1 00:00:06,749 --> 00:00:09,952 male narrator: One of the most powerful men on Earth 2 00:00:10,053 --> 00:00:12,355 holds a position that has existed 3 00:00:12,422 --> 00:00:14,624 for nearly 2,000 years. 4 00:00:17,593 --> 00:00:21,064 As the world changes and faith evolves, 5 00:00:21,130 --> 00:00:24,067 his authority remains. 6 00:00:24,133 --> 00:00:26,869 What began with one apostle 7 00:00:26,936 --> 00:00:29,705 has become 1.2 billion followers 8 00:00:29,772 --> 00:00:31,974 under one man. 9 00:00:32,074 --> 00:00:34,477 He is the head of the Catholic Church, 10 00:00:34,577 --> 00:00:36,813 the pope, 11 00:00:36,913 --> 00:00:39,382 and this is his path to power. 12 00:01:19,622 --> 00:01:22,091 In this episode, 13 00:01:22,158 --> 00:01:24,093 what happens when the pope threatens 14 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,530 a 2,000-year-old tradition... 15 00:01:27,630 --> 00:01:30,867 leaving two men at the helm of one divine office 16 00:01:30,967 --> 00:01:34,337 for the first time in over 500 years? 17 00:01:55,324 --> 00:01:56,859 - We're following breaking news this morning. 18 00:01:56,959 --> 00:02:01,063 Pope Benedict XVI has announced he is resigning. 19 00:02:01,164 --> 00:02:03,666 - For the first time in 600 years, 20 00:02:03,733 --> 00:02:05,635 a pope is retiring. 21 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,575 - I was astonished when Benedict resigned. 22 00:02:12,675 --> 00:02:14,343 It came completely out of the blue. 23 00:02:14,410 --> 00:02:17,813 - Benedict's resignation was an amazing thing. 24 00:02:18,648 --> 00:02:20,917 narrator: In the last 2,000 years, 25 00:02:21,017 --> 00:02:23,753 only four other popes have resigned. 26 00:02:32,094 --> 00:02:34,764 - It was wonderfully, comically announced. 27 00:02:36,499 --> 00:02:39,702 He announced it at a papal audience in Latin, 28 00:02:39,769 --> 00:02:41,437 and you had to see, all around the room, 29 00:02:41,537 --> 00:02:43,439 anyone who understood what he was saying. 30 00:02:43,539 --> 00:02:46,209 It was an astonishing thing to do. 31 00:02:46,275 --> 00:02:49,111 - It raises so many questions. 32 00:02:49,212 --> 00:02:51,347 You know, what happens now? 33 00:02:57,220 --> 00:03:00,356 narrator: Two weeks after Benedict XVI's resignation, 34 00:03:00,423 --> 00:03:02,525 Pope Francis is elected, 35 00:03:02,592 --> 00:03:06,929 and the papal crown is handed from one man to the other. 36 00:03:07,029 --> 00:03:08,130 - We have two popes, 37 00:03:08,231 --> 00:03:09,699 but only one is the pope. 38 00:03:10,700 --> 00:03:12,368 The problem with having two popes 39 00:03:12,435 --> 00:03:15,071 is that you have to decide who do you listen to? 40 00:03:16,606 --> 00:03:19,976 - Benedict was 85 when he resigned. 41 00:03:20,076 --> 00:03:22,278 He inherited the financial mess. 42 00:03:22,378 --> 00:03:24,580 He inherited the mess of sexual abuse. 43 00:03:24,647 --> 00:03:28,150 He inherited the administrative chaos. 44 00:03:28,251 --> 00:03:30,820 Benedict resigned because he realized 45 00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:34,156 that these problems were simply too great for him. 46 00:03:34,257 --> 00:03:36,659 - It's not like other human institutions. 47 00:03:36,759 --> 00:03:39,095 It's created, we believe, by God, 48 00:03:39,161 --> 00:03:40,997 and this man is resigning from all of that. 49 00:03:41,097 --> 00:03:43,799 That not what popes are supposed to do. 50 00:03:43,899 --> 00:03:45,568 narrator: For 2,000 years, 51 00:03:45,635 --> 00:03:48,237 the legacy of St. Peter has been a divine office 52 00:03:48,304 --> 00:03:51,841 passed down from one pope to the next. 53 00:03:51,941 --> 00:03:54,510 But can two men hold a legitimate claim 54 00:03:54,610 --> 00:03:57,079 to one godly office? 55 00:03:58,981 --> 00:04:00,583 - It's left us with this situation 56 00:04:00,650 --> 00:04:03,185 of a pope and an extra pope, 57 00:04:03,286 --> 00:04:06,022 and that's always going to change 58 00:04:06,122 --> 00:04:07,757 the nature of an institution. 59 00:04:07,823 --> 00:04:09,692 Who's the real pope? 60 00:04:10,860 --> 00:04:12,695 narrator: In 2013, 61 00:04:12,795 --> 00:04:15,831 millions of people watch as Benedict XVI 62 00:04:15,931 --> 00:04:20,469 peacefully hands the papacy over to Pope Francis. 63 00:04:20,536 --> 00:04:21,871 But in the past, 64 00:04:21,971 --> 00:04:25,675 two living men with claim to one legacy 65 00:04:25,775 --> 00:04:28,544 has resulted in nothing but chaos. 66 00:04:29,645 --> 00:04:31,614 - In the 10th and 11th centuries, 67 00:04:31,681 --> 00:04:34,383 if you've got two popes, you've got two factions. 68 00:04:34,483 --> 00:04:36,319 It's a-- an extraordinary episode. 69 00:04:42,024 --> 00:04:44,393 - Benedict IX was a teenager. 70 00:04:44,493 --> 00:04:46,395 He was the most eligible member 71 00:04:46,495 --> 00:04:48,230 of the powerful Roman family 72 00:04:48,331 --> 00:04:49,965 that ruled the city of Rome. 73 00:04:50,032 --> 00:04:53,069 They wanted him to be pope for their own financial gain, 74 00:04:53,169 --> 00:04:55,471 their own territorial supremacy. 75 00:04:56,639 --> 00:04:59,542 - The papacy was the legal center 76 00:04:59,642 --> 00:05:01,177 of the Western world. 77 00:05:01,243 --> 00:05:03,479 If a king needed a dispensation 78 00:05:03,546 --> 00:05:07,383 to marry his brother's wife, 79 00:05:07,483 --> 00:05:11,554 if people wanted to take possession of a local parish, 80 00:05:11,654 --> 00:05:13,923 they would have to get permission, pay a fee. 81 00:05:14,023 --> 00:05:17,259 At Rome, you are enormously powerful. 82 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,229 Immense responsibility. 83 00:05:20,329 --> 00:05:21,997 narrator: But 19-year-old Benedict 84 00:05:22,064 --> 00:05:26,202 has no interest in bureaucracy or public service. 85 00:05:28,537 --> 00:05:31,273 He is only interested in the privileges of power. 86 00:05:34,877 --> 00:05:37,446 - Benedict is someone who was clearly made pope 87 00:05:37,546 --> 00:05:39,949 in order to enrich his family. 88 00:05:40,049 --> 00:05:41,550 On the secular side, 89 00:05:41,617 --> 00:05:45,454 not someone who had any sort of spiritual authority, 90 00:05:45,554 --> 00:05:48,357 even spiritual training. 91 00:05:48,424 --> 00:05:50,526 - Nepotism tended to produce 92 00:05:50,593 --> 00:05:52,962 a group of wealthy parasites 93 00:05:53,062 --> 00:05:55,698 who lived like grandees, 94 00:05:55,765 --> 00:05:57,867 who were also clergy. 95 00:06:00,469 --> 00:06:02,705 - He was incompetent. 96 00:06:02,772 --> 00:06:05,074 He was morally compromised in many ways. 97 00:06:05,141 --> 00:06:08,377 - Benedict was up to his neck in robbery and murder. 98 00:06:08,444 --> 00:06:11,480 He was using his position to gain wealth 99 00:06:11,580 --> 00:06:13,249 at the expense of the people of Rome. 100 00:06:15,818 --> 00:06:17,653 narrator: By the year 1044, 101 00:06:17,753 --> 00:06:20,890 the cardinals are fed up. 102 00:06:20,956 --> 00:06:22,324 They decide the church needs 103 00:06:22,425 --> 00:06:25,261 a real spiritual and political leader. 