Pope in the 8th century. Was Pope John VIII a woman? Pope John VII

Great Britain historically occupies a special place in Europe. Separated from continental Europe by the sea, Foggy Albion, while remaining part of the Old World, has many fundamental differences from its neighbors.

Henry VIII in his youth, in the year of his accession to the throne (1509). Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Among these differences is the Anglican Church - a Christian denomination formed not only and not so much as a result of religious discussions, but because of the stormy temperament and ambitions of the king Henry VIII.

Born in 1491 younger sonHenry VII should have become not a monarch, but a priest. From a young age, he studied theology, attended up to six masses a day, and even wrote treatises on religious topics himself.

His father's plans for the prince changed dramatically in 1502, when Henry's older brother died Arthur.

An 11-year-old boy, who was preparing to devote his life to serving God, now had to prepare to rule the state.

Moreover, Henry VII announced to his son that he would marry... his brother’s widow, a Spanish princess Catherine of Aragon. The king wanted to strengthen ties with Spain at all costs, and even the death of his eldest son just a few months after the wedding did not change his intentions.

Moreover, the widowed king wanted to marry Catherine himself, but the Spaniards opposed this.

For the young prince, the world turned upside down. Just yesterday he was five minutes before a priest, bound by a vow of celibacy, and today he is already five minutes before a king with his legal wife.

Defender of the Faith

The prince, crowned Henry VIII, ascended the throne at the age of 17. During the first years of his reign he was under the influence of the bishop Richard Fox and the archbishop William Wareham.

Catherine of Aragon. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In the first years of the reign of Henry VIII, it seemed that the position of the Catholic Church in England was unshakable, and the winds of the Reformation, gaining strength on the continent, would have no influence on the British.

The young king remained pious, attending mass several times a day, and in 1521, inspired by another of his mentors, the cardinal Thomas Wolsey, wrote the book “In Defense of the Seven Sacraments,” in which he defended the Catholic Church from church reformers.

For this book the Pope Leo X awarded Henry VIII the title "Defender of the Faith".

But the further he went, the more the king changed. He tasted the delights of secular power, became familiar with the various joys of earthly, rather than spiritual life, and soon began to be irritated by various restrictions and obstacles that arose due to the broad rights of the clergy, for whom the main ruler was not the King of England, but the Pope.

Dad forbids it!

In his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he had several children, but all the boys died in infancy, only his daughter Maria survived.

The English king did not want to agree that “everything is God’s will” and decided that the most correct way out of the situation would be to change the queen.

Moreover, he had already chosen a “successor” - the favorite was supposed to give birth to a son to Henry VIII

Ann Bolein. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The theological school of his youth was not in vain: the king stated that the reason for his lack of sons was the illegality of his first marriage. Henry VIII argued that marrying his brother's widow was against the canons, and that marriage required the permission of the Pope, which was not obtained. And since there was no permission, then the marriage should be annulled.

But all the king’s arguments were defeated by the decision of Pope Clement VII, who refused to annul the marriage of Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon.

Revolution from above

The rightful queen and her supporters celebrated the victory, and Henry VIII was furious. Why is the fate of the English royal dynasty being decided by some Roman saint? Why should he, the king, depend on the opinion of the monk?

Yes, the pious boy turned into an imperious and decisive monarch who was ready to go straight to his desired goal.

Supporters of the Church Reformation, who until then had little influence in England, raised their heads. Of course, they received a unique chance to change their position in the country.

In 1529 Henry VIII assembled English parliament, already seeking from him a solution to the issue of annulment of the marriage. A split emerged in parliament - supporters of Rome and adherents of the Reformation each stood their ground. But the king clearly understood for himself who he could continue to rely on, and who would become his worst enemy.

The first victim of the king's struggle was his former mentor and adviser Thomas Wolsey, an ardent supporter of Catholicism who was accused of treason. Wolsey faced the chopping block, but, unlike others, he was lucky to a certain extent - he died a natural death before the trial.

And Henry VIII decided to cut the Gordian knot and immediately accused the entire English clergy of treason. The king stated that the priests’ loyalty to Rome in the current situation was nothing more than an attempt on royal power.

In 1532, England passed a law prohibiting English subjects from submitting to the authority of foreign rulers, including the Pope. On the basis of this law, hundreds of influential supporters of Catholicism were sent to prison and to the chopping block.

In the same 1532, the chief priest of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, became Thomas Cranmer, an open supporter of Protestantism. He fulfilled the wishes of Henry VIII and annulled the king's marriage in an ecclesiastical court, after which he married Anne Boleyn.

Pope Clement VII excommunicated the English king from the church, which only provoked Henry VIII and pushed him to further action.

