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| | Pope Joan (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-07) |
 | | Engraving of Pope Joan from an 18th Century polemic, "A Present for a Papist." Note the infant at her feet. |
 | | As Pope John VIII he ruled for two years, until 855 A.D. However, while riding one day from St. Peter's to the Lateran, he had to stop by the side of the road and, to the astonishment of everyone, gave birth to a child. |
 | | According to legend, upon discovering the Pope's true gender, the people of Rome tied her feet together and dragged her behind a horse while stoning her, until she died. |
| www.museumofhoaxes.com /popeJoan.html (388 words) |
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