104 00:06:25,327 --> 00:06:27,630 Something must be done. 105 00:06:31,500 --> 00:06:35,070 - The holiest priest in Rome came to him and said, 106 00:06:35,137 --> 00:06:37,940 "You need to step down for the good of the church. 107 00:06:38,007 --> 00:06:39,408 What can I give you?" 108 00:06:39,475 --> 00:06:41,177 And made him some sort of offering. 109 00:06:41,277 --> 00:06:43,746 - Benedict IX sold the papacy. 110 00:06:43,813 --> 00:06:46,348 - Which, of course, is against the canons. 111 00:06:47,450 --> 00:06:48,951 narrator: In the 11th century, 112 00:06:49,018 --> 00:06:51,353 conclaves had not yet been invented. 113 00:06:51,454 --> 00:06:53,856 Popes were often chosen by brute force 114 00:06:53,956 --> 00:06:55,825 or nepotism. 115 00:06:55,925 --> 00:06:57,693 - Buying church power was considered 116 00:06:57,793 --> 00:07:00,095 one of the worst sins there was. 117 00:07:00,162 --> 00:07:03,699 So the fact that he had actually sold the papacy 118 00:07:03,799 --> 00:07:05,701 in return for money 119 00:07:05,801 --> 00:07:07,136 was appalling to everyone. 120 00:07:09,271 --> 00:07:12,608 narrator: For the first time in recorded history, 121 00:07:12,675 --> 00:07:15,878 a pope resigns in exchange for money, 122 00:07:15,978 --> 00:07:17,780 which catapults the papacy 123 00:07:17,847 --> 00:07:20,983 into the world of dirty politics. 124 00:07:21,050 --> 00:07:22,885 - The papacy becomes a pawn 125 00:07:22,985 --> 00:07:25,955 in the politics of central Italy. 126 00:07:26,021 --> 00:07:27,223 narrator: But though the young pope 127 00:07:27,323 --> 00:07:30,526 accepts the cardinal's bribe, 128 00:07:30,626 --> 00:07:33,829 this will not be the last the world hears 129 00:07:33,896 --> 00:07:35,798 of Benedict IX. 130 00:07:44,673 --> 00:07:46,175 narrator: In 1044, 131 00:07:46,242 --> 00:07:49,211 after eight years of desecrating the papacy, 132 00:07:49,311 --> 00:07:50,913 young Pope Benedict IX 133 00:07:51,013 --> 00:07:53,516 accepts the cardinal's bribe to resign. 134 00:07:55,851 --> 00:07:57,419 - They ganged up together 135 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,990 and drove Benedict out of the city. 136 00:08:01,056 --> 00:08:03,492 The Roman people picked a new pope, 137 00:08:03,559 --> 00:08:06,862 and he took the name Sylvester III. 138 00:08:13,702 --> 00:08:15,037 narrator: Just weeks after 139 00:08:15,104 --> 00:08:17,873 handing the papacy over to Sylvester, 140 00:08:17,940 --> 00:08:21,677 the former Pope Benedict IX and his family decide 141 00:08:21,744 --> 00:08:23,546 they want the throne back. 142 00:08:23,612 --> 00:08:26,582 - And the awkward thing now is that there were two popes, 143 00:08:26,682 --> 00:08:30,419 and both of them were claiming to be the heir of St. Peter. 144 00:08:30,519 --> 00:08:32,087 Benedict, however, had a wealthier family 145 00:08:32,187 --> 00:08:33,355 than Sylvester, 146 00:08:33,422 --> 00:08:36,125 and so his family rallied behind him, 147 00:08:36,225 --> 00:08:37,459 gave him an army. 148 00:08:37,560 --> 00:08:39,395 He marched back into Rome, 149 00:08:39,461 --> 00:08:42,398 and he drove Sylvester III out. 150 00:08:42,464 --> 00:08:45,534 - You find yourself bewildered by this. 151 00:08:45,601 --> 00:08:48,470 I mean, it's so far from the apostles 152 00:08:48,571 --> 00:08:50,940 or how any Christian leader should be, 153 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:53,208 but that was the way the church was. 154 00:08:54,810 --> 00:08:56,812 And it's about spiritual power 155 00:08:56,912 --> 00:09:00,215 uncomfortably mixed with worldly power. 156 00:09:09,825 --> 00:09:11,427 narrator: Six months after accepting 157 00:09:11,493 --> 00:09:13,963 the cardinal's bribe to resign, 158 00:09:14,063 --> 00:09:16,665 Benedict IX is reinstated as pope. 159 00:09:25,407 --> 00:09:27,076 - Now their positions had reversed. 160 00:09:27,142 --> 00:09:28,243 Benedict is in Rome, 161 00:09:28,310 --> 00:09:30,012 and Sylvester III is in exile, 162 00:09:30,112 --> 00:09:32,181 but they're both still claiming to be pope. 163 00:09:35,184 --> 00:09:38,020 - Benedict IX was the first pope that comes back, 164 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,190 and they have to decide, well, who's the real pope now? 165 00:09:41,290 --> 00:09:43,192 narrator: With Rome's allegiances split 166 00:09:43,292 --> 00:09:45,628 between Benedict and Sylvester, 167 00:09:45,694 --> 00:09:48,197 the church faces a crisis of faith. 168 00:09:48,297 --> 00:09:52,468 How does one decide who holds the legacy of St. Peter? 169 00:09:52,534 --> 00:09:55,471 The Romans will not have long to figure it out. 170 00:09:57,439 --> 00:10:01,176 Only one month into Benedict IX's second papacy, 171 00:10:01,276 --> 00:10:04,446 he complicates the matter even further. 172 00:10:04,513 --> 00:10:07,483 - Benedict, then, in the way of impetuous young men-- 173 00:10:07,549 --> 00:10:09,718 he decided he didn't want to be pope anymore. 174 00:10:09,818 --> 00:10:11,053 He'd had enough. 175 00:10:11,153 --> 00:10:13,222 He wanted to get married. 176 00:10:15,190 --> 00:10:20,496 He handed the papacy over to his godfather, 177 00:10:20,562 --> 00:10:22,398 and he became Pope Gregory VI. 178 00:10:27,002 --> 00:10:29,338 Then the really scandalous thing happened. 179 00:10:30,305 --> 00:10:33,375 Benedict's lady love decided not to marry him after all, 180 00:10:33,475 --> 00:10:35,844 and he decided he wanted the papacy back. 181 00:10:35,911 --> 00:10:37,413 Gregory VI said, "No, I'm pope." 182 00:10:37,513 --> 00:10:39,548 Sylvester III, who's still in the village outside, 183 00:10:39,648 --> 00:10:41,050 probably said, "Don't forget about me." 184 00:10:41,150 --> 00:10:42,651 So now we actually have three popes. 185 00:10:42,718 --> 00:10:43,986 We have three popes, 186 00:10:44,053 --> 00:10:45,654 and there is no one to declare 187 00:10:45,721 --> 00:10:47,189 which one is the most legitimate. 188 00:10:48,857 --> 00:10:50,559 narrator: Benedict's, Sylvester's, 189 00:10:50,659 --> 00:10:52,094 and Gregory's factions 190 00:10:52,194 --> 00:10:53,862 all fight in the streets of Rome 191 00:10:53,929 --> 00:10:58,033 over who is the rightful heir to the papal throne, 192 00:10:58,100 --> 00:10:59,101 and in the end, 193 00:10:59,201 --> 00:11:01,370 Benedict IX's wealthy family 194 00:11:01,437 --> 00:11:03,072 wins again. 195 00:11:08,243 --> 00:11:10,279 - Benedict was pope three times in the end. 196 00:11:12,514 --> 00:11:13,782 narrator: After Benedict's reign 197 00:11:13,882 --> 00:11:16,285 sends the church into a tailspin, 198 00:11:16,385 --> 00:11:18,754 the spiritual foundation of the papacy 199 00:11:18,854 --> 00:11:20,622 has been shattered. 200 00:11:20,723 --> 00:11:22,791 - All of this becomes a real problem for the church, 201 00:11:22,891 --> 00:11:25,027 and you've got to sort that out. 202 00:11:25,094 --> 00:11:27,129 narrator: In July of 1048, 203 00:11:27,229 --> 00:11:29,598 Benedict IX is officially ousted 204 00:11:29,698 --> 00:11:31,233 once and for all. 205 00:11:33,435 --> 00:11:35,537 The cardinals decide the fairest way 206 00:11:35,604 --> 00:11:37,606 to consolidate papal power 207 00:11:37,706 --> 00:11:39,041 is to ignore Sylvester 208 00:11:39,108 --> 00:11:41,610 and Gregory's claims to the throne, 209 00:11:41,710 --> 00:11:42,978 clear the decks, 210 00:11:43,078 --> 00:11:45,314 and elect a new pope. 211 00:11:45,414 --> 00:11:47,216 - One of the problems in the 11th century 212 00:11:47,282 --> 00:11:49,985 was that there was no clear way of choosing a pope. 213 00:11:53,922 --> 00:11:55,657 It was a matter of, frequently, 214 00:11:55,758 --> 00:11:57,092 murder... 