In 1534, perhaps the main document of the English Reformation, the “Act of Supremation,” was adopted. According to him, it was not the Pope, but the reigning monarch who was declared the head of the English church. The Pope in England no longer influenced anything.

In order to break the resistance of his opponents, Henry VIII attacked the monasteries, closing them and confiscating the lands. At the same time, Cranmer and his supporters carried out reforms in the spirit of Protestantism within the church itself, ruthlessly suppressing opponents.

Once a wife, two a wife, three a wife...

Alas, the main goal for which the king went ahead, regardless of anything, was not achieved - Anne Boleyn bore him not a son, but a daughter named Elizabeth.

Henry VIII was terribly disappointed. In addition, Anna turned out to be very capricious; she allowed herself much more than, in her husband’s opinion, the queen could afford.

Jane Seymour. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Very soon the king found himself a new passion, a maid of honor. But if, getting rid of his first wife, Henry VIII showed a certain humanism, then he acted cruelly with Anna, who disappointed him - accused of state and adultery, the king’s second wife was beheaded.

After this, Henry VIII went into all serious ways, by the end of his life bringing the number of his wives to six, two of whom he divorced, and executed two more for treason.

At the same time, the king, who initiated church reform for political reasons, was not a strong supporter of Protestantism, so the policy towards the church underwent changes depending on what religious views the next wife had.

Henry VIII achieved his goal - Jane Seymour gave birth to his son. But the king never found out that he failed to prevent the extinction of the dynasty. The only son of Henry VIII, who ascended the throne at the age of nine under the name of Edward VI, died at the age of 15, having, however, managed to pass a number of laws that strengthened the position of Protestantism.

Queen Elizabeth's "Golden Age"

After the death of Edward VI, Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, rejected by Henry VIII, became Queen of England. A zealous Catholic who hated her father, she was determined to roll back all the reforms of Henry VIII and return England to the fold of Catholicism.

The main reformer of the English church, Thomas Cranmer, who refused to renounce his beliefs, was burned at the stake by order of the queen. Many of his supporters also paid with their lives for their beliefs. Maria I entered history as Bloody Mary.

Perhaps the counter-reformation she started would have been completed, but after five years of rule she died during one of the epidemics.

The heir to the throne was Elizabeth I, the daughter of Anne Boleyn, whose birth had so disappointed her father Henry VIII.

Without much sympathy for her father, the queen nevertheless decided to strengthen power on the basis of church reforms begun under Henry VIII.

The 35-year reign of Elizabeth I, which is called the “Golden Age of England,” finally cemented the victory of the supporters of the Anglican Church.

To this day, the head of the church in England is the reigning monarch - thanks to the passionate temperament and determination of Henry VIII.

The entire history of mankind is shrouded in mystery. They exist even where it would seem they cannot or should not exist at all.

Back in the 9th century. A new monk, John Longlois, appeared in the Benedictine monastery. His father was a preacher and the young man, who had a phenomenal memory, remembered almost all the sermons by heart. After graduating from the philosophical school in Athens and arriving in Rome, he makes useful connections. Everyone, without exception, no matter who he communicates with, is amazed by the intelligence and resourcefulness, erudition and restraint of the young man.

John receives the position of notary in the main administrative body of the Holy See - Culia. Finance, business correspondence and many other issues fall within the scope of his responsibilities. Pope Leo IV is very pleased with the notary and elevates him to the rank of cardinal, and on his deathbed points to John as the most worthy of all who can occupy the papal throne. So John of Longlois became Pope John VIII.

It was July 855. It was as if nature itself was against this election. The sky was constantly clouded with terrible clouds, thunder roared, locusts raged in France, and a terrible earthquake occurred in Italy. The new dad is scared by this. He fears that he is to blame for these troubles. He is also afraid of his valet, who helps him put on his vestments. He understands that his secret will be revealed.

When you open the official list of pontiffs, you will not find Pope John VIII. Leo IV is immediately followed by Benedict III. But they claim that this was done on purpose. Benedict III's papacy was artificially advanced by 2 years and 5 months to hide the fact that John was actually a woman.

The valet, who became her lover, was at that time the only person who knew this secret. A pestilence began in Rome and Pope John VIII had to make a religious procession. The cassock hid the ninth month of Agnes's pregnancy - that was actually the name of John of Longlois - but could not hide her deathly pallor. Agnes could barely move her legs. And then the worst thing happened - labor pains began. The child was born. The people, amazed by what they saw, immediately trampled both mother and child in a frenzy.

We will never know for sure whether it really happened. But in the same list of pontiffs one can notice that in 1276 Pietro Juliani - John XXI - was elected pope. But you won’t find the twentieth pope on the list. There is a version that Pietro decided to correct a historical mistake. Whether this is actually true is unknown. But it is known that in the Vatican Museum there is an unusual marble chair invented at that time with a hole in the seat. With the help of this chair, special deacons for almost 7 centuries in a row personally confirmed the gender of the chosen one to the papal throne.

