Expert: Edward Bode - 4/24/2005

Question
Thank you for your previous help.

With the recent election of the Pope, my non-Catholic friends have been bringing up papal history and have been asking about the corrupt popes of the middle ages.  I understand that even though there have been bad Popes, they are still infallible and have never led the Church into error.  The question is, even though they were infallible, why weren't they kicked out anyway and replaced with someone who would lead a good example? Some of these guys were married and had tons of kids.  What is your take on this?  Is there some doctrine, that once a pope is elected, it is for good until he dies?

Also in light of the election, i'm a little confused on what doctrine is.  All the talk about women in the priesthood, married clergy and contraception makes me wonder if these issues are infallible doctrines of the church or if they are just policies that can be changed anytime by a Pope.  

Thanks for your time.

Answer
Some popes of the dark ages and the renaissance era did not live exemplary moral lives before they became pope.  In those days, the pope was also the civil head of a country; so, not everyone was motivated primarily by spiritual dedication.  All totalled, the number of popes who were morally lacking is just a handful.  
I know of no pope who married, other than St. Peter.  I am aware of two popes who had four children [before becoming pope; the women had been left before they were elected] but the sum of all children of men who became popes would not be "tons."  The grandson of Paul III was a cardinal who was almost elected pope.  Paul III's daughter married the Holy Roman Emperor and was an early supporter of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits in Rome.  God can write straight with crocked lines.
Very few popes have made infallible definitions about faith and morals.  I think that the number is the 20s.  The "bad" popes never taught doctrinal error.
Several popes have that artificial contraception is intrinsically evil -- a separation of the basic purposes of marital intercourse, which must remain open to conception.  John Paul II wrote officially that the constant tradition of the church rules out ordaining women to the priesthood.  Priestly celibacy is a disciplinary policy that has existed for about 1000 years.  I doubt that rule will be changed in the near future although it could be from a doctrinal point of view.
If you would like more, please feel free to write again.
Best wishes, Lisa.