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From:
Subject: Re: [Melungeon] Re: Some Popes were women????
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 12:09:48 -0400 (EDT)
References: <3b9.4ab6137.31da96df@aol.com> <002501c69ebe$f6428fd0$6501a8c0@charlie1> <007301c69ec2$079754c0$56098e41@hopestar>
In-Reply-To: <007301c69ec2$079754c0$56098e41@hopestar>


> yes, I believe some of the popes had been married and then became priests
> after their wives died---or were rounders and then became priests after
> they
> got the "call" (I wonder how many got the call when they saw the
> shotgun?).
> Even today, if a man is widowed, he may become a priest in the RC
> religion.
>
> Brenda

Women routinely died earlier than their husbands until after 1914, even
here in the U.S. Pregnancy and labor were extremely hazardous. Therefore,
elderly women who had given birth were very rare before about World War
II.

There are some widowers in the list of Popes. (I can't think of any
specific ones off the top of my head.) Also, there were several centuries
in which the folks electing the Popes favored elderly men.

Priesthood wasn't a requirement for a Pope. Until a fairly late date,
probably sometime in the 1200s, Popes weren't elected by cardinals. There
were many Popes before 1200 who were picked by whichever ruler controlled
Rome.

There were some out-and-out criminals during the Middle Ages. One was a
Pope John, son, grandson and great-grandson (all through bastardy) of
Popes: he ruled around 970, and died while in bed with a female companion.
In the late 800s and through almost all the 900s, the city of Rome was
usually ruled by combative local families who were also fighting about
whether Rome should return to the control of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman)
Empire. What I've read about this time reminds me of both reading about
the Mafia and reading about Berlin during the Cold War.

btw, I am a Catholic. I converted from a Protestant denomination my family
belonged to because they never agreed on what to convert to.

Elizabeth Whitaker
South Carolina

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