Fifth Century
Eleven Popes
40. St Innocent I, 401-417. A strong Pope in a time of social integration. Thirty-six of his letters survive. He supported St John Chrysostom (347-407) and St Jerome (331-420) in their hour of need. When John was unlawfully deposed, Pope Innocent encouraged him, refused to recognize his ?successor? and when Papal envoys were insulted and after John died in exile, he excommunicated the eastern bishops who had persecuted John. He rebuked Bishop John of Jerusalem for allowing the destruction of Jerome?s monastery in Bethlehem. He was supported by St Augustine in his fight against the heresies against Donatus, Pelagius and others in North Africa. In 410 he led an unsuccessful deputation to Ravenna attempting to save Rome from Alaric, king of the Goth s, who sacked Rome on August 24, 410. When the pagans blamed the Christians for this disaster, St Augustine wrote his famous City of God. Rome.
41. St Zosimus, 417-418. He had been recommended to Innocent I by St John Chrysostom, but proved to have little understand of the psychological processes of westerners. He tirelessly upheld the authority of Peter and his successors, but committed numerous blunders that were to cause his successors considerable embarrassment. Greek, (of a Jewish family?)
42. St Boniface, 418-422. Simultaneous with his election, an anti-Pope, Eulalius was elected, supported by the Emperor. After a year, the illegality of the election of Eulalius was recognized, and Boniface was recognized by all as true Pope. He was an unswerving opponent of Pelagianism, and supported St Augustine against slanders spread by the Pelagians. He defended the papacy strenuously, and declared, ?It has never been lawful for what has once been decided by the Apostolic See to be reconsidered?. Roman.
43. St Celestine I, 422-432. He restored the Basilica of St Mary in Trastevere damaged in the sack of Rome in 410; and built the Basilica of Santa Sabina. He asserted the authority of the successors of Peter over other provinces in Africa, Gaul. He sent a mission to Britain, headed by Germanus of Auxerre (378-448) to root out the Pelagian heresy there. He sided with St Cyril of Alexandria against Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople who denied the divinity of Jesus and the divine maternity of Mary. He sent legates to the Council of Ephesus in 431. He repeatedly asserted the authority of Peter and his successors over the whole Church, both east and west. Italian.
44. St Sixtus III, 432-440. He reconciled Cyril of Alexandria and John of Antioch who had fallen out after the Council of Ephesus. He attributed the success of this reconciliation, in the spring of 433, to Peter, guarantor of the true Faith, present in him as his successor. He asserted the rights of the Roman See against attempts by Constantinople to detach east Illyricum (south-east Balkans) from traditional subjection to Rome. He founded the earliest known monastery in Rome at San Sebastiano on the Appian way. He built the octagonal baptistery attached to St John Lateran, and reconstructed the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore decorating it with inscriptions (still to be seen) extolling Divine Grace and the theology of baptism (against the Pelagians) and the Divine Motherhood of Mary (against Nestorius). Roman.
45. St Leo the Great, 440-461. One of two Popes called ?Great? (the other is St Gregory, 590-604). He refused to approve the acts of the Council held in Ephesus in 449 which denied the humanity of Christ, and owing to his opposition another Council was held in Chalcedon in 451 which condemned the doctrine of Eutyches. When the same Council attempted to assert the power of the new Imperial city of Constantinople as a ?patriarchal see, Leo declared the canon in question (28) invalid. He wrote to the Emperor, ?Anatolius may boast of being bishop of the Imperial residence; he cannot make it an Apostolic See?. In 452 he showed his courage and strength of character by traveling to Mantua and personally confronting Attila the Hun then ravaging Northern Italy and persuaded him to withdraw. When the Vandel Gaeseric approached the gates of Rome in 455 he succeeded in dissuading him from putting the city to the torch, torturing and massacring, but he could not prevent him from seizing and looting the city. Tuscan.
46. St Hilarus, 461-468. Had been Leo?s legate at the ?Robber Council? of Ephesus in 499. He protested at the condemnation of Flavian of Constantinople, and only escaped with difficulty with his life. Strengthened the authority of the Holy See in Gaul, and Spain. Held the first Roman Synod of which minutes have come down to us, at Santa Maria Maggiore on November 19, 465. Sardinian.
