– Leviticus 20:10 For years, Sixtus had looked on the moral failings of his fellow Romans with revulsion. Now, as pope, he was in a position to do something about it. Astrology, gambling, and taking the Lord’s name in vain would be punished with fines, whipping, exposure in the stocks, and for multiple offenses life in the galleys. But casting a horoscope, rolling dice, and saying Goddamnit were the least of Rome’s moral problems. It is likely that Sixtus, who had joined the monastery at ten, had never had sex in his life. He was known for his “egregious chastity,” according to one contemporary report, and while he respected sex in marriage as the means of producing children, he despised illicit sex and was determined to punish it severely.1 He issued a law prohibiting the hanging of obscene pictures in taverns, which served as goads to the private parts. Then he proclaimed that those guilty of incest, sodomy, and abortion would be executed. He was particularly horrified at parents who sold their children into prostitution.
What do You think about Murder In The Garden Of God?
