John IX
John · 898 – 900
Annulled the infamous Cadaver Synod and tried to restore order to a papacy that had descended into macabre spectacle.
John was a Benedictine monk from Tivoli. He became pope in 898 and immediately set about undoing the damage of the Cadaver Synod, in which the corpse of Pope Formosus had been exhumed, dressed in papal vestments, tried, and convicted. John annulled that grotesque proceeding, rehabilitated Formosus, and forbade future trials of the dead. He also worked to stabilize relations with the Carolingian rulers and restore some dignity to the papal office.
Undoing the Unthinkable
The Cadaver Synod of 897 was one of the most bizarre events in Church history: a dead pope put on trial by a living one. John IX had the sense to recognize this as the disgrace it was. He annulled the proceedings, restored Formosus's name, and banned the practice of putting corpses on trial. Some things should not need to be said, but John said them.