The Trial of a Dead Pope

In 897, a deceased Pope was exhumed and placed on trial for alleged crimes. Propped up in a chair, the rotting corpse faced a full courtroom while a deacon answered questions on his behalf.

Pope Stephen VI ordered this bizarre spectacle to publicly humiliate his predecessor, Pope Formosus, months after his burial. The court found the corpse guilty, stripped him of his holy vestments, and cut off the three fingers he used for blessings. The body was then thrown into the Tiber River, sparking public outrage against Stephen. This macabre event remains one of the most surreal and dark moments in the history of the papacy.