In 955, eighteen-year-old Octavian became Pope John XII, the grandson of the notorious Marozia and the ultimate product of the corrupt Pornocracy system. Contemporary sources describe a pope who turned the Lateran Palace into a brothel, ordained bishops for money, and allegedly toasted the devil while gambling. This episode examines the most scandalous pope in history and the dramatic confrontation with Holy Roman Emperor Otto I that would finally break the cycle of corruption plaguing the papacy.

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The Cadaver Synod of 897, where Pope Stephen VI put his predecessor's rotting corpse on trial, marked the beginning of the most corrupt period in papal history. For the next sixty years, the papal office became a prize fought over by Roman aristocratic families through murder, seduction, and betrayal. This episode explores the era when powerful women like Theodora and Marozia used sex and violence to control the successors of Saint Peter, transforming spiritual leadership into hereditary political property.

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Carlo Acutis, the 15-year-old computer prodigy known as “God’s influencer,” has been canonized in Rome as the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint. Also, hundreds of LGBTQ Catholics joined a historic Jubilee pilgrimage through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica, marking a dramatic shift from decades past. And Pope Leo taps Chicago’s own Art Smith and Phil Stefani to launch a farm-to-table restaurant at the Papal Villas of Castel Gandolfo.

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In 778, Pope Adrian I made a remarkable historical claim in a letter to Charlemagne, referencing how Emperor Constantine had granted the western Roman Empire to the papacy centuries earlier. What Adrian didn't mention was that this "Donation of Constantine" was a complete fabrication - one of history's most successful frauds. This episode explores how a forged medieval document became the legal foundation for papal territorial claims and shaped European politics for nearly 700 years, despite its obviously fabricated nature.

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When Charlemagne died in 814, Pope Leo III's great triumph in creating the papal-imperial alliance began to reveal unexpected costs. His successors discovered that the power to crown emperors came with corresponding vulnerability to imperial control. This episode examines how Leo's achievement created new dangers for future popes, as the alliance meant to protect papal independence instead created dependencies that would corrupt and constrain papal authority for generations.

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The events of Christmas Day 800 transformed Pope Leo III's desperate alliance with Charlemagne into a formal new order that would define European civilization for the next millennium. When Leo suddenly placed a golden crown on Charlemagne's head during mass, the wounded pope who had fled Rome became the maker of emperors. This episode explores how Leo transformed his greatest vulnerability into unprecedented strength, creating political precedents that would endure for a thousand years.

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On a crisp April morning in 799, Pope Leo III walked through the streets of Rome leading a religious procession when armed men suddenly burst from the crowd, threw him to the ground, and attempted to gouge out his eyes and slice off his tongue. This brutal assault left Leo bleeding and unconscious, but it would paradoxically lead to the greatest expansion of papal authority in centuries. This episode explores how personal attack became political transformation, setting the stage for the creation of the Holy Roman Empire.

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Madonna has penned an emotional appeal to Pope Leo, urging the religious leader to make a pastoral journey to Gaza amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis. The pop superstar shared her plea through social media on Monday, as the conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas continues to escalate.
In her open letter, Madonna wrote, "Your Holiness, I implore you to travel to Gaza and offer hope to the suffering children while there is still time. As someone who has raised children, witnessing their anguish is unbearable. Every child on this earth deserves our protection. You possess a unique authority that transcends political boundaries."

The entertainer emphasized the critical need for expanded humanitarian access, declaring, "The gates of mercy must swing wide open to rescue these vulnerable young souls. Time is running short. I beg you to commit to this mission."

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Pope Leo XIV just topped global popularity polls while receiving epic pizza deliveries at the Vatican! Discover how America's first pope became the world's most beloved leader with a staggering 57% approval rating, crushing everyone from Elon Musk to world politicians. This episode dives deep into the incredible story of how devoted Catholics smuggled his favorite Aurelio's deep-dish pizza from Chicago to Rome, surviving van breakdowns, TSA drama, and a dramatic rescue from a Roman trash can. This former Peru missionary resonates with millions, from blessing Pokemon cards to hosting record-breaking youth gatherings, while maintaining his love for hometown comfort food. 


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