215 00:12:00,763 --> 00:12:02,498 Bribery, 216 00:12:02,598 --> 00:12:04,133 and also relationship. 217 00:12:04,233 --> 00:12:07,302 The sons of popes sometimes became popes. 218 00:12:07,402 --> 00:12:10,139 Choosing a pope, it's very confused, 219 00:12:10,239 --> 00:12:13,175 and it's never a pretty sight. 220 00:12:13,275 --> 00:12:17,112 - It's very clear that the office of the papacy 221 00:12:17,179 --> 00:12:18,480 can belong to whoever has 222 00:12:18,580 --> 00:12:20,749 the most military might to enforce it. 223 00:12:24,453 --> 00:12:25,654 narrator: The cardinals realize 224 00:12:25,754 --> 00:12:27,089 they must solidify rules 225 00:12:27,156 --> 00:12:28,857 for papal elections. 226 00:12:28,957 --> 00:12:30,459 They convene in an effort 227 00:12:30,526 --> 00:12:33,595 to solve this problem once and for all, 228 00:12:33,662 --> 00:12:36,198 and the result 229 00:12:36,298 --> 00:12:39,535 becomes one of the most iconic symbols of the papacy. 230 00:12:43,872 --> 00:12:45,340 - In the 12th century, 231 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,177 cardinals who were senior clergy in Rome 232 00:12:48,277 --> 00:12:51,446 made what they called a college, and after that, 233 00:12:51,513 --> 00:12:55,284 cardinals would choose a pope in public, 234 00:12:55,350 --> 00:12:57,486 so that sort of regularized things, 235 00:12:57,553 --> 00:13:00,189 but of course, you can always twist elections. 236 00:13:02,558 --> 00:13:04,159 narrator: After nearly 200 years 237 00:13:04,226 --> 00:13:06,295 of corrupt public elections, 238 00:13:06,361 --> 00:13:10,199 what is known today as the conclave is designed. 239 00:13:14,036 --> 00:13:15,404 The word "conclave," 240 00:13:15,504 --> 00:13:17,906 a Latin term meaning "with a key," 241 00:13:18,006 --> 00:13:20,409 signifies that the cardinals are locked in 242 00:13:20,509 --> 00:13:24,179 to avoid the interference of outside politics. 243 00:13:24,246 --> 00:13:26,215 As of 1274, 244 00:13:26,315 --> 00:13:29,651 papal elections are held in secret. 245 00:13:29,718 --> 00:13:32,254 - The cardinals would be cut off from the world, 246 00:13:32,354 --> 00:13:36,091 enclosed, make their votes, vote again. 247 00:13:36,191 --> 00:13:38,994 There would be that famous white smoke at the end. 248 00:13:43,332 --> 00:13:45,100 narrator: For the last 700 years, 249 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,036 papal elections have been held the same way. 250 00:13:48,103 --> 00:13:50,873 Cardinals are locked in the Vatican 251 00:13:50,939 --> 00:13:52,274 and vote again and again 252 00:13:52,374 --> 00:13:55,043 until a 2/3 majority is achieved. 253 00:13:59,514 --> 00:14:00,949 - And each round of balloting is burned 254 00:14:01,049 --> 00:14:03,919 so that nobody can see who voted for whom. 255 00:14:07,055 --> 00:14:08,857 That's what generates the smoke. 256 00:14:11,126 --> 00:14:12,261 narrator: In the Middle Ages, 257 00:14:12,361 --> 00:14:14,263 cardinals added a damp straw 258 00:14:14,363 --> 00:14:15,530 to the burning ballots 259 00:14:15,597 --> 00:14:17,366 to create the black smoke, 260 00:14:17,432 --> 00:14:20,969 signifying that no pope has been chosen. 261 00:14:21,069 --> 00:14:23,138 The white smoke that hails a new pope 262 00:14:23,238 --> 00:14:25,707 was made by burning the paper alone. 263 00:14:27,142 --> 00:14:30,112 Today, chemical compounds are added to the ballots 264 00:14:30,212 --> 00:14:32,147 to color the smoke. 265 00:14:35,584 --> 00:14:38,921 Modern conclaves usually only last for a few days... 266 00:14:41,924 --> 00:14:43,592 But in the 13th century, 267 00:14:43,659 --> 00:14:45,661 they could go on for months. 268 00:14:50,332 --> 00:14:54,403 - In the 13th century, bribery would be involved, 269 00:14:54,469 --> 00:14:56,338 the rivalries of kings. 270 00:14:56,438 --> 00:14:58,240 People were basically stonewalling, 271 00:14:58,307 --> 00:15:00,609 filibustering. 272 00:15:00,676 --> 00:15:02,177 narrator: In 1292, 273 00:15:02,277 --> 00:15:05,480 the cardinals assemble to elect a new pope, 274 00:15:05,580 --> 00:15:09,518 but warring factions cannot reach the 2/3 majority, 275 00:15:09,618 --> 00:15:13,021 and the conclave goes on for a full two years. 276 00:15:14,289 --> 00:15:17,859 - Without the pope, Rome was a mess. 277 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,697 Marauders and robber gangs wanted to dominate the city 278 00:15:21,797 --> 00:15:23,298 and to a great extent did 279 00:15:23,365 --> 00:15:26,535 without the pope functioning as a-- 280 00:15:26,635 --> 00:15:28,937 as a sort of local king. 281 00:15:29,004 --> 00:15:30,639 narrator: With Rome in shambles 282 00:15:30,706 --> 00:15:34,343 and no end to the conclave in sight, 283 00:15:34,443 --> 00:15:37,980 it looks as if the resignation of one teenage pope 284 00:15:38,046 --> 00:15:41,483 may have unraveled St. Peter's legacy for good. 285 00:15:49,725 --> 00:15:52,728 narrator: In 1294, the cardinals are determined 286 00:15:52,828 --> 00:15:55,564 to renew the spiritual supremacy of the papacy 287 00:15:55,664 --> 00:15:58,834 by electing a pope through the proper channels. 288 00:16:00,836 --> 00:16:02,871 Warring factions are deadlocked, 289 00:16:02,971 --> 00:16:04,973 which has left Rome without a leader 290 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,075 and in dire shape. 291 00:16:08,210 --> 00:16:10,912 Frustrated by the delay and state of Rome, 292 00:16:11,013 --> 00:16:14,583 a hermit monk named Pietro Angelerio 293 00:16:14,683 --> 00:16:17,219 writes to the conclave. 294 00:16:18,820 --> 00:16:20,756 - He was an example 295 00:16:20,856 --> 00:16:25,260 of these kinds of crazy guys who live up a mountain 296 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:27,696 and live on beans, 297 00:16:27,763 --> 00:16:32,401 and read nothing but the Gospel. 298 00:16:33,902 --> 00:16:36,104 narrator: Angelerio warns the cardinals 299 00:16:36,204 --> 00:16:37,839 that vengeance will fall on them 300 00:16:37,906 --> 00:16:41,276 if they continue the stalemate. 301 00:16:41,376 --> 00:16:44,679 Taking his letter as a divine sign, 302 00:16:44,746 --> 00:16:48,016 the cardinals decide to elect him pope. 303 00:16:49,384 --> 00:16:52,287 - In the 13th century, you had a great succession 304 00:16:52,387 --> 00:16:54,289 of reforming popes. 305 00:16:54,389 --> 00:16:57,859 Politicians thought that this is not how a pope should be. 306 00:16:59,394 --> 00:17:02,064 So what they did was elect a pope 307 00:17:02,130 --> 00:17:05,967 who was as unworldly as you could possibly hope for: 308 00:17:06,068 --> 00:17:07,769 a hermit. 