A RARE religious relic issued by an anti Pope briefly imprisoned for his crimes against the church has been presented to the Cheshire archive.

The Papal Bull was issued in 1412 to John Leyot, a priest from Hale Village, granting him permission to indulge in wealth and privilege and live in many residences.

The parchment bears the seal of Pope John XXlll, who was himself sent to prison for three years for heresy and gross misconduct.

The bull was in the Leyot family for many generations before moving to Hale Hall.

In June 2007, it came under the hammer at Sotheby’s in London and was bought by Hale Parish Councll for £4,500, with a £1,500 grant from Halton Council ‘s area forum covering Hale and £1,000 from the former Cheshire County Council.

Now, the parish council has decided to hand the 600-year-old document for safe keeping to the Cheshire Record Office in Chester.County archivist Jonathan Pepler, said: “This is a wonderful piece of local history but it also involves a man who certainly made his mark on the Catholic Church for all the wrong reasons.

“Pope John XXlll was open to bribes and whilst there is no proof of a bribe, it’s almost certain he paid for the document.”

The Oxford Dictionary of Popes describes Pope John XXlll as “an unscrupulous, grasping and ambitious man as well as an unblushing libertine”.

He was reputed to have seduced 200 women, whilst papal legate to Romangna and Bologna.

The Bull will be restored and available for public inspection.