In January 897, Pope Stephen VI had the body of his predecessor exhumed, dressed in papal robes, and put on trial for crimes against the church. This is the story of the Cadaver Synod.

The Medieval Pope Who Put a Corpse on Trial

9 April 2026

The Cadaver Synod is one of the most extraordinary events in the history of the Catholic Church. Pope Formosus had been dead for nine months when his successor, Pope Stephen VI, ordered the corpse exhumed, dressed in full papal vestments, and seated on a throne in a courtroom. A deacon was appointed to speak on behalf of the dead man. Stephen VI personally screamed accusations at the body throughout the trial.

Formosus was found guilty. His papal vestments were torn from the corpse. The three fingers on his right hand used for consecrations were cut off. His body was thrown into the Tiber.

This episode examines why Stephen VI went to these lengths, what the underlying political dispute was actually about, and what happened next.

What we discuss

The political dispute between Formosus and Stephen VI. The legal question at the heart of the trial. How the Roman mob responded. The fate of Pope Stephen VI after the synod. What the Cadaver Synod reveals about institutional power and its limits.