47. St Simplicius, 468-483. During his pontificate the last Emperor of the west was deposed (September 4, 476) and the German General, Odoacer became king of Italy with his capital in Ravenna. In 482 the Eastern Emperor Zeno and the Bishop of Constantinople reasserted the 28th canon of Chalcedon claiming for Constantinople an equivalent status to that of Rome, even though it was not an Apostolic See. First schism between Rome and the ?new? patriarchate of Constantinople. From Tivoli, outside Rome.
48. St Felix III, 483-492. Felix was married before being ordained a priest, and was the great-grandfather of Pope Gregory the Great. He excommunicated Acacius, bishop of Constantinople. The schism continued until 519. He succeeded in bringing to an end the cruel persecution of the Catholics in Africa under Hunnernich, son of Gaiseric, and the King of the Vandals. An extremely strict and authoritarian personality, he allowed priests who had submitted to Arian re-baptism to be reconciled with the Church only on their deathbeds; and the laity who did so, only after many years of penance. Roman aristocrat.
49. St Gelasius, 492-496. The Ostrogoths, under Theodoric, had overrun Italy and were besieging Ravenna. There was a famine, swarms of refugees, and a shortage of clergy. As well, the schism of Constantinople was still unresolved. Gelasius excellent relations with Theodoric. He used his private fortune to help the poor, sent supplies from the Papal estates to help those suffering famine, and refused to lift the excommunication of Acacius without suitable recognition of the illegality of his claims. He was saluted as ?Vicar of Christ? at the Synod held in 495, and he claimed the prerogative as proper to Peter, of ratifying Councils and protecting their decisions. African.
50. Anastasius I, 496-498. Attempted to bring about a reconciliation of Constantinople with the Holy See. Did not succeed, and died with his dream of unity unfulfilled. Roman.
Eleven Popes
40. St Innocent I, 401-417. A strong Pope in a time of social integration. Thirty-six of his letters survive. He supported St John Chrysostom (347-407) and St Jerome (331-420) in their hour of need. When John was unlawfully deposed, Pope Innocent encouraged him, refused to recognize his ?successor? and when Papal envoys were insulted and after John died in exile, he excommunicated the eastern bishops who had persecuted John. He rebuked Bishop John of Jerusalem for allowing the destruction of Jerome?s monastery in Bethlehem. He was supported by St Augustine in his fight against the heresies against Donatus, Pelagius and others in North Africa. In 410 he led an unsuccessful deputation to Ravenna attempting to save Rome from Alaric, king of the Goth s, who sacked Rome on August 24, 410. When the pagans blamed the Christians for this disaster, St Augustine wrote his famous City of God. Rome.
41. St Zosimus, 417-418. He had been recommended to Innocent I by St John Chrysostom, but proved to have little understand of the psychological processes of westerners. He tirelessly upheld the authority of Peter and his successors, but committed numerous blunders that were to cause his successors considerable embarrassment. Greek, (of a Jewish family?)
42. St Boniface, 418-422. Simultaneous with his election, an anti-Pope, Eulalius was elected, supported by the Emperor. After a year, the illegality of the election of Eulalius was recognized, and Boniface was recognized by all as true Pope. He was an unswerving opponent of Pelagianism, and supported St Augustine against slanders spread by the Pelagians. He defended the papacy strenuously, and declared, ?It has never been lawful for what has once been decided by the Apostolic See to be reconsidered?. Roman.
43. St Celestine I, 422-432. He restored the Basilica of St Mary in Trastevere damaged in the sack of Rome in 410; and built the Basilica of Santa Sabina. He asserted the authority of the successors of Peter over other provinces in Africa, Gaul. He sent a mission to Britain, headed by Germanus of Auxerre (378-448) to root out the Pelagian heresy there. He sided with St Cyril of Alexandria against Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople who denied the divinity of Jesus and the divine maternity of Mary. He sent legates to the Council of Ephesus in 431. He repeatedly asserted the authority of Peter and his successors over the whole Church, both east and west. Italian.
44. St Sixtus III, 432-440. He reconciled Cyril of Alexandria and John of Antioch who had fallen out after the Council of Ephesus. He attributed the success of this reconciliation, in the spring of 433, to Peter, guarantor of the true Faith, present in him as his successor. He asserted the rights of the Roman See against attempts by Constantinople to detach east Illyricum (south-east Balkans) from traditional subjection to Rome. He founded the earliest known monastery in Rome at San Sebastiano on the Appian way. He built the octagonal baptistery attached to St John Lateran, and reconstructed the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore decorating it with inscriptions (still to be seen) extolling Divine Grace and the theology of baptism (against the Pelagians) and the Divine Motherhood of Mary (against Nestorius). Roman.
