Rachel Evans
While priests in Western Catholicism are expected to be unmarried and celibate, there have been several popes throughout history who have fathered children. The Second Lateran Council of 1139 officially instated celibacy as a prerequisite for ordination within the Latin Church, but even after this, some popes continued to have children. Pope Alexander VI, for example, had 10 children, while Pope Paul III fathered four children before his election as pontiff. These are just a few examples, and there are several other cases of modern Catholic popes who have had children.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Popes who fathered children | Pope Alexander VI, Pope Julius II, Pope Paul III, Pope Pius IV, Pope John XI, Pope Sergius III, Pope Silverius |
| Number of children | Pope Alexander VI had 10 children, Pope Julius II had 3, Pope Paul III had 4, Pope Pius IV had 3, Pope John XI was one of several children |
| Time period | Children fathered by popes occurred mostly in the 13th-16th centuries, with some sources citing the Second Lateran Council of 1139 as the turning point for clerical celibacy |
| Illegitimacy | Many of the children fathered by popes were considered illegitimate, as priests were expected to be unmarried and celibate |
| Sexual activity of popes | Some popes were sexually active, married, and had children |
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What You'll Learn
Pope Alexander VI fathered 10 children
Pope Alexander VI, born Roderic de Borja in the town of Xàtiva near Valencia, had a total of 10 children with multiple mistresses. Before he became pope, he had already fathered a boy and two girls. He had four more children with his aristocratic mistress Vannozza Cattanei (also spelled Catanei or dei Cattanei): Cesare, Juan (or Giovanni, later the Duke of Gandia), Lucrezia, and Goffredo (or Gioffre or Jofré). He openly acknowledged these children as his own, although he only legitimized them after becoming pope.
Alexander had several other mistresses, and fathered a further six children, some allegedly born during his pontificate. Alexander's Italianized Valencian surname, Borgia, became synonymous with libertinism and nepotism, and his tenure as pope is considered one of the sparks that ignited the Reformation. He was known to use the church to advance his family's fortunes, and his children's careers were troubled by scandal.
Alexander's favourite child was Lucrezia, who was a central figure in Italian court intrigues. He also favoured Juan, who was sent to Spain to be invested as the Duke of Gandía and to seal a marriage with Ferdinand II's cousin. Alexander's youngest, Goffredo, was not his favourite, and the pope even questioned whether he was his biological son, leading to confrontations with Goffredo's wife, Sancha.
Alexander's pursuit of political goals and efforts to aggrandize his family were seen as excessive, and his neglect of the spiritual inheritance of the church contributed to the development of the Protestant Reformation.
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Pope Paul III had four illegitimate children
While celibacy is a prerequisite for ordination within the Latin Church, several Catholic priests have struggled to uphold this rule over the centuries. One such priest is Pope Paul III, born Alessandro Farnese, who had four illegitimate children.
Before his election as pontiff, Pope Paul III had four children with his mistress, Silvia Ruffini, between 1500 and 1510. The children were named Costanza, Pier Luigi, Paolo, and Ranuccio. Pope Julius II legitimised the two eldest sons, Pier Luigi and Ranuccio, so that they could inherit the Farnese family estates. Pier Luigi was later legitimised a second time by Pope Leo X, and he went on to become the Duke of Parma.
Pope Paul III was socially ambitious and a careerist, and he viewed the papal throne as an opportunity to advance the power and fortunes of his family. He appointed members of his family to key positions, including his eldest grandson, Alessandro, who was anointed cardinal at the age of 14. This marked a break with the Farnese tradition of marrying off the first-born to carry on the family name. Pope Paul III also elevated his 16-year-old grandson, Guido Ascanio Sforza, to the cardinalate, which displeased the reform party.
Pope Paul III was the fourth pope during the period of the Protestant Reformation, and he initiated the Catholic Reformation with the Council of Trent in 1545. He recognised new Catholic religious orders, such as the Jesuits and the Barnabites, and took active reform measures in response to Protestantism.
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Pope Pius IV had three children
Pope Pius IV, born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was an Italian pope who served from 1559 until his death in 1565. Before his election as pope, he fathered three children.
Medici was born in Milan on 31 March 1499, the second of eleven children. He studied philosophy and medicine in Pavia and later obtained a doctorate in canon and civil law. In 1545, he was ordained and consecrated archbishop of Ragusa. Two years later, he was appointed papal vice legate for Bologna, and in 1549, he was made a cardinal priest.
