Article created by: Denis Krotovas
The conclave is over, and the white smoke has already cleared from St. Peter's Basilica. The cardinals have gone home, and the new Pope, Leo XIV, has already begun to fulfill his duties. The Catholic world is returning to a quiet routine - as it always has for the almost two thousand years the papacy has existed.
In fact, over these two millennia, many stories have accumulated, both inspiring and instructive, and even quite shameful, about people who have occupied the Throne of St. Peter at different times. And these people have not always lived up to their high status. So, today, Bored Panda will tell you over two dozen facts and short stories about popes, the papacy, and the Vatican.
