As a matter of fact, some of them, like John XII did not know or care much about religion at
all. What many popes and their backers cared about was POWER, and in the Middle Ages, the pope
was considered infallible. In other words, he could make no mistakes, at least as far as it concerned
most the people.
Kings and emperors were another matter, and at many times in history, the popes were tools of those
who held military power. The pope, however, held the balance, for winning the pope over to your side
was costly. In return for his support, rulers often had to pay bribes, give up land and at least to some
degree, listen to what the pope “suggested”, for the pope had the ultimate weapon – excommunication.
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