious got a set from their moms.

Come on, man; just sayin’.

(You can reach Mike at: DeaconMike@q.com, and listen to him every Thursday morning at 10 (CT) on Faith On Trial which streams on IowaCatholicRadio.com.)