309 00:17:07,869 --> 00:17:10,105 And they called him Celestine, the-- 310 00:17:10,205 --> 00:17:11,206 the heavenly one. 311 00:17:15,377 --> 00:17:18,413 - Celestine V does not want to be pope. 312 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,283 He'd rather be praying off alone by himself, 313 00:17:21,383 --> 00:17:24,753 and he goes to do this papacy rather reluctantly. 314 00:17:24,820 --> 00:17:26,555 - It's not super clear 315 00:17:26,621 --> 00:17:28,824 that he even exactly knew what was going on. 316 00:17:28,924 --> 00:17:32,394 It's not clear how sharp mentally he was. 317 00:17:32,461 --> 00:17:34,930 - Celestine V was just hopeless. 318 00:17:34,996 --> 00:17:36,832 He couldn't run the church at all. 319 00:17:36,932 --> 00:17:39,334 narrator: After only five months in office, 320 00:17:39,434 --> 00:17:42,604 Celestine V announces his retirement. 321 00:17:42,671 --> 00:17:45,006 - And during that five months, 322 00:17:45,107 --> 00:17:46,842 the French crown manipulated him 323 00:17:46,942 --> 00:17:48,510 to get all sorts of concessions 324 00:17:48,610 --> 00:17:50,846 and control over more power, 325 00:17:50,946 --> 00:17:53,415 and the Roman contingent in the college of cardinals 326 00:17:53,482 --> 00:17:55,984 became increasingly alarmed. 327 00:17:57,519 --> 00:17:59,988 He was helped to retire by his successor, 328 00:18:00,088 --> 00:18:01,490 who was a pro-Roman pope, 329 00:18:01,590 --> 00:18:03,492 Boniface VIII. 330 00:18:03,592 --> 00:18:07,028 It was said that he whispered through a hole 331 00:18:07,129 --> 00:18:09,164 in the pope's cell where he prayed, 332 00:18:09,264 --> 00:18:11,700 and that he said he was the voice of God 333 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,201 and told the pope to resign 334 00:18:13,301 --> 00:18:16,805 so that he could be elected pope in his stead. 335 00:18:16,872 --> 00:18:19,674 - He made a vow to become a monk 336 00:18:19,774 --> 00:18:21,276 and simply living in retirement 337 00:18:21,343 --> 00:18:23,778 for the good of his health, 338 00:18:23,845 --> 00:18:26,448 the only pope who ever voluntarily did 339 00:18:26,515 --> 00:18:28,850 before Benedict XVI. 340 00:18:30,285 --> 00:18:34,856 - A couple of years before Pope Benedict XVI resigns, 341 00:18:34,956 --> 00:18:36,625 Pope Benedict took a trip, 342 00:18:36,691 --> 00:18:38,660 and he laid his pallium 343 00:18:38,727 --> 00:18:40,962 on the grave of Celestine V. 344 00:18:41,029 --> 00:18:42,364 People didn't know it at the time, 345 00:18:42,464 --> 00:18:43,999 but that might have been a signal, 346 00:18:44,065 --> 00:18:45,667 because a year and a half later, 347 00:18:45,734 --> 00:18:47,836 he too would resign his papacy. 348 00:18:49,004 --> 00:18:50,639 narrator: But despite the peaceful nature 349 00:18:50,705 --> 00:18:53,341 in which Celestine V resigns, 350 00:18:53,408 --> 00:18:55,644 and because of the violence and instability 351 00:18:55,710 --> 00:18:58,580 surrounding the resignation of Benedict IX 352 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,583 250 years earlier, 353 00:19:01,683 --> 00:19:03,185 the new pope must make sure 354 00:19:03,251 --> 00:19:06,087 that Celestine is never heard from again. 355 00:19:12,260 --> 00:19:15,664 - After Celestine retired and Boniface became the pope, 356 00:19:15,730 --> 00:19:18,533 he felt that it was dangerous to have two living popes. 357 00:19:22,103 --> 00:19:25,941 - You can't have another pope knocking about 358 00:19:26,041 --> 00:19:27,676 and threatening the pope. 359 00:19:31,379 --> 00:19:32,514 narrator: Immediately after 360 00:19:32,581 --> 00:19:34,449 Celestine leaves the Vatican, 361 00:19:34,549 --> 00:19:36,418 Boniface has him attacked 362 00:19:36,518 --> 00:19:38,253 and locked up. 363 00:19:46,561 --> 00:19:49,197 - He didn't want Celestine talking to anybody. 364 00:19:49,264 --> 00:19:50,532 He didn't want him to be able 365 00:19:50,599 --> 00:19:52,467 to communicate with his supporters, 366 00:19:52,567 --> 00:19:54,536 so essentially put him under house arrest 367 00:19:54,603 --> 00:19:57,606 in order to protect his own legitimacy as pope. 368 00:19:58,907 --> 00:20:01,977 - And so Celestine dies in captivity. 369 00:20:10,752 --> 00:20:12,988 narrator: In the 13th century, however, 370 00:20:13,088 --> 00:20:15,323 a retired pope is not the only threat 371 00:20:15,423 --> 00:20:18,260 to a sitting pope's power. 372 00:20:18,326 --> 00:20:19,628 In a time when the lines 373 00:20:19,728 --> 00:20:22,831 between church and state are fluid, 374 00:20:22,931 --> 00:20:25,667 kings are just as threatening to papal power 375 00:20:25,767 --> 00:20:27,502 as previous popes. 376 00:20:27,602 --> 00:20:29,337 - There was always a bit of a problem 377 00:20:29,437 --> 00:20:30,905 as to who was in charge. 378 00:20:30,972 --> 00:20:32,440 Was it the king, 379 00:20:32,507 --> 00:20:34,142 or was it the pope? 380 00:20:37,412 --> 00:20:40,448 - So much of the maneuvering and back-and-forthing 381 00:20:40,515 --> 00:20:43,952 and jousting that goes on with the papacy 382 00:20:44,019 --> 00:20:46,921 has to do with the fact that it was in Italy. 383 00:20:46,988 --> 00:20:48,490 Italy is not a country yet. 384 00:20:48,590 --> 00:20:51,359 Italy is basically up for grabs. 385 00:20:51,459 --> 00:20:52,627 The Normans grab part of it. 386 00:20:52,694 --> 00:20:53,795 The Franks grab part of it. 387 00:20:53,862 --> 00:20:55,363 The Germans grab part of it. 388 00:20:55,463 --> 00:20:57,866 Italy is always contested, 389 00:20:57,966 --> 00:21:00,702 so if you're gonna control any major part of Italy, 390 00:21:00,802 --> 00:21:02,937 you have to get the pope on your side. 391 00:21:07,309 --> 00:21:09,210 - You want to raise an army? 392 00:21:09,311 --> 00:21:11,046 You need the pope's blessing. 393 00:21:11,146 --> 00:21:12,714 narrator: Because of the volatile nature 394 00:21:12,814 --> 00:21:15,283 of medieval European politics, 395 00:21:15,350 --> 00:21:18,853 the papacy becomes dependent on the surrounding monarchies 396 00:21:18,953 --> 00:21:21,956 for stability, and vice versa. 397 00:21:23,124 --> 00:21:25,060 - The pope didn't have an army. 398 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,229 He didn't have anything other than moral persuasion 399 00:21:28,330 --> 00:21:29,564 on his side, 400 00:21:29,664 --> 00:21:32,067 and so what we see the early popes doing 401 00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:36,137 are making these alliances with different secular leaders. 402 00:21:38,506 --> 00:21:40,809 narrator: At the end of the 13th century, 403 00:21:40,875 --> 00:21:42,644 the most powerful monarch in Europe 404 00:21:42,711 --> 00:21:45,380 is King Philip IV of France. 405 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:47,315 He had manipulated Pope Celestine 406 00:21:47,382 --> 00:21:50,318 into siphoning him church money and land. 407 00:21:51,853 --> 00:21:54,022 But after Celestine's resignation, 408 00:21:54,089 --> 00:21:56,491 the new pope Boniface VIII 409 00:21:56,558 --> 00:21:58,927 is not so easily manipulated. 410 00:21:59,027 --> 00:22:00,995 - When Boniface VIII became pope, 411 00:22:01,062 --> 00:22:03,164 he saw the French influence as something that had gone 412 00:22:03,231 --> 00:22:04,566 way, way out of bounds, 413 00:22:04,666 --> 00:22:07,068 and so he positioned himself essentially 414 00:22:07,168 --> 00:22:10,205 as the anti-France pope. 415 00:22:11,773 --> 00:22:13,441 So Philip IV and Boniface 416 00:22:13,541 --> 00:22:17,345 had this very real clash of powers. 