Ten worst popes? Well, we were in Florence in May and we marvelled at the works that the all-powerful Medici family commissioned, including much of Michelangelo's output (we sought out nearly all of it). But what was one of the richest and most influential families in Europe, bankers and politicos that they were, also generated three popes. Hmm. But at least the Medicis, once their influence waned, bequeathed all that art to the world. Kudos. I'll let others argue about their religious machinations. But I don't think you have to look back safely to medieval times to find rotten popes. John-Paul II presided over the institutional sex abuse scandal for many years and did next to nothing. Pius XII colluded with a fascist regime (as did his predecessor) and silently oversaw the removal of hundreds of Jews from under his nose in Vatican City to death camps. He also oversaw the expediting of escape routes to South America at the end of the war for Nazi war criminals, and let's not mention the baleful role of the Church in the Spanish Civil War. Oddly, these guys seem to be first in line for sainthood...