58. John II
ope John II AKA "Poor Devil" was the first pope to take a pontifical name! In this episode, we discuss the first crackdown on simony in the church, the budding relationship of the church and Emperor J...
23 Sep 201937min
57. Boniface II
Pope Boniface is the pope who was never supposed to be, and is only accepted on a technicality. In his episode, we discuss the outcomes of popes choosing their own successors, an extremely complicated...
16 Sep 201931min
56. Felix IV
Pope Felix IV is our third, not fourth Pope Felix, but thanks to the previous antipope, the naming conventions remain all out of whack. In his episode, we'll discuss the new faces of the Ostrogothic K...
9 Sep 201936min
Announcement: Sound Education 2019
Pontifacts is appearing at Sound Education Conference this year, giving a talk on the wildest papal elections in history! Sound Education is October 9-12 in Boston, Massachusetts. Find out more he...
3 Sep 20191min
55. John I
Pope John I, aka "Blue Hook", was an old man by the time he was elected to the papacy - which made King Theoderic's demands on him all the more unreasonable. In his episode, we will discuss the shifti...
2 Sep 201939min
54. Hormisdas
Pope Hormisdas is one of the greatest papal peacemakers in history, and for this, he will have a significant 1500 year legacy. In this episode, we discuss the cagey negotiations with Emperor Anastasiu...
26 Aug 201952min
53. Symmachus
Symmachus comes into the papacy after an extreme divide between the Pro-Byzantine and Pro-Ostrogothic factions. And divides usually lead to antipopes! In this episode, we'll discuss the Laurentian Sch...
19 Aug 201955min
Bonus Episode: Dante's Sixth Ring of Hell
Poor maligned Pope Anastasius II is forever immortalized in one of the most famous literary works of all time - Dante's Inferno! Join us as we introduce Dante and the Divine Comedy, and explore the si...
12 Aug 201926min
