To answer this question, it is important to note that for the first 1,000 years of Church history, there was no set way of choosing the pope. For example, in the early centuries, the popes were elected by the Roman clergy and the people ratified their choice by acclamation. These popes were generally holy men and many of them died as martyrs. As we move into the early Middle Ages, things get more complicated. The papacy became tied to local Roman politics, and wealthy families vied to have their sons sit on the papal throne. As you can imagine, many of those popes did not have the Church’s best interests at heart. During the 10th and early 11th centuries, the papacy hit a moral low point. Popes did not rule long and were frequently murdered by rival families in order to get one of their own on the throne. A typical example during this period is Pope Benedict IX. He was somewhere between 15 and 20 years old when he became pope in 1032. Twice he was deposed or resigned, only to return to power. (The second time he sold the papacy in order to marry his cousin but later reconsidered.) Benedict IX’s behavior was so immoral, one historian referred to him as “a demon from hell disguised as a priest.” He was permanently deposed in 1048. At times during this dark period, the Holy Roman Emperor stepped in and settled papal disputes by placing his own candidate on the throne.

Things improved markedly in 1059 when Pope Nicholas II and a group of reform-minded prelates met for a Roman synod and declared that election by cardinals was the only valid means of choosing the pope. From that point forward, the cardinals generally selected men of higher caliber, and many of them were faithful in their papal duties. As the papacy became more involved in international medieval politics, however, new problems emerged. The papacy once again went into moral decline in the late Middle Ages, ultimately resulting in the Reformation. It was the Council of Trent (1545-1563) that reformed the Church and ended the abuses of the Middle Ages. The papacy was also reformed and there were no further major periods of corruption.

So why did the Holy Spirit allow this? We do not know the mind of God, but we do know that God watches over His Church. Given our checkered history, the only way the papacy could have survived its dark periods was by the grace of God and the saints He raised up to bring about reform. We are blessed in the modern period with cardinals who seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit during papal conclaves. It is no coincidence that of the four popes who served prior to Benedict XVI, three were canonized (John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II), and one was beatified (John Paul I). Clearly, modern cardinals listen to the Holy Spirit during papal conclaves, and holy popes are the result.

Father Scott Jones is episcopal vicar for the Northern Vicariate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis.