16. The Church Put Pope Sixtus III on Trial for Seducing a Nun
The Catholic Church has tossed around the idea of celibacy since the fourth century, but it didn’t quite catch on for many centuries. However, there were certain things that popes shouldn’t do. In an otherwise blemish-free pontificate from 432-440, Pope Sixtus III stood trial on the charge of seducing a nun. Surprising the church court, the pope used the words of Christ as inspiration for his defense. In John 8:7, when the Pharisees condemned an adulterous woman in from of him, Jesus declared to the people, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.”
During his trial, Pope Sixtus III stood up and promptly declared the same: “Let you who are without sin cast the first stone.” Whether or not the pope’s defense was his confession is unclear. Chances are he didn’t take the trial seriously, for the judges probably committed the same crime. Although the fifth-century sources are lean, the court could not find any proof that Sixtus had seduced the nun. Without evidence, the trial ended. Keeping a clean reputation after the trial, Sixtus III wrote an essay on the virtues of chastity before his death in 440. Whether or not he was guilty is anyone’s guess.