417 00:22:17,412 --> 00:22:19,614 Boniface began to generate 418 00:22:19,714 --> 00:22:22,550 some very, very harsh language 419 00:22:22,617 --> 00:22:24,886 about the power of the papacy. 420 00:22:24,953 --> 00:22:27,789 Here's a letter that he wrote to Philip IV of France. 421 00:22:27,889 --> 00:22:29,457 He said, "Listen, son." 422 00:22:29,557 --> 00:22:31,092 Literally, that's how he begins it. 423 00:22:31,192 --> 00:22:32,861 "Son, 424 00:22:32,927 --> 00:22:37,265 "God has set us over kings and kingdoms. 425 00:22:37,365 --> 00:22:41,770 Let no one persuade you that you have superiority." 426 00:22:41,870 --> 00:22:45,707 So it is this very explicit language 427 00:22:45,774 --> 00:22:49,310 that says, the pope has control over the king. 428 00:22:50,311 --> 00:22:52,313 narrator: But King Philip has an agenda, 429 00:22:52,414 --> 00:22:55,917 and he does not intend to let one insubordinate pope 430 00:22:55,984 --> 00:22:57,552 stand in his way. 431 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,228 narrator: After the resignation 432 00:23:07,295 --> 00:23:11,666 of his puppet Pope Celestine V in 1294, 433 00:23:11,766 --> 00:23:14,102 King Philip IV of France is determined 434 00:23:14,169 --> 00:23:16,938 to reassert his power over the papacy. 435 00:23:18,506 --> 00:23:20,675 But the new pope Boniface VIII 436 00:23:20,775 --> 00:23:23,311 refuses to give in to the greedy monarch. 437 00:23:25,413 --> 00:23:27,482 - Philip IV comes to the throne 438 00:23:27,582 --> 00:23:29,918 at a time in which warfare is being fought 439 00:23:29,984 --> 00:23:32,020 by purchasing armies, 440 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:34,189 and he, like other monarchs, 441 00:23:34,289 --> 00:23:35,457 needs more and more money. 442 00:23:35,523 --> 00:23:37,592 - And the church is very wealthy. 443 00:23:39,994 --> 00:23:43,164 narrator: So when Boniface dies, 444 00:23:43,264 --> 00:23:44,866 King Philip ensures that a pope 445 00:23:44,966 --> 00:23:46,534 who will give him what he wants 446 00:23:46,634 --> 00:23:49,037 is elected. 447 00:23:49,137 --> 00:23:51,539 - He expressed very clearly to the college of cardinals 448 00:23:51,639 --> 00:23:55,143 that he preferred this particular French candidate. 449 00:23:57,479 --> 00:23:59,380 It wasn't an easy election... 450 00:24:00,715 --> 00:24:03,985 But ultimately the French side was strong enough to win. 451 00:24:05,820 --> 00:24:08,890 - A French prelate who takes the name Clement V 452 00:24:08,990 --> 00:24:09,891 becomes the pope. 453 00:24:13,828 --> 00:24:16,731 Philip actually asks them to come to France 454 00:24:16,831 --> 00:24:18,466 to crown him pope. 455 00:24:20,702 --> 00:24:24,906 - The popes, of course, had been appointed in Rome 456 00:24:25,006 --> 00:24:26,841 from the time of St. Peter. 457 00:24:26,908 --> 00:24:29,577 - King Philip of France has a very powerful hold 458 00:24:29,677 --> 00:24:31,179 on Pope Clement V. 459 00:24:31,246 --> 00:24:32,480 This is a weak man, 460 00:24:32,547 --> 00:24:34,649 and he's intimidated by Philip. 461 00:24:35,717 --> 00:24:37,085 - Clement's just notorious. 462 00:24:37,185 --> 00:24:39,187 He just did whatever he was asked. 463 00:24:40,255 --> 00:24:42,590 Clement V actually promised Philip 464 00:24:42,690 --> 00:24:45,093 a flat-out portion of the church tithe, 465 00:24:45,193 --> 00:24:47,362 that it just went straight into the royal coffers. 466 00:24:47,428 --> 00:24:50,765 He also signed off on the expulsion of Jews 467 00:24:50,865 --> 00:24:53,234 as a danger to the church, 468 00:24:53,334 --> 00:24:55,103 in knowledge that the wealth 469 00:24:55,203 --> 00:24:57,672 was going to go to Philip. 470 00:24:57,739 --> 00:24:59,440 That's very blatant. 471 00:25:02,577 --> 00:25:04,012 narrator: By 1309, 472 00:25:04,078 --> 00:25:06,414 King Philip has turned Pope Clement V 473 00:25:06,514 --> 00:25:09,050 into a pawn of the French crown, 474 00:25:09,117 --> 00:25:14,122 and in an attempt to solidify his power over the church, 475 00:25:14,222 --> 00:25:16,190 the French king lays the groundwork 476 00:25:16,257 --> 00:25:19,794 for what will be the papacy's most notorious resignation 477 00:25:19,894 --> 00:25:22,964 by undermining its very foundation. 478 00:25:27,035 --> 00:25:29,704 - Peter is buried on the Vatican hill, 479 00:25:29,771 --> 00:25:33,241 and St. Peter's Basilica is built over his tomb. 480 00:25:35,310 --> 00:25:38,246 Popes are seen as inheriting that charisma 481 00:25:38,313 --> 00:25:39,547 and that role, 482 00:25:39,614 --> 00:25:41,649 standing in for the apostle. 483 00:25:43,117 --> 00:25:46,721 His tomb is the foundation charter for the papacy. 484 00:25:49,123 --> 00:25:51,225 narrator: But King Philip demands that Pope Clement 485 00:25:51,292 --> 00:25:53,962 leave the legacy of St. Peter in Rome 486 00:25:54,062 --> 00:25:57,398 and move the papacy to operate under his thumb 487 00:25:57,465 --> 00:25:58,933 in France. 488 00:26:02,604 --> 00:26:04,105 - The pope eventually will end up 489 00:26:04,172 --> 00:26:06,274 setting up quarters at Avignon. 490 00:26:08,776 --> 00:26:10,612 - Rather than being in a landscape 491 00:26:10,678 --> 00:26:13,114 where the pope could actually act 492 00:26:13,181 --> 00:26:14,582 as an independent power 493 00:26:14,649 --> 00:26:17,852 and make alliances with anyone that he chose, 494 00:26:17,952 --> 00:26:20,421 he was now firmly entrenched in one country, 495 00:26:20,488 --> 00:26:23,491 clearly under the control of one king. 496 00:26:24,792 --> 00:26:27,362 That was what warped the papacy. 497 00:26:27,462 --> 00:26:29,197 It's a little bit as though Washington, D.C. 498 00:26:29,297 --> 00:26:30,665 suddenly upped and said, 499 00:26:30,765 --> 00:26:32,367 "Well, now Manhattan is gonna be the capital 500 00:26:32,467 --> 00:26:34,669 of the entire United States." 501 00:26:34,769 --> 00:26:36,170 narrator: For the first time 502 00:26:36,270 --> 00:26:38,339 since the invention of the conclave, 503 00:26:38,439 --> 00:26:40,975 the one with true power over the church 504 00:26:41,042 --> 00:26:44,212 is not the one chosen by God 505 00:26:44,312 --> 00:26:47,515 but a power-hungry monarch instead. 506 00:26:47,615 --> 00:26:49,817 - It's the dream of all the great rulers 507 00:26:49,884 --> 00:26:52,854 of medieval Europe to control the papacy. 508 00:26:54,122 --> 00:26:58,359 Philip actually got the papacy into France. 509 00:26:58,459 --> 00:27:00,695 Once you've done that, 510 00:27:00,795 --> 00:27:02,230 the pope can become a puppet 511 00:27:02,330 --> 00:27:04,899 of what you want to get done. 512 00:27:06,668 --> 00:27:08,136 - That is a moment for the church 513 00:27:08,202 --> 00:27:10,004 that becomes very troubling. 514 00:27:10,071 --> 00:27:11,639 You're abdicating the seat 515 00:27:11,706 --> 00:27:13,641 of where the church is supposed to lie. 516 00:27:13,708 --> 00:27:16,077 You leave the bones of Peter behind, 517 00:27:16,177 --> 00:27:17,412 and you're not moving them. 518 00:27:17,512 --> 00:27:18,846 You're moving to this other place. 