45. St Leo the Great, 440-461. One of two Popes called ?Great? (the other is St Gregory, 590-604). He refused to approve the acts of the Council held in Ephesus in 449 which denied the humanity of Christ, and owing to his opposition another Council was held in Chalcedon in 451 which condemned the doctrine of Eutyches. When the same Council attempted to assert the power of the new Imperial city of Constantinople as a ?patriarchal see, Leo declared the canon in question (28) invalid. He wrote to the Emperor, ?Anatolius may boast of being bishop of the Imperial residence; he cannot make it an Apostolic See?. In 452 he showed his courage and strength of character by traveling to Mantua and personally confronting Attila the Hun then ravaging Northern Italy and persuaded him to withdraw. When the Vandel Gaeseric approached the gates of Rome in 455 he succeeded in dissuading him from putting the city to the torch, torturing and massacring, but he could not prevent him from seizing and looting the city. Tuscan.
46. St Hilarus, 461-468. Had been Leo?s legate at the ?Robber Council? of Ephesus in 499. He protested at the condemnation of Flavian of Constantinople, and only escaped with difficulty with his life. Strengthened the authority of the Holy See in Gaul, and Spain. Held the first Roman Synod of which minutes have come down to us, at Santa Maria Maggiore on November 19, 465. Sardinian.
47. St Simplicius, 468-483. During his pontificate the last Emperor of the west was deposed (September 4, 476) and the German General, Odoacer became king of Italy with his capital in Ravenna. In 482 the Eastern Emperor Zeno and the Bishop of Constantinople reasserted the 28th canon of Chalcedon claiming for Constantinople an equivalent status to that of Rome, even though it was not an Apostolic See. First schism between Rome and the ?new? patriarchate of Constantinople. From Tivoli, outside Rome.
48. St Felix III, 483-492. Felix was married before being ordained a priest, and was the great-grandfather of Pope Gregory the Great. He excommunicated Acacius, bishop of Constantinople. The schism continued until 519. He succeeded in bringing to an end the cruel persecution of the Catholics in Africa under Hunnernich, son of Gaiseric, and the King of the Vandals. An extremely strict and authoritarian personality, he allowed priests who had submitted to Arian re-baptism to be reconciled with the Church only on their deathbeds; and the laity who did so, only after many years of penance. Roman aristocrat.
49. St Gelasius, 492-496. The Ostrogoths, under Theodoric, had overrun Italy and were besieging Ravenna. There was a famine, swarms of refugees, and a shortage of clergy. As well, the schism of Constantinople was still unresolved. Gelasius excellent relations with Theodoric. He used his private fortune to help the poor, sent supplies from the Papal estates to help those suffering famine, and refused to lift the excommunication of Acacius without suitable recognition of the illegality of his claims. He was saluted as ?Vicar of Christ? at the Synod held in 495, and he claimed the prerogative as proper to Peter, of ratifying Councils and protecting their decisions. African.
50. Anastasius I, 496-498. Attempted to bring about a reconciliation of Constantinople with the Holy See. Did not succeed, and died with his dream of unity unfulfilled. Roman.
ONE HEART & ONE MIND
?How much of the divine love we feel for you, beloved, you will be able to estimate from this, that we are anxious to establish your origins on a surer basis, lest anything should seem lacking to the perfection of your love, since your meritorious acts of spiritual grace, as we have proved, are already in your favour. You and we ought to be at one in thought and act, so that we may be proved to be of one heart and mind. For since the most blessed Peter received the headship of the Apostles from the Lord, and the Church of Rome still abides by his institutions, it is correct to believe that his holy disciple Mark, who was the first to govern the Church of Alexandria, formed his decrees on a different line of tradition: seeing that without doubt both disciple and Master drew but one Spirit from the same fount of grace, and the ordained could not hand on anything else than what he had received from his ordainer. We do not therefore allow it that we should differ in anything, since we confess ourselves to be of one body and faith, nor that the institutions of the teacher should seem different from those of the taught ??
- Pope St Leo the Great [390-461 A.D.] he was sent to France to arbitrate between two Generals Aetius and Albinus. Summoned to Rome in September 440 he was chosen as Pope by clergy and people. He was one of the greatest Popes of Antiquity. From his letter to Dioscorsus, Bishop of Alexandria, in Egypt. Mark, founder of the Church in Alexandria, was a disciple of St. Peter.
