The Cadaver Synod
The Cadaver Synod, also known as the Cadaver Trial, was a bizarre and macabre event in the history of the Catholic Church that took place in the late 9th century. During this controversial episode, the body of a former pope who had passed away was exhumed, dressed in papal vestments, and placed on trial in a gruesome display. The Church aimed to retroactively annul his papacy, and predictably, he was found guilty of a range of charges.
Following the posthumous verdict, Pope Formosus’s body was stripped of its vestments, and his corpse was thrown into the Tiber River. The Cadaver Synod remains a disturbing example of the church’s influence and power during a tumultuous period in its history, illustrating the extremes to which some would go to assert control and authority within the religious hierarchy.