Dark Magic at the Vatican: The 7 Popes Who Sold Their Souls for Power

Crucifixion of Saint Peter by Luca Giordano, Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice (circa 1660) (Public Domain)

When you hear “the Pope,” you probably picture a saintly figure waving from a balcony in Rome, preaching peace and love to the masses. But what if I told you that behind the holy facade, the Vatican hides a dark, twisted history? Forget everything you thought you knew about the Roman Catholic Church. Deep in the annals of history lies a chilling tradition: some of the most powerful men to ever sit on the Throne of St. Peter weren’t holy men at all - they were practicing sorcerers who allegedly summoned demonic forces to seize ultimate power. Get ready to uncover the shocking truth about the seven deadliest sinners to ever wear the papal crown.

Drawing, Design for a Marble Throne for the Statue of St. Peter, St. Peter’s, Rome, 1754. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (Public Domain)

Papal Politics

Before one looks at the lives of the seven biggest sinners ever to wear the papal crown, one first needs to set the scene for what one sees in the present Papacy is only a relatively recent iteration. For example, for the best part of 1,000 years – and only ending in 1870 with the Reunification of Italy – the Papacy was also a significant temporal power ruling a large part of the Italian Peninsular. And, before that, the popes spent several hundred years embroiled in doctrinal disputes within the Christian Church, deciding which were orthodox teachings and which were unorthodox heresies.

Saint Peter portrayed as a Pope in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493) (Public Domain)