This question is a bit of a sweeping generalization. The pope and the Roman Catholic Church are not inherently corrupt; however, individual popes have acted corruptly and the Church has sometimes slipped into corruption as well. There are several reasons for this.
Power has a tendency to corrupt those who wield it, and the more power one acquires, the more opportunity he has to become corrupt. As historian and political philosopher Lord Acton famously said: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Closely tied to power is the temptation of greed. The Catholic Church has at times abused its power in pursuit of money. One example of this was the abuse of indulgences--documents which one could purchase to reduce a person's time in Purgatory--during the late Middle Ages. The sale of indulgences prompted Martin Luther to break with the Catholic Church, sparking the Protestant Reformation.
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