By Daniel Stone
There simply must be a vicar of Christ on earth, and so popes have been succeeding each other for nearly 2,000 years—but not without the occasional misstep. From cronyism to incest and even an attempt to sell the papacy, pontiffs have occasionally strayed from the righteous path. “The Catholic Church is no stranger to scandals and controversy,” says Anura Guruge, author of The Next Pope. With Pope Benedict XVI under fire for sexual-abuse scandals in his clergy, NEWSWEEK looks back at other Vatican troubles through history.
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