One of the largest and oldest religious organizations of mankind resides in the Catholic Church,
with more than 1.36 billion members and two millennia of existence, it imposes itself
as the only organization that knows the truth about everything that transcends in mortal
life.
Such a long trajectory throughout history has allowed it to be the center of attention
many times and to star in depraved stories against the physical integrity of its faithful
followers through the misuse of the authority and trust placed on the supposed men of God.
There have been countless dark cases covered up by the different Popes who have been at
the head of this great organization, arranging meetings where the sin of lust abounded.
Today we will unmask some of the secrets that the Catholic Church has tried so hard to bury
deep in its history...
Welcome to Copernicus’s Galaxy.
The Italian Nun who faked her death to enjoy lust
The restrictions imposed on those who decide to dedicate their lives to preach the word
of the Lord are extremely difficult.
Among the best known is celibacy, which is not only typical of this religion, but is
also used by many others such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
This term refers to the perpetual single state and null practice of relationships that a
person commits to, either forced or voluntary.
Specifically in the Catholic Church, it is a mandatory vow that both men and women must
make if they want to be ordained, under the belief that in this way it will be easier
to approach God and serve both him and his creations.
It is therefore inconceivable, in the ideal religious concept, that any priest or nun
would entertain even a thought of such an "Impure" act ... but this has not prevented
many from breaking their vows and succumbing to what they call "temptations of the devil".
Described in one of the 16 volumes that the Archbishop of York, William Melton, left between
1317 and 1340 is the curious story of a Benedictine nun named Joan of Leeds, who executed an elaborate
plan in which she faked her death by making a mannequin in her image and likeness.
Using this, she managed to deceive the faithful devotees, being buried in a sacred space of
the enclosure, all to escape the religious life that prevented her from satisfying her
carnal desires.
Once her plan was executed, she fled to the town of Beverly, 30 miles from the convent
to finally give herself completely to lust and never to be heard from again.
Meanwhile, when her superiors became aware of the deception, the entire order was involved
in a scandal and tried to persuade her to return through letters
However, the cases of nuns who abandon the religious habit are not few.
Why give up a life chosen by will?
It is likely that the answer lies in the fact that many women were forced to take religious
vows from an early age, regardless of their desires and aspirations.
Such is the case of Marianna de Leyva, better known as Sister Virginia Maria, the nun of
Monza, whose life inspired Alessandro Manzoni to write "The Betrothed", one of the historical
novels considered a reference of basic Italian literature.
Marianna was born in 1575, daughter of the Count of Monza Martino de Leyva and Virginia
Marino, daughter of a banker.
A year after her birth, Marianna's mother died due to the plague and her inheritance
was subject to a trial between her and her half-brother Marco Pio.
Being resolved in her favor, she lived with her aunts until 1588, being then forced by
her father to consecrate herself to God in the monastery of Santa Margherita, where she
was interned in 1589.
It was not until 1591 that the archbishop witnessed her consecration, taking her mother's
name as Sister Virginia Maria.
She is described as a modest, respectful and obedient nun who liked to read everything
she could and befriended anyone she talked to.
The conflict came in 1597 when she met Count Gian Paolo Osio, with whom she became friends
by holding conversations through letters that were delivered in the garden, through a rope
that reached one of the windows of the monastery.
Their interactions increased to organizing meetings, possibly thanks to keys forged by
a blacksmith and the complicity of several nuns, along with a priest, Osio's close friend.
One thing led to another and Sister Virginia tasted of that forbidden apple, giving birth
to a lifeless child in 1602 and later, in the autumn of 1603, bringing into the world
Alma Francesca Margherita, a daughter whom Count Osio took care of and legitimately recognized
as his progeny.
A few years later, a fellow nun of Virginia threatened to reveal their relationship, which
ended in the murder of the woman by Osio, threatening the other nuns to end up the same
if they said anything, this added to the subsequent death of the blacksmith who forged the keys
by the same count.
This all reached the ears of the governor of Milan, who sent to capture Osio successfully
in 1607.
He subsequently escaped and died at the hands of a supposed friend.
When the then Archbishop Frederick learned of the scandal involving Virginia and the
Count, he ordered a canonical trial against her, where with the use of torture they obtained
the confession of everything that had happened.
She was sentenced to 13 years of confinement in a small room in the house of Santa Valeria,
where she was only provided with what was necessary to survive, after her sentence she
lived in the same place until her death in 1650.
Banquet of chestnuts, the Vatican's wild party
Possibly one of the biggest scandals in which the Catholic Church has been involved with,
is this huge event called "the banquet of the chestnuts", where important eminences
of the religious circle enjoyed a wild party officiated by Pope Alexander VI and his son
Cesar Borgia.
On the night of October 30, 1501 the Vatican Apostolic Palace received some of the most
important and influential entities of the religious and political institution in Rome.
Everything was ready for a spectacular banquet where the best quality food was abundant and
the wine glasses were never empty.
No expense was spared, because Pope Alexander VI, in addition to his high position, was
a member of the well known, influential and wealthy Borgia family.
Once everyone had filled their stomachs, Alexander gave the order for the tables to be quickly
emptied by his servants in order to move on to the next stage of the celebration, performed
by fifty women who entered the room delicately and set out to perform a dance around the
guests.
The atmosphere was taking on a different tone, but no one seemed to dislike what was happening.
Despite the cassocks they were wearing, the heat was increasing in the room, but it was
still not enough for them to lose their cool.
For this reason, Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander, ordered the hands of all the women
to be tied behind their backs.
He then threw a large quantity of chestnuts on the floor and ordered them to pick them
up only with their mouths.
One by one the chestnuts were disappearing from the floor while the women of the gallant
life bent suggestively to pick them up, showing themselves to the guests.
All of the events were aligned so that the weakest ones, in the face of temptation, would
pounce on them, giving rise to the others to give in to the lustful provocations.
At that moment began an unbridled celebration of sinners submitting themselves to the contrary
of what they swore the day they decided to be devout, where both bishops and cardinals
broke their vows of chastity without any remorse.
The hours flew under the heat of the night.
Then, The Pope announced that whoever could maintain the greatest number of relations
with the different women present, would be awarded great prizes, which further fanned
the flame of lust.
To prevent any cheating, the servants kept track of the number of times each guest could
reach the end of the act.
The blasphemous celebration lasted until the wee hours of the morning, which prevented
the Pope from attending the All Saints' Day ceremonies taking place that same morning,
fueling the scandal.
This story has been refuted on several occasions as there is no evidence other than that described
in the register of papal celebrations "Liber Notarum" by Buchard, master of ceremonies
of the Vatican, as it is believed that the many enemies of the Borgia family could have
altered the writing.
We may never know for sure if this happened, but, whatever the truth is, it’s undeniable
the malignant corruption that corrodes this institution with numerous scandals that continue
to arise today.
And if they come to light we will be ready to tell you here, at Copernicus’s Galaxy.