Pope Hyginus, or Inigo (insert Princess Bride reference here), is said to have held the papacy in a time of relative peace. But is that true? How recent, or short was this peace? In this episode, we will discuss Hyginus's life, heretics, and ch

2. Look How Big My Hat Is!

1 May 24th, 2018 26m 21s

What is a Pope? What does a Pope do? What is an average day for a Pope? These questions answered, and more, in the second half of our series introduction!Support Pontifacts:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pontifactspodPaypal: paypal.me/p

1. On This Rock, I Will Build My Podcast

2 May 21st, 2018 35m 52s

Welcome to Pontifacts; ranking all the Popes from Peter to Francis! In this light-hearted, only slightly blasphemous podcast, Bry and Fry go through the lives of the Pontiffs, and rate them based on our very valid and not subjective at all cate

18. Callixtus

1 Oct 1st, 2018 52m 3s

The Catholic Encyclopedia says: "If we knew more of Callixtus from Catholic sources, he would probably appear as one of the greatest of the popes." Instead, the sources we have are from his greatest critics. But is that a bad thing? His enemies

17. Zephyrinus

1 Sep 23rd, 2018 44m 20s

Pope Zephyrinus was 'a simple man, without education', or so we are told. In this episode, we will discuss Zephyrinus's life, his policies, and determine whether or not to take salty sources at face value.Support Pontifacts:Patreon: https:

16. Victor I

1 Sep 17th, 2018 46m 7s

Pope Victor will instigate a lot of firsts for the church, and definitely leaves his mark on history. But is this to his benefit? In this episode, we will discuss Easter, AGAIN, the Pokemon evolution of Jesus, and whether or not Victor sacrific

15. Eleutherius

1 Sep 10th, 2018 48m 24s

Eleutherius has been claimed as a symbol of national identity, but not at all in the way you would think! In this episode we will discuss what part he plays in a weird stepbrother syndrome, his thoughts about food, and whether or not he had som

13. Anicetus

1 Aug 27th, 2018 47m 32s

Anicetus led a life that was "so blameless, that he was a model to every one of Christian perfection" - at least according to his biggest fan from the 1800s. In this episode, we discuss his positions on new heresy, his famous friends, and try t

10. Telesphorus

1 Jul 23rd, 2018 46m 17s

Telesphorus started his life in a very different way than the rest of our earlier popes, but this may have made him the perfect candidate for the time. In this episode, we'll discuss where he might have come from, and why he is the Hallmark Car

9. Sixtus I

1 Jul 9th, 2018 28m 23s

Sixtus I, or Xystus has a short episode of shortness, but he still managed to make a few contributions that make for interesting discussion! This week, we'll discuss apostolic letters, no-touchy, and nicknames for bald people.Make sure to note

8. Alexander I

1 Jul 2nd, 2018 44m 4s

Pope Alexander I was the first pope to have connections in the imperial court - and this would have significant impact on the Roman Christian world, especially for Alexander himself. This week we will discuss his early life, the conversions of

7. Evaristus

1 Jun 25th, 2018 33m 7s

Evaristus 'dat pope guy' suffers from a lack of information and sources, but there is still fun to be had! In this episode, we discuss his intense commitment to church ordinations, his distinctive facial expressions, and whether or not it is be

6. Clement

1 Jun 18th, 2018 53m 31s

Pope Clement I arguably has one of the most interesting lives of the early popes, and not just because of the fan fiction written about him! In this episode, we tackle his fantastical life story, his dramatic legacy, and how he is still relevan

5. Anacletus

1 Jun 11th, 2018 31m 18s

Pope Anacletus... or Pope Cletus... or both? Our third pope has contributed quite a lot to the confusion of the early papal orders. In this episode, we'll examine his lasting contributions of the papacy, and decide once and for all if he is one

4. Linus

1 Jun 4th, 2018 34m 2s

Our second and lesser known Pope, Linus, had a big act to follow. But he was a talented preacher that drew many converts to the church, and irritated whole cities. In this episode we look at his life, his lips, and ask the question: Is he worth

3. Peter

1 May 28th, 2018 1h 1m

Our first Pope, St. Peter, is the rock on which the Catholic Church was built – but was this a wise decision? In this episode, we discuss Peter’s life and death, his habit of being a two-faced douche who wrecks parties, and whether or not we th

76. Martin I

1 Mar 23rd, 2020 51m 36s

Martin had served as a papal legate in Dalmatia, and an apocrisiary in Constantinople, and he had come away from both with fairly sour opinions of the East. He took particular issue with Imperial interference in the papacy, and would repeatedly

73. Severinus

1 Feb 24th, 2020 30m 7s

Monothelitism is on the rise, and Pope Honorius's gag order hasn't held the discussion at bay. So when Severinus is elected to the papacy, he will be faced with a choice: cooperate, or not be pope. In his episode, we discuss the Ecthesis, a Rom

72. Honorius I

1 Feb 17th, 2020 46m 40s

Pope Honorius has one of the most unique legacies in the history of the papacy, making him the subject of debate all the way through to the first Vatican Council in 1870. In his episode, we discuss monumental restoration efforts in Rome, disrup

71. Boniface V

1 Feb 10th, 2020 38m 2s

Boniface is our first Neopolitan pope, but he is certainly the vanilla. In his episode, we'll discuss the origin of church sanctuary and its first universal implementation, a rebellion in the exarchate that put Rome under direct threat, and the

70. Adeodatus I

1 Feb 3rd, 2020 29m 51s

Adeodatus, or Deusdedit, was the first priest elected to be the Pope since John II, and he held the first ordinations for new priests since the beginning of Pope Gregory's papacy. In his episode, we discuss the rebellion in the exarchate of Rav

69. Boniface IV

1 Jan 20th, 2020 46m 43s

Boniface was a protégé of Pope Gregory, and he maintained a very Gregorian tone during his papacy. Which makes sense, since he was doing all the work anyway. In his episode, we'll discuss the conversion of the Pantheon from a pagan temple to a

68. Boniface III

1 Jan 13th, 2020 38m 9s

Pope Boniface shone where his predecessor failed. He was a successful apocrisiary, an influential pope, and was able to achieve something that several previous popes could not. In his episode, we'll revisit the Ecumenical Patriarch controvers

67. Sabinian

1 Jan 6th, 2020 28m 37s

Pope Sabinian is the anti-Gregory, in every possible way. He had a bad time in Constantinople, and then a worse time in Rome. He replaced monks with clerics in ecclesiastical roles, and made a massive error in judgment that made him one of the

Bonus Episode: Dante's Sixth Sphere of Heaven

1 Jan 3rd, 2020 23m 41s

Is it any surprise that Pope Gregory the Great ended up with a place in Dante's Paradiso? And yet, he is never named! Join us as we introduce the spheres of paradise, and explore the sixth sphere, reserved for the just rulers. We'll parse out w