Little-Known Details About The Pope, And His Unusual Monthly Salary
The Pope, the supreme pontiff, the Bishop of Rome... Whatever you call him, the titles all mean the same thing: he’s the head of the Catholic Church! But what do we really know about the current pope and the men who have gone before him? Well, a few intriguing tidbits have snuck out over the years — despite the Church’s best efforts. And the biggest jaw-dropper could be how much the pope gets paid...
Paul VI was the first pope to fly
Back in 1964, Pope Paul VI was the first-ever pontiff to hop on a plane. His destination? The Holy Land, naturally. But the most frequent flyer was actually John Paul II. During his papacy, he traveled more than 725,000 miles by air and visited two-thirds of the world.
Pope Pius IX was the first pope ever photographed
This historic image of Pope Pius IX was taken during his papacy — any time from 1846 to 1878. Initially, though, the Church frowned on photography, preferring in its place the staid classical portraits of yore. Can’t argue with that. After all, oil paint can hide a myriad of sins...
All popes used to travel by throne
Before 1978, the Bishop of Rome was carried via a chair called a “sedia gestatoria.” The ornate throne sat atop two rods and was carried by 12 footmen. And this form of transportation was used for nearly 1,000 years until the popemobile took its place. Well, a car is a little more practical...
A bird once helped a man become pope
Believe it or not, but one man was apparently appointed pope after a dove landed on his head! Fabian wasn’t even a bishop, either, but a regular Roman when he scooped the role in 236 A.D. Back then, there was no official system in place to elect a new pope, so the dove incident was seen as “proof” Fabian had been chosen by God.
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