519 00:27:18,913 --> 00:27:20,748 What you're saying is, is that maybe 520 00:27:20,848 --> 00:27:22,850 this isn't as important to the church 521 00:27:22,917 --> 00:27:24,752 as we have thought it was previously. 522 00:27:26,154 --> 00:27:29,357 And that becomes a really dangerous situation 523 00:27:29,424 --> 00:27:31,559 for holding together not just the papacy 524 00:27:31,659 --> 00:27:34,762 but holding together beliefs and tenets of the church. 525 00:27:34,862 --> 00:27:36,831 narrator: Leaving Rome costs the papacy 526 00:27:36,898 --> 00:27:39,400 its religious authority throughout Europe. 527 00:27:41,369 --> 00:27:44,605 But once the church becomes established in France, 528 00:27:44,706 --> 00:27:46,874 Pope Clement V finds that despite 529 00:27:46,941 --> 00:27:50,011 being hundreds of miles from the bones of St. Peter, 530 00:27:50,078 --> 00:27:54,282 there are certain benefits to the new location. 531 00:27:54,382 --> 00:27:56,050 - It was very clearly a time 532 00:27:56,117 --> 00:27:59,887 when they had given up their spiritual authority 533 00:27:59,954 --> 00:28:02,457 in order to enjoy material prosperity. 534 00:28:02,557 --> 00:28:04,192 The college of cardinals, 535 00:28:04,258 --> 00:28:07,128 which also became centered at Avignon after this, 536 00:28:07,228 --> 00:28:10,765 was absolutely notorious for luxurious living 537 00:28:10,865 --> 00:28:13,201 and for having banquets that went on for days 538 00:28:13,267 --> 00:28:14,802 and for spending church money 539 00:28:14,902 --> 00:28:18,206 in order to take care of themselves. 540 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,310 - But the Avignon papacy worked. 541 00:28:22,410 --> 00:28:24,312 It's in southern France. 542 00:28:24,412 --> 00:28:26,581 It's much more central to Europe 543 00:28:26,647 --> 00:28:29,050 than the Italian peninsula. 544 00:28:29,117 --> 00:28:32,253 It was efficient. It had a decent bureaucracy. 545 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:36,591 There was actually a good case for the Avignon papacy. 546 00:28:36,657 --> 00:28:37,759 Big problem, though: 547 00:28:37,825 --> 00:28:40,661 it doesn't have the tomb of Peter, 548 00:28:40,762 --> 00:28:43,064 and what's the point of a pope 549 00:28:43,131 --> 00:28:45,666 who doesn't sit at the tomb of Peter? 550 00:28:47,401 --> 00:28:49,003 narrator: Despite being miles 551 00:28:49,103 --> 00:28:52,306 from the spiritual foundation of the papacy, 552 00:28:52,406 --> 00:28:54,609 Pope Clement V remains in France 553 00:28:54,675 --> 00:28:57,578 and continues to lead the church under King Philip 554 00:28:57,645 --> 00:29:00,414 until they both die in 1314. 555 00:29:03,785 --> 00:29:06,988 His successor continues his papacy in Avignon, 556 00:29:07,088 --> 00:29:09,524 as does the pope after him. 557 00:29:09,624 --> 00:29:11,692 - The papacy was more or less captured 558 00:29:11,793 --> 00:29:13,361 by the king of France. 559 00:29:13,461 --> 00:29:15,029 For a long period of time, 560 00:29:15,129 --> 00:29:17,265 it was completely the instrument 561 00:29:17,331 --> 00:29:18,933 of the French crown, 562 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,869 and almost every cardinal who was appointed 563 00:29:21,969 --> 00:29:24,205 to the college of cardinals during this time 564 00:29:24,305 --> 00:29:26,507 was French. 565 00:29:26,607 --> 00:29:28,042 narrator: By 1347, 566 00:29:28,142 --> 00:29:30,211 it appears that the papacy has become 567 00:29:30,311 --> 00:29:33,447 an arm of the French crown for good. 568 00:29:44,492 --> 00:29:46,460 narrator: In the mid-1360s, 569 00:29:46,527 --> 00:29:48,129 the papacy has left Rome 570 00:29:48,196 --> 00:29:50,464 and been operating in Avignon, France, 571 00:29:50,531 --> 00:29:52,333 for almost 60 years. 572 00:29:55,002 --> 00:29:58,306 At this point, the cardinals are almost all French 573 00:29:58,372 --> 00:30:01,375 and have become accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle 574 00:30:01,475 --> 00:30:03,311 afforded to them as a thank-you 575 00:30:03,377 --> 00:30:06,581 for the church's loyalty to the French crown. 576 00:30:06,681 --> 00:30:09,483 But outside the walls of the lush papal castle... 577 00:30:12,086 --> 00:30:14,422 The rest of Europe is a wasteland, 578 00:30:14,522 --> 00:30:16,090 setting the stage for what will be 579 00:30:16,190 --> 00:30:20,228 the last papal resignation for 600 years. 580 00:30:21,262 --> 00:30:22,330 - The black death. 581 00:30:22,396 --> 00:30:26,334 This contagious, dreadful disease 582 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:27,702 devastated Europe. 583 00:30:31,072 --> 00:30:33,741 - Pretty much the entire population was wiped out. 584 00:30:35,543 --> 00:30:37,445 narrator: In the wake of the plague, 585 00:30:37,545 --> 00:30:41,015 the papacy is forced to reevaluate its role in Europe 586 00:30:41,082 --> 00:30:44,385 and face dire conditions in the city it abandoned. 587 00:30:46,554 --> 00:30:48,723 - With the absence of the papacy from Rome, 588 00:30:48,789 --> 00:30:51,759 the upkeep of the city began to fail. 589 00:30:51,859 --> 00:30:53,461 A great deal of the upkeep of Rome 590 00:30:53,561 --> 00:30:54,795 came out of the pope's coffers. 591 00:30:54,896 --> 00:30:57,732 Now this was all going to France. 592 00:30:57,798 --> 00:31:00,635 Law and order became very, very shaky. 593 00:31:00,735 --> 00:31:03,804 You have a rise in pickpockets and muggings, 594 00:31:03,905 --> 00:31:05,306 because there is no king in Rome, 595 00:31:05,406 --> 00:31:06,574 there is no emperor in Rome, 596 00:31:06,641 --> 00:31:08,075 and now there's no pope in Rome. 597 00:31:08,142 --> 00:31:11,646 - The Romans learned, somewhat reluctantly, 598 00:31:11,746 --> 00:31:15,216 that the city depended on the presence of the papacy 599 00:31:15,283 --> 00:31:16,751 to flourish, 600 00:31:16,817 --> 00:31:20,154 to become anything more than just a bit of a wreck. 601 00:31:21,422 --> 00:31:23,157 narrator: Fed up with the sheltered confines 602 00:31:23,257 --> 00:31:24,892 of Avignon, 603 00:31:24,959 --> 00:31:26,594 Pope Urban V decides 604 00:31:26,661 --> 00:31:29,931 that the papacy has lost sight of its spiritual purpose 605 00:31:29,997 --> 00:31:33,067 and must return to the bones of St. Peter in Rome. 606 00:31:40,474 --> 00:31:43,077 - Urban V, a reform-minded pope, 607 00:31:43,144 --> 00:31:44,779 is appalled by the luxury. 608 00:31:44,845 --> 00:31:46,180 He was appalled 609 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:48,282 by the self-indulgence in Avignon. 610 00:31:48,349 --> 00:31:49,951 He announced to the cardinals 611 00:31:50,017 --> 00:31:51,652 that they could only have one course at dinner 612 00:31:51,752 --> 00:31:53,688 rather than their usual ten-course banquet. 613 00:31:53,788 --> 00:31:56,524 And it had increasingly become clear 614 00:31:56,624 --> 00:31:57,858 that as long as the papacy 615 00:31:57,959 --> 00:32:01,996 was tied to the fortunes of any country 616 00:32:02,096 --> 00:32:04,298 that the ability to act as a spiritual leader 617 00:32:04,365 --> 00:32:06,000 would be seriously compromised. 