During his pontificate, Pius IV initiated several building projects in Rome, including one to improve the water supply. He also loosened the strict laws established by his predecessor, Pope Paul IV, that governed the Jewish Roman Ghetto. Pius IV was a strong advocate for reform in the Church, particularly regarding nepotism, and he is known for reconvening and concluding the Council of Trent.
Despite having three children of his own, Pius IV did not promote them within the Church. Instead, he offered prominent positions to his nephews, including Charles Borromeo, who became his trusted confidant and chief adviser.
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Pope Sergius III was the father of Pope John XI
Pope Sergius III, who reigned from 904 to 911, is alleged to have fathered an illegitimate son who later became Pope John XI. Pope John XI, originally known as John, was the 125th pope of the Catholic Church and reigned from 931 until his death in 935. He was one of the youngest popes in history, being only 21 years old at the time of his consecration.
The identity of Pope John XI's father is speculative. The only source of the allegation that Pope Sergius III was the father is the chronicler Liutprand of Cremona, who wrote about these events some 50 years after they occurred. Liutprand, a firm supporter of Emperor Otto I, was often heavily biased against the papacy. In addition, Auxilius of Naples and Eugenius Vulgarius, both contemporaries of Sergius and hostile towards him due to his attacks on Formosus, do not mention this allegation. Furthermore, the reliable chronicler Flodoard, another contemporary, also does not mention it.
Pope John XI's mother was Marozia, the most powerful woman in Rome and the de facto ruler of the city. She was married to Alberic I of Spoleto at the time of John's birth, and John's paternity has also been attributed to Alberic. Marozia's influence ensured that John was elected pope in 931. However, after Marozia and her husband Hugh of Italy were overthrown in 932, John XI fell under the control of his half-brother, Alberic II, who imprisoned him and confined him to the Lateran Palace for the remainder of his pontificate.
Pope Sergius III, on the other hand, was largely seen as an unscrupulous character, with contemporary records including accusations such as the ordering of the murders of his two immediate predecessors, Leo V and Christopher. His pontificate has been described as "dismal and disgraceful" and "efficient and ruthless." Sergius III died in 911, and it is speculated that he was related to the family of Theophylact I of Tusculum.
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Pope John XI's mother is disputed
Pope John XI, born c. 910, was the son of Marozia, the most powerful woman in Rome and the wife of Alberic I of Spoleto. However, there are speculations that John's biological father was not Alberic but Marozia's lover, Pope Sergius III. This allegation was made by the hostile chronicler Liutprand of Cremona and the Liber Pontificalis. According to them, Sergius had an affair with Marozia when she was just 15 years old, and John was the product of this illicit union.
Despite these claims, several historians dispute the allegation. Auxilius of Naples and Eugenius Vulgarius, contemporaries of Sergius who were hostile towards him for his attacks on Formosus, do not mention this accusation in their writings. Similarly, the reliable chronicler Flodoard refers to John as the brother of Alberic II, further casting doubt on the allegation of Sergius's paternity.
Ferdinand Gregorovius, Ernst Dümmler, Thomas Greenwood, Philip Schaff, and Rudolf Baxmann accept Liutprand's account as truthful. However, Horace Kinder Mann refutes this narrative, deeming it "highly doubtful" due to Liutprand's bias. Other notable historians, including Reginald L. Poole, Peter Llewelyn, Karl Josef von Hefele, August Friedrich Gfrörer, Ludovico Antonio Muratori, and Francis Patrick Kenrick, maintain that Pope John XI was indeed the son of Alberic I of Spoleto.
The dispute over Pope John XI's mother, Marozia, highlights the complex dynamics of the time and the influence of powerful families on the papacy. Marozia, as the de facto ruler of Rome, wielded significant influence and ensured that her son John ascended to the papacy at a very young age, despite his lack of experience with the church. This period, known as Saeculum obscurum, was marked by the dominance of aristocratic families and their influence over the papal throne.
In conclusion, while there are conflicting accounts regarding the biological father of Pope John XI, the dispute also extends to his mother, Marozia. The controversy surrounding his parentage underscores the tumultuous nature of the church during this era and the intricate interplay between noble families and religious authority.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there have been several Catholic Popes who have fathered children, both before and after becoming Popes.
Pope Paul III (1534-1549) fathered four children before his election as pontiff.
Pope Alexander VI, also known as the Borgia Pope, had four children with his mistress Vannozza Catanei before becoming Pope and is believed to have fathered six more during his pontificate.
Yes, in 2012, it was revealed that Gabino Zavala, the auxiliary bishop of the Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles, had two teenage children. This led to his resignation as it was deemed a "grave cause" according to Canon 401 of the code of canon law.
