On April 25, 799, Pope Leo III was leading a procession honoring St. Mark in Rome, chanting prayers and responses with the crowd, a practice called the Greater Litanies. During this exercise of his sacred duties, supporters of his predecessor, Pope Adrian I, including the former Pope's nephew attacked Leo in an attempt to poke out the pontiff's eyes and cut off his tongue! (Note: In 2018 the cable news giant CNN is airing a 6 part mini-series called Pope: The Most Powerful Man in History, starring Liam Neeson. The show airs on Sundays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Time.)
Digging Deeper
Although the ruffians succeeded in stabbing Leo's eyes and cutting his tongue, Leo managed to escape the mob and later recovered his sight and did not lose his tongue. (The tongue and the gums are the fastest healing parts of the human body.)
