The Bad Popes
Okay kiddo, so you know how there are some people who have a really important job, like being the leader of a big group of people? Well, a long time ago, there were some people who had a really, REALLY important job - they were the leader of the Catholic Church, which is a really big group of people who believe in a certain religion.
Now, most of the leaders of the Catholic Church were good people who tried their best to help others and follow their religion's rules. But some of them, unfortunately, weren't so good. These were the bad popes.
Some bad popes were really greedy and selfish. They didn't care about helping others, they just wanted to take all the money and power for themselves. Some of them went so far as to sell important church positions, like bishop and cardinal, to the highest bidder!
Other bad popes were really selfish in a different way. They were more interested in having fun and being lazy than in doing their job. One pope, named Pope John XII, was known for his wild parties and gambling. He even allowed people to turn the churches into brothels (which is really NOT okay!).
Some bad popes were even worse than that. They were cruel and violent, and didn't hesitate to hurt or kill anyone who got in their way. Pope Alexander VI is a good example of this - he was known for his cruelty, and even had his own son and other people killed!
Now, it's really important to remember that just because some popes were bad, that doesn't mean the whole Catholic Church is bad. There were still lots of good people following the religion and trying to do what was right. And even the bad popes probably did some good things, too - nobody is ALL bad or ALL good. But it's still sad that some people who had such an important job didn't take it seriously, and caused harm to others.
Now, most of the leaders of the Catholic Church were good people who tried their best to help others and follow their religion's rules. But some of them, unfortunately, weren't so good. These were the bad popes.
Some bad popes were really greedy and selfish. They didn't care about helping others, they just wanted to take all the money and power for themselves. Some of them went so far as to sell important church positions, like bishop and cardinal, to the highest bidder!
Other bad popes were really selfish in a different way. They were more interested in having fun and being lazy than in doing their job. One pope, named Pope John XII, was known for his wild parties and gambling. He even allowed people to turn the churches into brothels (which is really NOT okay!).
Some bad popes were even worse than that. They were cruel and violent, and didn't hesitate to hurt or kill anyone who got in their way. Pope Alexander VI is a good example of this - he was known for his cruelty, and even had his own son and other people killed!
Now, it's really important to remember that just because some popes were bad, that doesn't mean the whole Catholic Church is bad. There were still lots of good people following the religion and trying to do what was right. And even the bad popes probably did some good things, too - nobody is ALL bad or ALL good. But it's still sad that some people who had such an important job didn't take it seriously, and caused harm to others.