OK, so after the groundswell(?) of favorable opinion about Lentorama, I present:

Lentorama 2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day

Today we check in on Pope Paul II, who was born on this day 590 years ago as Pietro Barbo. Suffice it to say he's not going to crack anyone's top 10 list of popes, as his longest lasting acts were to create the jubilee years and OK the wearing of the red biretta for all cardinals (they're the boxy hats with the points).

Pretty much everything Paul II did with regards to foreign policy was a bust, as he managed to irritate the king of France, get the King of Hungary to declare what was a fairly mediocre war against the excommunicated King of Bohemia, couldn't convince Frederick III to wage a crusade against the Turks, and failed in attempts to merge the Russian church with Rome. He did manage to curb the influence Venice had on papal affairs, which is something.

Paul II also undertook a fair amount of reform within the Vatican, which was about as popular as such reform is today. While he did supress some intellectuals on religious grounds, he did support Christian scholars, the building and repair of monuments, and collections of art. He also seems to have been a bit of a dandy, with a taste for fine clothing and jewels (maybe he's behind the pope's big hat and golden slippers?). Paul II also provided a great deal of entertainment for Roman citizens, not quite to the "bread and circuses" level of imperial Rome but pretty lavish for the time.

While he was the nephew of a pope, Paul II wasn't as nepotistic as many popes, and didn't seem to have the penchant for out-and-out vice that other popes did. So while not a great pope, he wasn't exactly a dud, either.