The Catholic Church categorically denies this story, which will forever remain completely unexplained and unproven.

This is not the story of a young father with children, but Popes, which is already much more attractive.
Pope Pius XIII... I go to Wikipedia - oops... there was no such pope in the history of the Vatican. There was Pius KhP, who supported the fascist regime - or else...

A Pope Pius XIII, allegedly coming from the American Catholic Church, - fictional character. He lives in our time, next to today's life with its problems and technologies (homosexuality, abortion, MacBooks, selfies, Brodsky's poems and even a meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church- such a grandfather, a little reminiscent of Patriarch Kirill, but less attractive. They didn’t say what they were talking about, but our patriarch left his dad at Kalinka...).
Yes... and a cigarette in your mouth or in your hands - constantly and everywhere (one after another).

I started watching the series and couldn’t stop, I realized that it was mine! I was captivated by the story, the surroundings, and of course the acting, the characters, especially the main character.
It must be difficult for a woman to pass by indifferently Jude Law (Pius XIII), which is confirmed by stories about his terrible popularity among the female audience of Hollywood. The result is noticeable: a bunch of children (five!) from three women.

Well, God be with them! He captivated me precisely in this role: smart, subtle, ironically sarcastic, hard and soft, saint and devil, ambitious and vulnerable, devilishly handsome, strong and weak at the same time, endlessly lonely... How this man combines anger, insolence, cruelty, arrogance, compassion, love, holiness!

A stunningly complex image, charismatic and cruel, evoking both sympathy and denial. He easily talks about sex and gender with colleagues, and uses slang words when communicating with high-ranking people.

The Pope is a saint, he has a gift: when he begins to earnestly talk with the Lord, miracles and strange things happen - people are cured, barren women give birth to children, and villains and selfish people get what they deserve.
He performed his first miracle back in adolescence, when his prayer addressed to heaven raised his friend's dying mother from her bed.

In addition, dad is also clairvoyant. He knows everything about his surroundings: it is impossible to hide anything from him.

It is very interesting to watch his constantly changing expression on his face and eyes (from strict, sometimes even evil, to a charmingly childish, mischievous or sly expression in them, accompanied by the same innocent childish smile). That mysterious smile of his...

By the way, how “modestly” he speaks about himself (in the scene with the Italian Prime Minister):

"A few weeks before the elections, Pope Pius XIII will appear to the people for the first time. The whole world will be excited: Pius XIII appears before them with his beautiful blue eyes and tender lips. A striking image - so bright that it literally blinds people."
It seems...
So one day a boy Lenny Belardo ended up in a shelter sisters mary- It is unknown why mom and dad brought him to the gates of the orphanage and left him there. They never appeared again, but Lenny dreams of meeting them. And from time to time (both in childhood and as an adult) they appear to him - either in dreams, or in dreams. However, the picture of these “meetings” still remains sad: the parents silently leave, again and again leaving him alone.

This is how he carries his burden of orphanhood through life, probably trying to understand how, why, why? Although sister Mary and friend Andrew somehow brighten up his life in their own way, trying to help him bear this heavy cross.

Mary raised him and prepared him for a career as a priest. When Lenny grew up, she handed him over to the influential American cardinal and theologian Michael Spencer, who was one of the likely candidates for the position of pope. But something strange happened. Lenny became the dad.

How did this young (by the standards of gray-haired cardinals) man become the head of the Vatican? According to Lenny himself, the Holy Spirit chose him for the role of pontiff, whom he himself frantically prayed for this... The gentlemen cardinals helped, judging that the young moderate American would become a convenient puppet in their hands and would fulfill their will. But that was not the case.

The elected Pope Pius XIII (Belardo received this name after ascending the throne) turned out to be a tough man and almost a tyrant. He begins “perestroika” - both within the papal department and in general in the politics of the Catholic Church.

He does not accept anyone's advice (especially the Secretary of State - an influential cardinal Angelo Voiello, other cardinals, even sisters mary, whom he invited to the Vatican and made him his secretary; he categorically refuses to go out in public; outside the palace no one has ever seen the pope’s face; does not allow himself to be filmed or photographed, creating an image of mystery and unattainability; prohibits the production and sale of various small items under its brand (magnets, key rings, pens, plates, notebooks, etc.). He is often harsh and cruel, easily getting rid of ideological opponents, for example, exiling to serve in Alaska and accompanying his decree with poems by Brodsky.

He does not hide his plans for the reform of the Holy See: how to treat God, the church, deviations from the commandments in the behavior of representatives of the papal throne, gay priests, celibacy, orphans, abortion and parents abandoning their children, new saints, religion...

