Who was the Pope that sold the papacy for money?

Pope Benedict IX was the pope who sold the papacy several times for money. Benedict IX was pope from 1032 to 1044, again in 1045, and finally from 1047 to 1048. He was man who served as pope for three discontinuous periods; he was one of the most controversial popes of all time. Benedict IX gave up his papacy for the first time in exchange for a large sum of money in 1044. He returned in 1045 to depose his replacement. He ruled the papacy for one month, after which he left again, possibly to marry. He sold the papacy for a second time, to his Godfather for over 1450 lbs of gold. Two years later, Benedict IX retook Rome and held it for one year, until 1048. Poppo (later to become Pope Damascus II) finally forced him out of Rome.

Some speculate that he made further attempts to regain the Papal Throne. Later, St. Peter Damian described him as “feasting on immorality” in the Liber Gomorrhianus, a book on papal corruption and sex. Benedict’s place and date of death are not known.