Hey kids, time to alienate 23.9% of the United States for my potential audience because today we're talking popes.

Now don't get me wrong. The modern papacy is a great thing, Just a genuinely virtuous man being elected to govern and set an example for Christians everywhere; that's awesome.

But back in the day, not so.

See in the Middle Ages the Church was one of the greatest powers in the western world, having massive influence over monarchs and laymen alike.

And as we know, with great power comes great tomfoolery.

Here are some of the less wholesome popes that history has to offer.

Pope Stephen VI assumed the pontificate in May of 896 during a time of great instability for the papacy, Where rulers and families of all different shapes and sizes were vying for influence over the Catholic Church.

As such, successive popes from the period often had different ideas about how things should be run.

Stephen, for example, didn't much care for Pope Formosus, the guy before the last.

Why?