[Oratam]

Callixtus III, the first Spanish pope . . . and the first Borgia! Interesting that the first bearded pope, Julius II, had this to say at the beginning of his reign:

"I will not live in the same rooms as the Borgias lived. He (Alexander VI, the other Borgia pope) desecrated the Holy Church as none before. He usurped the papal power by the devil's aid, and I forbid under the pain of excommunication anyone to speak or think of Borgia again. His name and memory must be forgotten. It must be crossed out of every document and memorial. His reign must be obliterated. All paintings made of the Borgias or for them must be covered over with black crepe. All the tombs of the Borgias must be opened and their bodies sent back to where they belong - to Spain."

The Borgias' apartments remained sealed until the 19th Century

[Alex Murphy]

Interesting that the first bearded pope, Julius II, had this to say at the beginning of his reign: "....He (Alexander VI, the other Borgia pope) desecrated the Holy Church as none before. He usurped the papal power by the devil's aid, and I forbid under the pain of excommunication anyone to speak or think of Borgia again. His name and memory must be forgotten. It must be crossed out of every document and memorial. His reign must be obliterated."

And yet we get threads like these, from other Catholics who seek to redeem him:

Pope Alexander VI and His Family
Alexander VI's Election to the Papacy
Pope Alexander VI's Dealings with the Italians