Myths and legends surrounding the Papacy

The papacy has been surrounded by numerous myths and legends. Among the most famous are the claims that

• The Papal Tiara contains a set of words that when numerised produce the total 666, the 'number of the beast' (ie., Satan), in the bible;
• A woman was once elected pope, and that because of this, subsequent popes underwent an examination to ascertain their gender.

Both these claims have been independently verified as being myths.

Table of contents

1 The Vicarius Filii Dei Myth 2 Pope Joan 3 Additional reading

The Vicarius Filii Dei Myth

One common myth surrounding the papal tiara, particularly coming from Seventh-day Adventists, involves the claim that the words Vicarius Filii Dei exist on the side of one of the tiaras. The myth centres on the widely made claim that, when numerised (i.e., when those letters in the 'title' that have roman numeral value are added together) they produce the number '666', described in the Book of Revelations as the number of the Antichrist (whom some have claimed would 'wear' a crown similar to a triple tiara). This claim has been made by some fundamentalist protestant sects who believe that the pope as head of the Roman Catholic Church is the antichrist. However a detailed examination of all the tiaras shows that no such decoration exists.

Pope Joan

The claim that a woman become pope first appeared in a Dominican chronicle in 1250. It soon spread Europe-wide through Preaching Friars. The story grew in embellishment but centred on a set of claims.

• An English woman, disguised as a man, rose to the highest office of the church, before the spectacular failure of her disguise when she went into labour during a procession and gave birth to a child.

• Popes throughout the mediaeval period were required to undergo a procedure whereby they sat on a special chair with a hole in the seat. A cardinal would have the task of putting his hand up the hole to check whether the pope had testicles.

Protestant historian David Blondel conclusively proved that the 'Pope Joan' story is a myth in a seventeenth century study. The story may well be a satire that came to be believed as reality.

Additional reading

• Eamon Duffy, Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes (Yale Nota Bene, 2001)
• Colin Morris, The Papal Monarchy: The Western Church from 1050-1250 (Cambridge, 1990)
• K. Morrison, Tradition and Authority in the Western Church 300-1140 (Princeton, 1969)