Top 10 Popes who were Assassinated
The pope is a person of extreme importance in Christianity. Papacy is the word used to refer to the pope’s office. Over the years, numerous popes have been assassinated for a number of controversial reasons; some were assassinated simply because they disobeyed unrighteous orders from the ruling Emperor, whereas others were assassinated for more legit reasons. Some of the popes even fell victim to the controversies from within the Church. Considering the fact that the cause of death of a few popes is still unclear, it is fairly difficult to compile a list of the top 10 popes who were assassinated.
Instructions
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1
Pope Saint Clement:
After his dismissal from Rome, Pope Saint Clement was imprisoned and then sent to work in the stone quarry. As a punishment for the crimes alleged against him, Pope Saint Clement was assassinated in 99 A.D.
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2
Pope Saint Peter:
Pope Saint Peter is believed to be the most important Pope in the history of the Church because he was appointed by Jesus Christ himself. Pope Saint Peter was crucified in 64 A.D by the Christian hating Roman emperor Nero.
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3
Pope Saint Stephen:
Pope Saint Stephen was assassinated in 257 A.D on the orders of Emperor Valerian. A number of controversies over rebaptism arose during his 3 years as a pope.
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4
Pope Stephen 7:
Pope Stephen 7 did one of the most controversial things ever. He put a corpse to trial, declared it guilty, and then punished it by violating the body parts. For this act of brutality, Pope Stephen 7 was strangled to death in 897 A.D.
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5
Pope Celestine 5:
Pope Celestine 5 was imprisoned and then executed on the orders of Emperor Boniface in 1296 A.D. Only a few minor political conflicts became the cause of the pope’s assassination.
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6
Pope Damasus 2:
Although it is believed that Pope Damasus 2 died of malaria, the more popular theory is that he was poisoned by one of his friends at the Church.
Image courtesy: poperesigns.net
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7
Pope Sergius 4:
Sergius 4 remained pope from 1009 A.D to 1012 A.D. It is believed that he was assassinated as a result of a controversy against him from within the Church.
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8
Pope John 8:
Pope John 8 was assassinated by one of his relatives in a very brutal way. It is believed that he was first poisoned and then his head was smashed with a hammer until he died.
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9
Pope John 7:
Pope John 7 was probably one of the most controversial popes in the history of the Catholic Church. The majority of the acts performed by him were unworthy. In 707 A.D, he was beaten to death for sleeping with a woman by that woman’s husband.
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10
Pope Saint Sixtus 2:
Pope Saint Sixtus 2 was beheaded in 258 A.D while he was delivering a sermon. His crime was to skip a controversial ceremony which was declared mandatory for all Christians by the Emperor back then.
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