618 00:32:06,100 --> 00:32:08,369 He was convicted that the papacy needed 619 00:32:08,469 --> 00:32:10,371 to return to its home in Rome... 620 00:32:11,639 --> 00:32:13,808 But it's not an easy transition. 621 00:32:16,644 --> 00:32:18,279 narrator: The cardinals, who had become 622 00:32:18,346 --> 00:32:20,982 used to their indulgent lifestyle in Avignon, 623 00:32:21,048 --> 00:32:23,517 did not appreciate the rundown conditions 624 00:32:23,617 --> 00:32:25,519 of the fallen city. 625 00:32:26,654 --> 00:32:29,156 But Pope Urban V and his successor, 626 00:32:29,223 --> 00:32:31,892 another Frenchman, Gregory XI, 627 00:32:31,993 --> 00:32:34,362 remained firm in their spiritual conviction 628 00:32:34,462 --> 00:32:37,732 that the papacy belongs at the tomb of St. Peter. 629 00:32:37,832 --> 00:32:39,500 - There is a lot of resentment 630 00:32:39,567 --> 00:32:42,403 about their having to sort of come down in the world, 631 00:32:42,503 --> 00:32:44,071 which I think just shows 632 00:32:44,171 --> 00:32:46,540 what a cushioned, isolated existence 633 00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:48,242 they were living in Avignon. 634 00:32:48,342 --> 00:32:52,046 That you have a Europe that's been devastated by the plague, 635 00:32:52,146 --> 00:32:53,647 that the entire social structure 636 00:32:53,714 --> 00:32:54,749 of Europe has changed, 637 00:32:54,849 --> 00:32:55,916 that in some places 638 00:32:56,017 --> 00:32:58,019 90% of the population has died, 639 00:32:58,085 --> 00:33:00,521 but the primary concern of the college of cardinals 640 00:33:00,588 --> 00:33:03,190 is that they're not getting enough courses for dinner. 641 00:33:03,257 --> 00:33:05,226 So you definitely have a sense in which 642 00:33:05,326 --> 00:33:06,560 during the Avignon papacy, 643 00:33:06,660 --> 00:33:09,096 it has gotten so out of touch 644 00:33:09,196 --> 00:33:12,767 with what the church is supposed to be doing. 645 00:33:14,201 --> 00:33:18,272 narrator: When Pope Gregory XI dies in 1378, 646 00:33:18,372 --> 00:33:22,276 many of the cardinals prepare to move back to Avignon, 647 00:33:22,376 --> 00:33:24,612 but the frustrated Romans call for a sign 648 00:33:24,712 --> 00:33:28,549 that the papacy has freed itself from the French crown 649 00:33:28,616 --> 00:33:31,118 and will return to the principles of the church 650 00:33:31,218 --> 00:33:33,354 they once knew. 651 00:33:37,024 --> 00:33:40,261 - The Roman population, who were always very volatile 652 00:33:40,361 --> 00:33:44,365 and who regularly intervened in papal elections, 653 00:33:44,432 --> 00:33:47,101 after a long string of French popes, 654 00:33:47,201 --> 00:33:49,770 were determined to have an Italian pope. 655 00:33:50,905 --> 00:33:53,140 narrator: The conclave of 1378 656 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,309 is met with angry mobs of Romans 657 00:33:55,409 --> 00:33:57,445 chanting outside the Vatican, 658 00:33:57,545 --> 00:33:59,880 demanding a renewed papal investment 659 00:33:59,947 --> 00:34:01,982 in their beloved city. 660 00:34:02,083 --> 00:34:03,717 And though the cardinals miss 661 00:34:03,784 --> 00:34:06,821 their extravagant French lifestyle, 662 00:34:06,921 --> 00:34:08,322 they worry what might happen 663 00:34:08,422 --> 00:34:10,925 if the Romans' demands are not met. 664 00:34:10,991 --> 00:34:14,595 - And so an Italian pope, Urban VI, was elected. 665 00:34:19,433 --> 00:34:21,469 But he seems to have been unhinged 666 00:34:21,569 --> 00:34:23,170 by becoming the pope. 667 00:34:23,270 --> 00:34:26,674 Instantly reveals himself to be a megalomaniac, 668 00:34:26,774 --> 00:34:29,343 locking up people who didn't agree with him, 669 00:34:29,443 --> 00:34:31,579 so instead of being a unifying figure, 670 00:34:31,645 --> 00:34:34,181 he becomes a symbol of division. 671 00:34:36,784 --> 00:34:38,352 narrator: Half of the cardinals stand behind 672 00:34:38,452 --> 00:34:41,422 the maniacal Pope Urban VI in Rome... 673 00:34:43,257 --> 00:34:46,327 While the other half panic and flee back to Avignon, 674 00:34:46,427 --> 00:34:49,330 where they elect another pope, 675 00:34:49,430 --> 00:34:50,865 Clement VII. 676 00:34:53,934 --> 00:34:56,670 The once-universal church is now split. 677 00:34:59,707 --> 00:35:02,676 Catholics are torn between two different popes 678 00:35:02,776 --> 00:35:05,679 running two functioning church bureaucracies 679 00:35:05,779 --> 00:35:07,615 from two different places. 680 00:35:09,817 --> 00:35:11,218 - There was an election of a pope, 681 00:35:11,318 --> 00:35:12,653 and some people didn't like that election, 682 00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:14,188 so some people say, 683 00:35:14,288 --> 00:35:16,824 "We're gonna set up a church someplace else." 684 00:35:17,992 --> 00:35:20,728 And so this becomes a very big battle. 685 00:35:20,828 --> 00:35:22,630 - So in solving one problem, 686 00:35:22,696 --> 00:35:23,864 getting the pope back to Rome, 687 00:35:23,964 --> 00:35:26,066 you've created a much worse one. 688 00:35:26,167 --> 00:35:27,902 - We went through a long period 689 00:35:28,002 --> 00:35:31,505 when there were always at least two different people 690 00:35:31,572 --> 00:35:33,073 claiming to be pope. 691 00:35:34,375 --> 00:35:36,911 narrator: This unprecedented break in the church 692 00:35:37,011 --> 00:35:40,915 is what Catholics refer to as the Western schism. 693 00:35:41,015 --> 00:35:43,250 - You've got popes saying, "I am pope," 694 00:35:43,350 --> 00:35:45,686 and some popes are classed as antipopes, 695 00:35:45,753 --> 00:35:47,521 because other people don't recognize them, 696 00:35:47,588 --> 00:35:48,522 but who is the antipope? 697 00:35:48,589 --> 00:35:49,557 Who is the real pope? 698 00:35:52,359 --> 00:35:53,894 narrator: For nearly 40 years, 699 00:35:53,994 --> 00:35:56,096 the church is divided. 700 00:35:57,031 --> 00:35:58,699 And Catholics are forced to choose 701 00:35:58,766 --> 00:36:01,268 the true heir to St. Peter's legacy. 702 00:36:03,537 --> 00:36:05,839 - Where is the place that we are centered? 703 00:36:05,906 --> 00:36:09,343 That needs to flow from the pope. 704 00:36:09,410 --> 00:36:11,345 What do you do if you have two popes? 705 00:36:11,412 --> 00:36:13,414 Then it becomes a real problem for the church, 706 00:36:13,514 --> 00:36:15,216 and you've got to sort that out. 707 00:36:18,052 --> 00:36:21,755 - This schism made a mockery of the whole idea of the pope 708 00:36:21,855 --> 00:36:23,457 and the vicar of Christ 709 00:36:23,557 --> 00:36:26,093 being the successor of Peter. 710 00:36:26,193 --> 00:36:28,028 narrator: If there is one St. Peter, 711 00:36:28,095 --> 00:36:30,130 he can only have one legacy, 712 00:36:30,231 --> 00:36:33,534 held by only one man. 713 00:36:33,601 --> 00:36:35,603 Two popes become a clear sign 714 00:36:35,703 --> 00:36:38,239 that the spiritual source of papal power 715 00:36:38,305 --> 00:36:39,707 has been abandoned. 716 00:36:39,773 --> 00:36:41,976 - Having two popes is impossible. 717 00:36:42,076 --> 00:36:43,744 It's shattering for Christendom. 