Snopes says that this is unconfirmed, but the rumor persists.

+3 to hit vs. Popes, Cardinals, and Bishops. On hit, Popes who are alive but playing dead must save vs. Fortitude or die.

It's a silver hammer, so it could also check if the Pope is a werewolf.

Can't let that happen again.
- ...again?
Check the bathroom window for finger prints.
"The Pope was bitten by a wolf while going out for a shit. Somebody call Maxwell!"

The hammer is actually a 100lb two handed weapon

Bang bang Vatican's gilded hammer came down on his head
do do dooo do
Bang bang Vatican's gilded hammer made sure that he was dead
whoa-o whoa-o whoa-o whoa-o

Pope Joan was quizzical...

Hit him once. If he is silent, hit him again. If he is silent again, hit him again. If he remains silent, he is dead.

Hit him once. If he shouts, you've got two more swings to make him stop.

my favourite fact is that “factoid” doesn’t mean “little fact” but is actually starting to mean that

What does it actually mean?
Edit: Nevermind, @jerkface already answered.
In this case it seems to fit pretty well.

Snopes says unproven and the Vatican claims is a myth.

So it's correctly labeled as a factoid then

Equipped creature has +1/+1. Sacrifice to destroy target artifact or enchanment.

D'oh, it should say "another target Cleric" to avoid confusion.

Is it to make sure, or is it to make sure?

The MitreSmiter 9000. Puts all doubt to rest.

"One" hit

"Two" hit Pope: "Ouch!"

...

"What do we do now?" "Just hit harder, it's a self-solving problem"

"Three" smash Pope: "OUCH!!!"
...
...
"Now what?"
Bring out your dead!

I bought one of those at Harbor Freight for like ¼ the price the Vatican probably paid.

Yeah but it breaks after hitting 2 popes
- that's still a good 40-50 years of use!
- Still cheaper to replace when it breaks than the Snap-On one.
I was just thinking that Stanley Tools should capitalize on Stanley’s success and release a line of replica ceremonial tools backed by a viral campaign instead of suing them for their success.
I would probably buy a replica pope whacker, the U.S. congressional mace if virally advertised, or even a golden shovel, engraved with a jaunty nihilistic saying, like “Digging my own grave!”
- I got a golden shovel for Christmas 2017. I was (am) obsessed with twin peaks and my wife made one for me like from the show (the comeback season or whatever). Because I have to dig myself out of the shit.

What about the holy hand grenade?

First shalt thou take out the Holy Hammer. Then, shalt thou strike three times, no more, no less.
Three shalt be the number thou shalt strike, and the number of the striking shall be three. Four shalt thou not strike, nor either strike thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out.
Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, thy pope shall snuff it.
- Gotta love The Book of Armaments.
HAAAALELUJAH

Well you have to be sure. I wonder where they keep the Pope hammer in between deaths

In the popemobile trunk. Obviously...

I have one of these on my coffee table that’s decoration. Found it just laying in some room when I visited the Vatican in the 90s. Weird.

may we have a photo?

The ancient custom of throwing the body into the Tiber river is too unrefined for these modern times

I prefer the Holy Ball-Peen.

Looks like a scaling hammer, like you'd use to knock the scale off a weld. Maybe an allusion to Saul/Paul and scaly eyes?

+5 damage and THAC0 against undead (Pope)

you know it's an ancient artifact when it uses THAC0
- Plot twist: THAC0 bonus actually reduced your THAC0
- This felt like a personal attack

Clearly an anti zombie tool. Can't have the pope rising from the dead, it'd mess up the church's image.

Live your life such that they have to verify your death

Which side do they hit him with?

Flat, spike, flat
- Owwie.

The papal tappy taps

Popehammer is my favorite Elder Scrolls artifact.

And then, are they embalmed through the rectum?

Curious minds indeed!

I wish I wasn't at work on mobile... I really want to take that chart of hammers posted on Lemmy a few days ago and add the dead pope hammer lol

Sloppy job on mobile, but here:
- It's perfect! Pope-tato masher is amazing lol
- the title on the weapon alone deserves its own post. top tier
- I really want a flanged mace
- I feel like some of those are not blunt weapons, still, quaterstaff!!
- The morningstar is such a nice sounding name.

It was in a book of papal facts my very Catholic childhood friend had on the bus one time, so I buy it. One additional aspect I remember is that they call them by their Christian/given name when they hit them.

Location, location, location

Pope Says he's feeling better now...

This little hammer reminds me of one from the black company books where a group of assassins after they kill someone use a cerimonial hammer to break their bones and burry them in a tiny hole so fast they often go unnoticed

Bing, Bong, Witch is dead!

Sonchi

Midsomnar reference?

i like how, by changing one letter, you've created a new compound verb that basically translates to "halfway into the action of falling asleep"
- They can provably clarify when they wake up

I would rather quit while am ahead?

Jesus allegedly came back, they aren't taking those kinds of risks these days

Do you know how many more murals they'd have to paint?

This is false! Everybody knows that they smother the pope's face with a huge hoe's ass to confirm his death.

If you do it the right way... one hit should suffice.