Pope Joan and 'The Natwest Three'

There was a very entertaining programme on Radio 4, I think yesterday, on the way to work. I need to research it, but there is a new book out retracing the Papal line back to way back when (I told you that I need to research it!).

Anyway, the main subject of the programme was Pope John, whose dates of reign I can't say at the moment. He turned out to be a woman, Joan, and, oops, gave birth in public view. This, of course was a huge scandal and was much documented, although I think it was said that there is no concrete proof of her existence.

What really made me chuckle was that, after Pope Joan, there was a chair made for the ordination of subsequent Popes, with a hole in it. Allegedly, the Popes-to-be had to sit butt neckid on this seat, and an official had to reach beneath the hole to feel for testicals...when testicals were felt, the official cried out to the expectant crowd, 'He has testicles!'.
Whereupon, the crowd would respond, 'God be praised!'.

The comment made on the radio to this was, apparently Pope Alexander the ?th, who had fathered many children, was also supposed to have been in the time when this was practice.  It was remarked that, it was difficult to imagine that he had had to be subjected to such undignified groping...Classic.

This morning, in 'On the Ropes', John Humpries gave one of the 'Natwest Three' a good grilling. The guy has written a book.  This was almost transparently done to overcome huge costs incurred by employing lawyers to fight his case before and during the imprisonment of the three (who were implicated in the fall of Enron). Excellent stuff and well worth a listen. I had to give it to the 'grilled one', he took it on the chin and only once started to get really defensive, which was swiftly fielded by JH.