718 00:36:43,811 --> 00:36:48,549 Reformers say, "We've got to do something about this." 719 00:36:49,917 --> 00:36:51,318 narrator: With the future of the church 720 00:36:51,418 --> 00:36:52,820 hanging in the balance, 721 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:54,321 in 1415, 722 00:36:54,421 --> 00:36:58,158 cardinals on both sides look for a solution. 723 00:36:59,460 --> 00:37:03,597 - They convene a general council at Constance, 724 00:37:03,664 --> 00:37:06,500 and the popes involved are summoned 725 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:09,069 and either deposed or invited to resign. 726 00:37:10,904 --> 00:37:13,507 narrator: Both the Roman pope Gregory XII 727 00:37:13,607 --> 00:37:16,310 and the Avignon pope Benedict XII 728 00:37:16,410 --> 00:37:18,979 are forced to resign. 729 00:37:21,515 --> 00:37:23,284 In 1415, 730 00:37:23,350 --> 00:37:25,786 Pope Gregory XII will be the last pope 731 00:37:25,853 --> 00:37:28,856 to leave the office alive... 732 00:37:28,956 --> 00:37:31,158 until 2013, 733 00:37:31,258 --> 00:37:33,193 when Pope Benedict XVI 734 00:37:33,294 --> 00:37:35,296 makes a shocking announcement. 735 00:37:44,538 --> 00:37:46,140 - The last time a pope resigned 736 00:37:46,206 --> 00:37:48,676 happened just about 600 years ago. 737 00:37:48,776 --> 00:37:50,711 That would be Pope Gregory XII 738 00:37:50,811 --> 00:37:53,280 back in 1415. 739 00:37:54,982 --> 00:37:55,983 narrator: Throughout the history 740 00:37:56,050 --> 00:37:57,384 of the Catholic Church, 741 00:37:57,484 --> 00:38:00,888 only four popes have ever resigned, 742 00:38:00,988 --> 00:38:02,690 and Pope Benedict XVI 743 00:38:02,790 --> 00:38:05,626 is the only one who has ever done it peacefully 744 00:38:05,693 --> 00:38:07,361 and of his own volition. 745 00:38:09,063 --> 00:38:12,166 But what does it mean to have two living popes? 746 00:38:13,667 --> 00:38:17,304 How can two men hold one legacy of St. Peter? 747 00:38:25,813 --> 00:38:27,514 - Everyone was surprised. 748 00:38:27,581 --> 00:38:31,585 Catholics were surprised. Non-Catholics were surprised. 749 00:38:31,685 --> 00:38:34,488 It was a strong contrast to John Paul II, 750 00:38:34,555 --> 00:38:36,357 who insisted on remaining pope 751 00:38:36,423 --> 00:38:38,592 until his dying gasp. 752 00:38:38,692 --> 00:38:40,527 narrator: In 2005, 753 00:38:40,594 --> 00:38:43,263 after reigning for 27 years, 754 00:38:43,364 --> 00:38:45,699 Pope John Paul II passed away 755 00:38:45,766 --> 00:38:50,003 after a long and public battle with Parkinson's disease. 756 00:38:50,070 --> 00:38:52,039 - In a way, the act of resignation 757 00:38:52,106 --> 00:38:54,742 was a devastating comment 758 00:38:54,842 --> 00:38:58,011 on the last five or six years of his predecessor. 759 00:39:00,047 --> 00:39:01,515 A flight in the face 760 00:39:01,582 --> 00:39:03,717 of the whole theology of the papacy 761 00:39:03,784 --> 00:39:06,854 as it had evolved in modern times, 762 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:11,091 the notion that John Paul had propagated 763 00:39:11,191 --> 00:39:13,127 that the papacy was a cross 764 00:39:13,227 --> 00:39:14,628 which was laid on your shoulders, 765 00:39:14,728 --> 00:39:16,397 and you could not shake it off. 766 00:39:16,463 --> 00:39:18,732 Benedict said, "Well, it's a job, 767 00:39:18,799 --> 00:39:20,634 "and if you can't do it, 768 00:39:20,734 --> 00:39:23,203 you should let somebody else try." 769 00:39:23,270 --> 00:39:25,806 narrator: By resigning in the face of old age, 770 00:39:25,906 --> 00:39:28,942 Pope Benedict XVI has made a clear statement 771 00:39:29,042 --> 00:39:31,412 about the divinity of the papal office. 772 00:39:32,379 --> 00:39:34,481 - But I think that was a reminder to everybody 773 00:39:34,581 --> 00:39:36,650 in any position of authority or power, 774 00:39:36,750 --> 00:39:38,752 that it's not just about me. 775 00:39:38,819 --> 00:39:39,920 It's actually about, 776 00:39:39,987 --> 00:39:41,622 am I being effective? 777 00:39:41,722 --> 00:39:44,324 Am I really serving the community 778 00:39:44,425 --> 00:39:46,493 and serving the church properly? 779 00:39:46,593 --> 00:39:48,829 - What Benedict did in resigning 780 00:39:48,929 --> 00:39:51,899 was to make it easier for successive popes 781 00:39:51,965 --> 00:39:53,834 to be able to say, "I'm 80 years old. 782 00:39:53,934 --> 00:39:55,269 "I'm not gonna stay 783 00:39:55,335 --> 00:39:57,337 until I fall down dead in this office." 784 00:39:57,438 --> 00:40:00,974 That's thinking more like a CEO than anything else. 785 00:40:02,609 --> 00:40:04,111 - Alighting from the helicopter, 786 00:40:04,178 --> 00:40:05,646 Francis thanks the pilots, 787 00:40:05,746 --> 00:40:07,147 then, seeing his predecessor, 788 00:40:07,247 --> 00:40:09,650 goes toward him to embrace him. 789 00:40:09,750 --> 00:40:13,620 This is a historic moment. 790 00:40:13,687 --> 00:40:15,589 - There's not any kind of precedent 791 00:40:15,656 --> 00:40:17,758 for Benedict's resignation. 792 00:40:17,825 --> 00:40:19,460 He really did do it voluntarily 793 00:40:19,526 --> 00:40:21,595 and of his own behalf. 794 00:40:29,436 --> 00:40:31,772 narrator: Today, Pope Benedict XVI 795 00:40:31,839 --> 00:40:35,509 lives in a quiet apartment in the Vatican. 796 00:40:35,609 --> 00:40:36,944 He has passed the holy office 797 00:40:37,010 --> 00:40:38,979 peacefully down to Pope Francis, 798 00:40:39,046 --> 00:40:42,349 leaving the power struggles of the past behind. 799 00:40:42,449 --> 00:40:45,052 - The biggest gift that ever happened to the papacy 800 00:40:45,152 --> 00:40:46,887 is Pope Benedict XVI resigning, 801 00:40:46,987 --> 00:40:50,858 because he allowed the papacy not to become a trap. 802 00:40:55,329 --> 00:40:57,364 - In terms of looking to the future, 803 00:40:57,464 --> 00:41:00,167 as any pope begins to get older 804 00:41:00,234 --> 00:41:03,036 or begins to have any difficulties, 805 00:41:03,136 --> 00:41:05,839 the question of resignation 806 00:41:05,906 --> 00:41:07,174 will be on the horizon. 807 00:41:09,176 --> 00:41:11,845 - Francis has also talked about resigning, 808 00:41:11,912 --> 00:41:14,982 and one, you don't know how serious he is. 809 00:41:15,048 --> 00:41:16,984 He's a mischievous man, 810 00:41:17,050 --> 00:41:18,185 and he's got an agenda, 811 00:41:18,252 --> 00:41:19,753 and he's an old man, 812 00:41:19,853 --> 00:41:22,756 and I think he'll want to see that agenda out first. 813 00:41:22,856 --> 00:41:26,560 But it may be that he has learned the lesson 814 00:41:26,660 --> 00:41:31,098 of watching John Paul II collapse into helplessness. 815 00:41:32,733 --> 00:41:35,569 It would be very interesting if popes now said, 816 00:41:35,669 --> 00:41:37,371 "Right, I've done my bit. 817 00:41:37,437 --> 00:41:38,739 Someone else can have a go." 818 00:41:41,375 --> 00:41:44,044 narrator: In announcing his voluntary retirement, 819 00:41:44,111 --> 00:41:47,281 Pope Benedict has shaken the foundation of the papacy. 820 00:41:48,715 --> 00:41:51,418 If Pope Francis retires as well, 821 00:41:51,518 --> 00:41:53,620 a 2,000-year-old institution 822 00:41:53,720 --> 00:41:56,456 could be fundamentally changed forever.