It's always good to be the Pope. But for the three years of Nicholas III's reign (1277-1280), it may have been better to be the Pope's brother. Or uncle. Or cousin. Nicholas III distributed principalities in the Papal States among members of his family, essentially giving them land and political power. This nepotism earned him a spot in Dante's eighth circle of Hell.
Top 10 Controversial Popes
As controversy swirls around the Catholic Church and noted atheists such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins call for Pope Benedict XVI's arrest for "crimes against humanity," TIME takes a look at history's most scandal-ridden Pontiffs