List of sexually active popes: Encyclopedia II - List of sexually active popes - Sexually active popes

List of sexually active popes - Sexually active popes

This list only includes popes known to have married and/or engaged in heterosexual sexual activity. For popes allegedly involved in homosexual activity, see gay popes.

• Saint Peter, traditionally the first Pope, was married. Jesus cured the mother-in-law of Saint Peter. There is no mention of his wife in the Bible, and it is not known whether or not she was still alive at the time of Peter's calling by Jesus. This story is given in the Bible in three places: Matthew 8:14, Mark 1:29, and Luke 4:38:

When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. (Mt 8:14–15)

• Pope St. Anastasius I (399-401) was, according to Saint Jerome, the father of Pope St. Innocent I (401-417). Innocent was born before his father's ordination. ^[1]
• Pope St. Hormisdas (514-523) was married and widowed before ordination. He was the father of Pope Silverius. ^[2]
• Pope Adrian II (867-872) was married before taking orders and had a daughter.
• Pope Sergius III (904-911) was supposedly the father of Pope John XI by Marozia (Source: Liber Pontificalis, Liutprand).
• Pope John XII (955-963) (deposed by Conclave) was said to have turned the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano into a brothel and was accused of adultery, fornication, and incest (Source: Patrologia Latina).^[3]
• Pope Clement IV (1265-1268) was married before taking holy orders, and had several children.
• Pope Pius II (1458-1464) had several illegitimate children.
• Pope Innocent VIII (1484-1492) had several illegitimate children.
• Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) had a notably long affair with Vannozza dei Cattani before his papacy, by whom he had his famous illegitimate children Cesare and Lucrezia. A later mistress, Giulia Farnese, was the sister of Alessandro Farnese, who later became Pope Paul III. Rumors of Alexander's sexual activity were even more wild - see Banquet of Chestnuts
• Pope Julius II (1503-1513) had three illegitimate daughters.
• Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) was probably the father of Alessandro de' Medici, whom he made Duke of Florence.
• Pope Paul III (1534-1549) held off ordination in order to continue his promiscuous lifestyle, fathering four illegitimate children by his mistress. His nickname was "Cardinal Petticoat" because his sister Giulia had been Alexander VI's mistress. He made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the first Duke of Parma.
• Pope Pius IV (1559-1565) had several illegitimate children.
• Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585) had an illegitimate son before he took holy orders.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Sexually active popes", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki