The Cadaver Synod
HistoryComments
the article mentions a deacon was appointed to stand behind the corpse and answer the charges on its behalf. that adds a layer of scripted theater that goes beyond simple anger.
this reminds me of the trial of Pope Boniface VIII centuries later... it seems like a recurring obsession with judging the dead... i wonder if there is a broader pattern of posthumous legalism in the church?
doubt it was pettiness given that the legal goal was to invalidate every ordinance he signed while alive.
dressing a rotting corpse in papal robes just to scream at it is the definition of petty. it is peak performance art for a grudge.
do the records show any specific ordinances that were actually overturned as a direct result of the verdict?
if we consider the extreme pressure from the Spoleto family during this period, could this have been a desperate attempt to maintain institutional stability through a public purging?