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The established fact that some popes were wicked in their private lives is no argument against the truth of the doctrine and dogma of the Catholic Church, no more than proven immoral conduct by an American president is an argument against the goodness of the United States and the validity of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]]. This historically documented fact is actually presented as an argument for the reliability of the Church, since it continued during the reign of those unworthy Popes to teach faithfully the truths handed down by Christ and the Apostles and, while wounded by their evident wickedness, suffered no lasting harm from the immoral conduct of a tiny percentage of its more than 265 leaders.<ref>"tiny percentage". Less than 3 percent = at most 10 popes. See [[Pope#External links|External links, below]]. Estimates range from 5 to 10 truly corrupt popes in the entire history of the Church.</ref>  

The established fact that some popes were wicked in their private lives is no argument against the truth of the doctrine and dogma of the Catholic Church, no more than proven immoral conduct by an American president is an argument against the goodness of the United States and the validity of the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]]. This historically documented fact is actually presented as an argument for the reliability of the Church, since it continued during the reign of those unworthy Popes to teach faithfully the truths handed down by Christ and the Apostles and, while wounded by their evident wickedness, suffered no lasting harm from the immoral conduct of a tiny percentage of its more than 265 leaders.<ref>"tiny percentage". Less than 3 percent = at most 10 popes. See [[Pope#External links|External links, below]]. Estimates range from 5 to 10 truly corrupt popes in the entire history of the Church.</ref>  

One of the prayer-petitions of the Catholic [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] says, "Look not on our sins, but on the Faith of Your Church..." According to Catholic teaching, a man who professes the Catholic Faith whole and entire, no matter how wicked he may be, remains a member of the Catholic Church and Body of Christ, even if he hates God, even if he commits murder, even if he commits [[sodom]]y—but such a man will be condemned to an eternity of suffering in [[hell]] if he does not repent before death. Being a baptized member of Christ's Church will not profit such a man, because professing a correct faith alone, without charity (the exercise of goodness and compassion), will not save him<ref>James 2:14-26</ref>. His knowledge of the True Faith will only increase his misery because he will have sinned ''freely'', without any internal or external coercion against his will, with ''full knowledge'' of the ''sinfulness'' of his deeds against man and God<ref>Catholic doctrine distinguishes between mortal and venial sins according to [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/1_john/5-16.htm 1 John 5:16-17] and [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/john/19-11.htm John 19:11]. Three elements must be present for a sin to be deadly: Serious Matter, Full Knowledge of its evil, and Complete Consent (freely acting without any compulsion).</ref> Such a vile man can still be a valid pope and proclaimer of the Catholic Faith, because it is not the commission of sins against morals that invalidates his papacy (and we are all sinners), but the commission of sins against the Faith (the holding and teaching of [[heresy]]), or the ultimate act of committing formal [[apostasy]], which is not heresy but the utter renunciation of the entire Christian religion and total rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and God and Savior: for example the emperor [[Julian|Julian the Apostate]].

One of the prayer-petitions of the Catholic [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] says, "Look not on our sins, but on the Faith of Your Church..." According to Catholic teaching, a man who professes the Catholic Faith whole and entire, no matter how wicked he may be, remains a member of the Catholic Church and Body of Christ, even if he hates God, even if he commits murder, even if he commits [[Sodom#Sodom and homosexuality|sodom]]y—but such a man will be condemned to an eternity of suffering in [[hell]] if he does not repent before death. Being a baptized member of Christ's Church will not profit such a man, because professing a correct faith alone, without charity (the exercise of goodness and compassion), will not save him<ref>James 2:14-26</ref>. His knowledge of the True Faith will only increase his misery because he will have sinned ''freely'', without any internal or external coercion against his will, with ''full knowledge'' of the ''sinfulness'' of his deeds against man and God<ref>Catholic doctrine distinguishes between mortal and venial sins according to [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/1_john/5-16.htm 1 John 5:16-17] and [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/john/19-11.htm John 19:11]. Three elements must be present for a sin to be deadly: Serious Matter, Full Knowledge of its evil, and Complete Consent (freely acting without any compulsion).</ref> Such a vile man can still be a valid pope and proclaimer of the Catholic Faith, because it is not the commission of sins against morals that invalidates his papacy (and we are all sinners), but the commission of sins against the Faith (the holding and teaching of [[heresy]]), or the ultimate act of committing formal [[apostasy]], which is not heresy but the utter renunciation of the entire Christian religion and total rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and God and Savior: for example the emperor [[Julian|Julian the Apostate]].

It is a remarkable fact of history acknowledged by impartial historians of Christianity, whether believer or unbeliever, and documented, that none of the morally corrupt popes officially and formally changed any of the doctrines of the Catholic Church, or renounced Christianity and formally decreed henceforth the worship of a totally different god. This doctrinal stability is unparalleled in the history of any other institution.<ref>Critics of Catholicism charge that the Catholic Church, having "fallen away" from the truth, teaches "a different gospel", "a different Jesus", [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/galatians/1-9.htm Galatians 1:9]; [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/2_corinthians/11-4.htm 2 Corinthians 11:4]. Catholic apologists respond by pointing to the consistency of documented Catholic Christian teachings from the [[Apostolic Fathers]] through the [[Ante-Nicene Fathers]] and down through history to the Documents of the [[Second Vatican Council]] and the [[Encyclical]]s of the popes into the 21st century as being fully consistent with Apostolic Tradition and [[Bible|Sacred Scripture]]. See [[Great Apostasy]].</ref>

It is a remarkable fact of history acknowledged by impartial historians of Christianity, whether believer or unbeliever, and documented, that none of the morally corrupt popes officially and formally changed any of the doctrines of the Catholic Church, or renounced Christianity and formally decreed henceforth the worship of a totally different god. This doctrinal stability is unparalleled in the history of any other institution.<ref>Critics of Catholicism charge that the Catholic Church, having "fallen away" from the truth, teaches "a different gospel", "a different Jesus", [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/galatians/1-9.htm Galatians 1:9]; [http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/2_corinthians/11-4.htm 2 Corinthians 11:4]. Catholic apologists respond by pointing to the consistency of documented Catholic Christian teachings from the [[Apostolic Fathers]] through the [[Ante-Nicene Fathers]] and down through history to the Documents of the [[Second Vatican Council]] and the [[Encyclical]]s of the popes into the 21st century as being fully consistent with Apostolic Tradition and [[Bible|Sacred Scripture]]. See [[Great Apostasy]].</ref>