Following an exotic path into papal history
Pole-dancing teacher writes a book about the deaths of popes
Wendy Reardon's book ''The Deaths of the Popes" (McFarland & Co.) is a scholarly, encyclopedic review of papal mortality and burial rites from St. Peter the Apostle to John Paul I. Before and during the drama surrounding Pope John Paul II's death on April 2, Reardon's expertise made her a sought-after commentator on local television and radio. She also anchored a readers' chat last week on the
Serious about her subject matter, Reardon is not shy about having fun with it, too, relishing in Gothic tales of murder and mayhem that often sound like a cross between ''The Godfather" and ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
It is Reardon's secondary vocation, however, that draws frowns from some quarters and smirks from others. She teaches exotic dancing, in Quincy, and doesn't care who knows it. ''I put myself through graduate school by dancing," Reardon says proudly. ''I never got into the lifestyle. It was just a job. But there's nothing wrong with it."
Teaching housewives how to pole dance is healthy, not shameful, Reardon contends. ''I'm helping ordinary women feel better about themselves and their bodies," she says.
A conservative Republican, Reardon, 33, grew up in Hanover and majored in writing at Emerson College. After graduating in 1993, she moved to Los Angeles and freelanced for Hollywood animation studios. To supplement her income, she danced in ''bikini bars" and continued her exotic dancing in London, where she earned a master's degree at the University of Reading. How the two worlds -- popes and pole dancing -- overlap is among the topics Reardon spoke about during a recent interview.
Which came first, the dancing or the popes?
Actually, I was dancing in LA when I started reading about popes. I'd always loved history but was never into Catholic history very much. They never taught you the really interesting stuff in school anyway. It's like they're ashamed of it, and they shouldn't be.
Why the sudden interest?
I was reading a lot of books about poisoners at the time.
You weren't thinking about poisoning someone, were you?
No. But one poisoner was Cesare Borgia, whose father was Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503). Alexander died mysteriously, nobody knows whether from malaria or poison. That led me to the deaths of other popes. The more I read, the prouder I was to be Catholic. Any religion that can survive some of the leaders we've had has got to be pretty strong.
Why did you stop dancing?
A dancer doesn't have a long shelf life. Besides, I'd fallen in love with the history of the popes by then. When regular customers came into Snooky's (an LA bar where she danced), I'd ask, ''Who's my favorite pope?" ''Alexander VI," they'd say. ''What's his real name?" ''Rodrigo Borgia." ''How did he die?" ''Malaria or poison."
What motivated you to write the book?
Something inside me said I had to do this. I gave my first paper, on the funeral of Boniface VIII (1294-1303), at a conference in Michigan in 2001. McFarland had a booth there, and I said I wanted to write a book about the deaths of the popes, not their lives. Eventually they gave me a contract.
Did you do much research in Italy?
I traveled there once with my Mom on a tomb quest. Our rule was, if there was no dead pope inside we didn't stop at the church. Then we'd walk inside some churches and go, like, ''Bonus! Pope under glass!"
According to one amazon.com reader, yours is the ''one book on papal death" he'd take to the beach.
Yeah, what's up with that? And why did he only give it four stars? He also recommended reading it with a Corona in hand, I believe.
Do other historians tend to look down on you?
Well, I've got a book out, so I'm somebody now. But I'm also young and unaffiliated with any college or university. Plus I'm doubly cursed by the fact that I teach exotic dancing. So I try to keep the two worlds separate. I don't mind if my pope world reaches into my dancing world, but I don't keep a link to my dance website on my pope website, papal-death.com.
There were times when being chosen pope was pretty risky. Between 897 and 1003, as you note, 14 popes died from poisoning, strangulation, beating, starvation, or mutilation. What drew you to that aspect of papal history?
Why death, do you mean? I've always loved death. I used to have a collection of rat skulls and rabbit skulls in my backyard. When I was 7, I remember going by the Hanover cemetery and asking my mother if we could open up a tomb and look at the skeleton. She didn't think that was such a good idea, by the way.
Were you teased about being morbid as a kid?
My mother was always afraid of what I would say at the dinner table, put it that way. Now it's hip and trendy to be into things like death masks.
What broad themes, if any, emerged from your research?
One is that other than John XII (955-64), every pope has tried to do something good for the church. Despite some of them being puppets, and despite all the wine, women, and politics sometimes involved, all had the church's best interests in mind.
What made John XII different?
He was appointed pope when he was 18, and he was a complete jerk. He was in bed with a woman when her husband found them, strangled him, and threw his body out a window. That and the Formosus incident were real low points.
What was the Formosus incident?
After Formosus (891-96) died, one of his enemies, Stephen VI, took over. He had the body exhumed and put on trial. The corpse was given defense counsel and declared guilty, after which three fingers used to give the benediction were cut off. The corpse was then thrown into the Tiber River. Soon afterward, a massive earthquake struck Rome.
Taken as a sign of divine displeasure, no doubt?
Of course. The way some popes died is unbelievable. Even the accidental deaths, like Martin IV (1281-85) choking to death on a dish of pickled eels or John XXI (1276-77) having a ceiling collapse on him, are bizarre.
Whose death was the cruelest?
The cruelest accidental death would probably be Leo XII (1823-29), who died of a botched operation to remove chronic hemorrhoids. That had to hurt. Intentional? Probably John VIII (872-82), who had the added trauma of having family members club him to death after trying to poison him.
You write that some believe John Paul I (1978) was also poisoned, to cover up a Vatican banking scandal. Do you agree?
I do think he was murdered. There's a lot of evidence. Plus, he was in good health, and no death certificate was ever issued. But others have concluded just the opposite. We don't know.
As you watched John Paul II's funeral, were you the dispassionate historian or the emotionally engaged Catholic?A little of both. I've studied the subject so long, I was absolutely fascinated by the ceremony. Yet it was an emotional experience for me, too. When they brought out the pope's coffin, I totally lost it. A funeral Mass is one thing, but knowing he was inside brought home the loss of Karol Wojtyla the man.
Were you surprised by how much that moved you?
Yes, but even more surprising was the applause from the crowd in St. Peter's Square. A lot of Americans were horrified by that. People thought it was rude. It's a cherished Italian custom, though. A way to show their respect.
As many pundits have noted, John Paul II leaves a mixed legacy -- from his relative silence on the church sex-abuse scandal to his championing of the poor to his unbending views on birth control, homosexuality, abortion, and capital punishment. How have the past few weeks affected that legacy?
In my eyes, his place in history is even greater now. Yes, there was his role in the church sex scandal, but that's only one small aspect of his papacy. Compared to all the good he did -- and I certainly did not agree with every stance he took on every issue -- I doubt his legacy is tarnished at all.
Where will he rank among modern pontiffs?I stated before he died that John Paul II will rank up there with Pope John XXIII. Now I think he'll surpass John XXIII and become the most beloved pope of all. Not only did he do a great deal for the church, but he was such a real person. When asked about resigning, for instance, John Paul II once said, ''And who would I submit my resignation to?" He was very funny, very down-to-earth.
If he had a sense of humor, why can't papal historians have one, too?
Hey, the popes were funny. The Cadaver Synod [Formosus incident]? You can't get much funnier than that. So while I take my knowledge seriously, I don't take myself seriously. I'm a real person with two personalities, scholar and dancer. A lot of people can't understand that. And even though I'm a little campy, I've never made a mockery of the church and never will.
Joseph P. Kahn can be reached at jkahn@globe.com. 