All the clergy are shocked by Pius XIII, and not only in the Vatican, the church is losing parishioners - they are starting to grumble around.
But, as they say, the wrong person was attacked...

The scene of Pius XIII speaking to the cardinals in the Sistine Chapel is good; here are excerpts from his speech:

"Knock-knock, knock-knock...We are not at home. Brother cardinals, from this day we are not at home, no matter who knocks on our door. We are only for the Lord. From this day on, everything that was wide open, It will be closed.
...Conversion to Christianity - we have already done it, ecuminism - it happened, it happened. Tolerance - she no longer lives here - she was evicted, she vacated the house for a new tenant, who has completely different tastes for new decoration.
...We have been trying to reach others for many years. It's time to stop. We're not going anywhere. We are here because we are - what? - we are cement and do not move. We are the foundation, and the foundation is not moving anywhere.
...We don't have windows, we don't look at the outside world... we don't need to look at the outside world. Look there... What do you see? This door is the only entrance - small and extremely inconvenient, and everyone who wants to know us must figure out how to enter this door.

...Brother cardinals, we need to once again become inaccessible, unattainable and mysterious. This is the only way we will become desired again, this is the only way stories of great love are born. The church does not need weekend believers. I want a story of great love, I want to see fanatics, because fanatics are love, everything else is exclusively surrogates, there is no place for them in the church (stunned cardinals)
...I only need absolute love and complete devotion to the Lord.
...our squares are filled with people, but there is no Lord in their hearts.
...sin will no longer be forgiven on demand...

You must obey Pius XIII.. There is no longer a place for gratitude in this church... from me for sure and from you too. I don't care about people's politeness and manners.
...I expect you to do what I told you to do - you must obey Pius XIII and nothing more. Hell awaits you for disobedience. Hell, which you may know nothing about. But I know. Because I created it myself. Right behind this door.
...I have been creating hell for you for the past few days, which is why I came to you late.

...I know that you will obey, because you have already realized that this pope is not afraid of losing believers if they are even a little unbeliever.
And this means that dad will not negotiate - not for any kind and with anyone. And you won’t be able to blackmail this dad. From this very day the word "compromise" is not in your vocabulary. I just deleted it. When Jesus willingly suffered on the cross, he did not compromise. And I won't go either."

After which he stuck out his leg (for a kiss). The stunned cardinals reached for this leg. And when the Secretary of State (his main opponent and adversary) hesitated (he could not bring himself to do it), the pope’s second leg helped him bend down and kiss the pope’s beautiful shoe.

The series is very beautiful: the interiors of St. Peter's Cathedral, the Pope's chambers and numerous courtyards and gardens of the Vatican, bright, colorful, chic costumes and decorations, elaborate outfits of the clergy, and all around are the little things we are used to - cigarettes, a phone in hand, a billiard cue...

Meanwhile, the series was filmed in many places, but not in the Vatican!

Eh, it’s a pity, the series ended quickly, and ended on a dramatic note: Pius XIII came to Venice (in the hope that he would see his parents, who, as he found out, live here), went out to the people for the first time, made another cool speech, saw - the same man and woman, whom he allegedly recognized as his parents, and how they are trying to quickly pass through the crowd of parishioners and leave... (once again!) Dad collapses either in a faint or from a heart attack. He lies, reminiscent of Christ, who has just been taken down from the cross.

List of popes buried in St. Peter's Basilica. Marble slab at the entrance to the sacristy in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican List of popes, divided by period, with annotations and indication of periods of reign. Note: Only in 384... ... Wikipedia

- ... Wikipedia

- (Latin union) the merging of the Orthodox and Catholic confessions, and, on the one hand, the primacy of the pope, purgatory, the presence of the Holy Spirit and from the Son are recognized, on the other hand, marriage of white clergy and worship in their native language is allowed, with... ... encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE- BIBLIOGRAPHY [from Greek. βιβλίον book and γράφω I write] THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE, information about publications related to the complex of scientific theological disciplines. The term "bibliography" appeared in Dr. Greece and originally meant “rewriting books.”… … Orthodox Encyclopedia

- (Belorussian. Belarusian prozvishchy) were formed in the context of a pan-European process. The oldest of them date back to the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries, when the territory of Belarus was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a multi-ethnic and... ... Wikipedia

- (Latin Patrolology) a collection of works by Latin-speaking Christian authors, including 217 huge volumes, first part of the “Complete Course of Patrolology” (Patrologiae Cursus Completus), second part of Patrologia Graeca. Published by Abbot Min... ... Wikipedia

- (from λιτός general and εργον business) the name of the most important of Christian services, existing, although not in the same form and meaning, among all Christian denominations and expressing the main ideas of the Christian worldview and the main goals... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron