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'John VIII' was pope from December 13, 872 to December 16, 882. He is often considered one of the ablest pontiffs of the ninth century^[1] and the last bright spot on the papacy until Gregory VII two centuries later.
He was born in Rome. Among the reforms achieved during his pontificate was a notable administrative reorganisation of the papal curia. With little help from European kings, he attempted to expel the Saracens from Italy after they had penetrated as far as Rome. He failed and was forced to pay tribute. John defended St. Methodius against his German enemies, who objected to his use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy. John later confirmed the permission to use Slavonic that had been originally granted by Pope Adrian II, John's predecessor. In 879 he recognised the reinstatement of Photius as the legitimate patriarch of Constantinople; Photius had been condemned in 869 by Pope Adrian II. Consequently, John VIII was in favour of reciting the Creed without the filioque. In 878 John crowned Louis II, king of France. He also crowned two Holy Roman Emperors: Charles II and Charles III.
According to the legend of Pope Joan, a woman named Joan reigned as Pope under the name of John VIII earlier in the 9th century; the legend says that she was erased from the historical record when her identity was discovered. Some Catholics feel that the Joan legend is mythological. Others point to an obscure ritual within the Church which began in the late 9th century where a candidate for the papacy sat in an elevated chair with his genitals exposed, leading the assembled cardinals to walk beneath and exclaim, in Latin, "He has testicles, and they hang well." ^[2] There is some historical mention of a female pope who reigned in the middle of the 9th century, but its validity is still disputed by those in the Church.

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References

1. ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', "Pope John VIII" page undated, URL retrieved on 10 June 2007
2. G.L. Simons, Sex and Superstition, Barnes and Noble Press, New York. 1973.

External link

★ Find-A-Grave profile for John VIII