Emily Chan
In 897 C.E., the corpse of a pope who had been dead for months was unearthed and made to stand trial in a courtroom presided by the current living pope at the Vatican.
The trial became known as Cadaver Synod. The whole purpose of the trial was for Pope Stephen VI to find the deceased Pope Formosus guilty.
Stephen VI had the body dressed in religious robes and propped up on the papal throne for the trial. He even went so far as to appoint a deacon to speak on behalf of the corpse while he accused the silent Formosus of various crimes.
“The old man’s body, like a monstrous doll, might nod and bend while the attendants supported it or collapse in a ghastly bundle if they left it alone, but it made no sound; and the deacon would probably be wary in his defense, for there were dark holes nearby, other than sepulchers,” said historian George Ives.
The scene was made even more dramatic when an earthquake shook the room during the middle of the trial. The natural disaster did nothing to stop Stephen VI from moving forward with the case and giving his final verdict. Of course, Formosus was found guilty of usurping the papacy.
The dead pope was stripped of his fancy robes and dressed in rags. Then, the three fingers he used for giving blessings were cut off.
All his acts as pope were annulled, and his ordinations were declared invalid. He was buried for the second time in a cemetery for strangers outside of the Church’s lands.
Afterward, Stephen VI had Formosus disinterred yet again and thrown into the Tiber River, which was the place where ancient Romans traditionally disposed of notorious criminals.
His body was said to have been discovered by a fisherman, who returned it to its tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica, and his name was cleared.
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