Are we talking about that period of time when the popes sold indulgences (buy your way into heaven), or the time when those who disagreed with the "church" were drawn and quartered? Or, was it the pope whose idea of nuns were that they were concubines of his...
Oh, I forget. Popes are God's expression on earth! They have the keys to heaven...
"He who is without sin, cast the first stone."
Actually, the key of the eternal Davidic kingdom, as you know from the Bible.
In Isaiah 22, we see the transferal of the office of the vice-regency of the House of David from Shebna to Eliakim. The authority of this office represented by a key which the office-holder wore around his neck.
Isaiah 22:22As we see in the following passage, Jesus is the eternal king of the House of David.I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
Revelation 3:7In Matthew we see Jesus, the eternal king of the House of David, give the key of this office to Peter.These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
Matthew 16:19
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."