His scandalous resignation is often misrepresented and the Post fell into the trap of failing to fully research reliable info.
The February 12 edition of the Post included a piece by Max Fisher, which stated:
“Pope Benedict IX, in 1045: At age 33 and about 10 years into his tumultuous term, the Rome-born pope resigned so that he could get married – and to collect some cash from his godfather, also Roman, who paid Benedict IX to step down so that he might replace him, according to British historian Reginald L. Poole’s definitive and much-cited history of the 11th century.”
Not quite. The twisted and still obscure events of the 11th century are anything but clear, but this much is: Reginald Poole, writing nearly a century ago, did not credit the idea that Benedict IX abdicated the papacy in order to marry. Continue reading