24 Holy Unreal Facts About Vatican Popes Throughout History

1Pope Fabian

Pope Fabian

Pope Fabian served as Pope from 236-250 A.D. During the election, he was not under any serious consideration until a dove landed on his head which signaled to everyone present that the Holy Spirit had marked him as the next Pope.


2Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII

Pope Pius XII, who is often criticized for not speaking forcefully against Hitler, supervised a rescue network which saved nearly 860,000 Jewish lives, which is more than all the international agencies combined.


3Pope Francis

Pope Francis

In 2013, Pope Francis opted out of the classic Popemobile and chose a blue Ford Focus.


4Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X

Pope Leo X had a pet elephant named Hanno. He treated it like a prince. The elephant ate the scraps of the papal banquets thrown by Leo. However, this didn’t support Hanno's natural diet and he soon suffered from digestive problems. To treat him doctors gave Hanno a gold-infused enema which killed him.


5Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI doesn't know how to drive and never got a driver's license. But he does have a helicopter pilot's license and even liked to fly the papal helicopter when he was Pope.


6Pope Peter

Pope Peter

Pope Peter, the first Pope, had ulnar nerve damage, giving his papal blessings the distinctive look with the pinky and ring fingers bent down because he couldn't straighten them. All the other Popes copied him.


7Pope Joan

Pope Joan

According to legend Pope Joan served as Pope for several years until her gender was discovered when she had a baby.


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8Pope Francis & John Paul II

Pope Francis & John Paul II

Pope Francis and Pope John Paul II are honorary members of the American basketball team - Harlem Globetrotters.


9Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI

In 1494, Pope Alexander VI decreed that any land inhabited by non-Christians could be colonized by Europeans on the basis of "discovery". In 1823 this decree by the Pope was upheld by the US Supreme Court in the Johnson v. M'Intosh case, setting a legal precedent for Manifest Destiny.


10Pope Innocent III

Pope Innocent III

Pope Innocent III waged a massacre against the Cathars. When he was asked how to tell Cathars apart from the Catholics, the papal legate's reply was “Kill them all, the Lord will recognize His own.”

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