12. Julius III Fell in Love with a Street Urchin and Made Him a Cardinal
In 1548, Giovanni Ciocchi Del Monte, the future Julius III, fell in love with a homeless boy on the streets of Parma. Innocenzo was fifteen years old when Giovanni took him off the streets, forcing his brother to adopt him and bring him into his household. The cardinal carried on a relationship with Innocenzo for two years, until he was elected pope in 1550. Pope Julius III reigned over the papal court, entirely at the mercy of his young lover. In one of his first undertakings as pope, the besotted Julius rewarded the uneducated and socially awkward Innocenzo with a cardinal’s hat.
Although Vatican records claim that the pope and the cardinal were just friends, other sources reveal that Julius and Innocenzo shared a bed. It would have been one thing if Innocenzo was actually good at his job, but he wasn’t. He was so incompetent that Julius gave him a position at the papal court with no responsibilities. Julius’ relationship with the cardinal made him the laughingstock of Europe. Ambassadors, kings, and cardinals alike made fun of the pope and his illiterate lover. The pope’s famous love affair with the street urchin inspired the epic poem, “In Praise of Sodomy and Pederasty,” published with Julius’ blessing.