Unholy Holy Fathers: Paul III Was One of History’s Most Corrupt, Murderous, and Promiscuous Popes

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Paul III (1468 – 1549), Holy Father from 1534 until his death, was the last of the Renaissance popes, and the first pope of the Counter Reformation. He became pope when the papacy and Catholicism were at a nadir and facing existential threats, and encouraged a reform process that would greatly influence the church down the road. On the downside, Paul was notoriously corrupt, murderous, and not just sexually promiscuous, but an out and out pervert. Below are some interesting facts about this unholy Holy Father.

The Pope Who Pimped Out His Sister

A historical illustration depicting a view of Rome with various buildings, walls, and landscapes, accompanied by Latin text explaining the scene. — Rome in the days of Alesandro Farnese, the future Pope Paul III, 1493. Nuremberg Chronicle

The future Pope Paul III was born Alesandro Farnese in Latium, into a prosperous Italian noble family that had produced a pope a couple of centuries earlier, Boniface VIII. They would become far more prosperous once Alesandro became pope, and shamelessly put the papacy at the disposal of the Farnese family, leading to a great increase in their wealth and power. He studied at the University of Pisa, and joined the Medici court in the Florence of Lorenzo the Magnificent. There, he became a protege of Giovanni de Medici, the future pope Leo X. He ended up in Rome, where he pimped out his sister Giulia to become the mistress of the corrupt cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, the future pope Alexander VI.

As a result, Farnese was mocked as “Borgia’s brother in law”, and when Borgia made him a cardinal, he was widely known as “Cardinal Fregnese” (translated as Cardinal Cunt). His sister was mocked as “the Bride of Christ”. However, pimping out his sister did wonders to advance Alesandro Farnese’s career. Cardinal Borgia took his mistress’ brother under his wing and made him a bishop. When Borgia became pope Alexander VI, he appointed Farnese treasurer of the Catholic Church, then made him a cardinal. After his patron’s death, Alesandro Farnese continued his rise, and became dean of the College of Cardinals. Upon the death of pope Clement VII in 1534, Farnese was elected pope, and took the name Paul III.

An Unholy Holy Father’s Affair With His Daughter

Pope Paul III and His Grandsons, by Titian. Wikimedia

Pope Paul III inherited a mess when he was elected to the papacy. The Protestant Reformation launched by Martin Luther had taken root, and was growing and gathering strength as it challenged Roman Catholicism. Italy had been ravaged by rampaging armies. Rome itself had been recently sacked. The Holy See was under the thumb of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. Paul did not restore the papacy to its former glory and influence – the world had changed too much for any pope to manage such a feat.

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To his credit, Paul III did take concrete steps to at least try and stabilize the situation, and prevent the papacy from imploding altogether. On the negative side of the ledger, Paul was just an all-around horrible human being. Notoriously corrupt, he openly sold offices to the highest bidders. He also took charge of Rome’s tens of thousands of prostitutes, and took a cut of their earnings, becoming a de facto pimp pope. He was also sexually promiscuous, with the added twist that his most notorious lover was his own daughter, Costanza Farnese.