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You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Peter Morrone, the Pope who quit

Peter Morrone, the Pope who quit

November 18, 2016 By Alice

Peter Morrone, the Pope who quit/AdSPeter Morrone (1215 – 1296), the Pope who quit, is better known as Pope Celestine V. The book by Jon Sweeney presents us with three powerful men. All skilled and stubborn. We discover how Peter Morrone’s life became entangled with Charles II of Anjou, the King of Naples. The other of course, was Cardinal Benedict Gaetani. He was responsible for Peter’s election, became his advisor, and finally his successor.

The 13th century is characterized by creative intensity to the point of explosion. Gun powder and land mines are first used in war, universities host political debates, and there is a shift from accepting blindfolded authority’s knowledge to self-discovery and research. It leads to town formations, workers’ guilds, and of course, to questions about religion.

Peter Morrone became Pope in the Catholic Church’s last non-conclave papal election. “Quasi ex inspiratione.” You may recognize this from the book “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown. This method was ended in 1996 by Pope John Paul II. However, he left a door open for Conclave to vote “for one even outside the College of Cardinals.”

A hermit and a monk, Peter believed that to have a better understanding of God you need to live in poverty.  He left what he had and lived in mountain caves. Sweeney describes in detail how Morrone finally gets to the Vatican. As soon as he is there Morrone distanced himself from all duties planning an abdication. He became so disenchanted that he signed blank papal bulls. Those in power felt the unrest and uncertainty taking hold.

Read how Gaetani takes power and has Morrone arrested. Morrone, who had a stellar reputation before becoming Pope, regains his popularity when he’s incarcerated by Gaetani. He died in 1296. There were no signs of murder on his body if we can believe the notes from that period. Gaetani and Morrone. One remembered as the man appalled by being a Pope and the other as the man forever suspected of being instrumental in another Pope’s death.

Peter Morrone reigned for five months from 5 July to 13 December 1294. His was not the shortest reign. Pope Urban VII (1521 – 1590) reigned for 13 days. The longest shortest papal reign is from Albino Luciani. He reigned for 33 days as Pope John Paul I. The way this pope died has left us with many questions as well.

Sweeney’s book is rich in history and details so it is highly recommended for history lovers.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book Reviews, Jon Sweeney, Peter Morrone, Pope Celestive V

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On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 300 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

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