Fourteen Popes
51. St Symacchus, 498-514. The early years of his pontificate were marred by the activities of an anti-Pope Lawrence, and the political machinations of Theodoric and the Eastern Emperor Anastasius I. He expelled the Manichaeans from Rome, sent generous gifts to Catholic victims of Arian persecution, and ransomed prisoners captured in war in northern Italy. He restored the Primatial rights of Arles over Gaul in 514, and sent the famous Caesar, bishop of Arles, the pallium. He introduced the Gloria in Excelsis Deo in Masses celebrated by Bishops, and set up facilities for pilgrims near St Peter?s Basilica. An invitation from Anastasius I for him to attend a Council at Heralea to end the schism arrived too late. He was dead when it reached Rome. Sardinian, convert from paganism.
52. St Hormisdas, 514-523. A peacemaker, he not only received the anti-Pope Lawrence back into the Church, but ended the schism between Rome and Constantinople. The ?Formula of Hormisdas? was solemnly agreed on March 28, 519. This not only affirmed the decrees of Chalcedon, but clearly acknowledged Rome?s preeminence as the Apostolic See in which the Catholic faith had always been preserved in all its purity. Theodoric put the famous Philosopher Boetius to death out of anger at the reconciliation. Before the Pope?s death he learned that the persecution of Catholics in Africa had ceased with the death of the Vandal King Thrasamond, May 28, 523, and that the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy could proceed. From Frosione, Italy, despite his Persian name.
53. St John I, 523-526. The Eastern Emperor had started persecuting Arians not long before the elderly and infirm John?s election. Theodoric, in Ravenna, himself an Arian, asked the Pope go to Constantinople to get Justin to cease harassing the Arians. John went and received a magnificent reception. This was the first time ever a Pope visited Constantinople. Peter?s Vicar on earth was met at the 12th milestone by the whole city, the Emperor prostrated himself before him, and on Easter Sunday the Pope sat on a higher throne than that of the bishop of Constantinople, and celebrated Mass in the Latin rite. The Emperor, despite all this, refused to relax the persecution of the heretics, and when John returned to Ravenna, the Emperor Theodoric?s fury was unbridled. The elderly Pope, worn out by his exertions for peace, died and his body was taken back to Rome, and buried in the nave of St Peters. Tuscan.
TO THE BRETHREN GOING TO ENGLAND IN 596 A.D.
?Since it would have been better not to have begun what is good than to return back from when it begun, you must, most beloved sons, fulfil the good work which with the help of the Lord you have begun. Let, then, neither the toil of the journey nor the tongues of evil-speaking men deter you; but with all commitment and fervour go on with what under God?s guidance you have commenced, knowing that great toil is followed by the glory of an eternal reward. Obey in all things humbly Augustine your leader, who is returning to you, whom we also appoint your abbot, knowing that whatever may be fulfilled in you through his admonition will in all ways protect your souls. May Almighty God protect you with Hs grace, and grant to me to see the fruit of your labour in the eternal country; that so, even though I cannot labour with you, I may be found together with you in the joy of the reward; for in truth I desire to labour. God keep you safe, most beloved sons.?
- Pope St Gregory the Great [540-604 A.D]. Letter to Augustine and the 40 monks who accompanied him to England to convert the British to Christianity.
54. St Felix IV, 526-530. The greatest event in Felix?s reign was the foundation of Monte Cassino by St Benedict of Norsia, in 528. Since that time no fewer than twenty-four Popes have been members of the Benedictine Order. Felix had built the Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian in the Roman Forum, which features a portrait of Felix himself ? the earliest surviving representation. Italian.
55. Boniface II, 530-532. He confirmed the decrees of the Council of Orange (July 529). When the Bishop of Constantinople deposed the bishop of Larissa, in Greece, Boniface held a Synod in 532 which asserted the rights of the Holy See over such matters and reinstated the bishop. The first German to be elected Pope.
56. John II, 533-535. His first name was Mercurius, but as that was the name of a pagan god, he changed it to John ? being the first Pope to change his name on assuming the office.
57. St Agapitus I, 535-536. A man of culture, aristocratic birth, he planned with the statesman and writer Casiodorus (490-580) to set up a Christian University in Rome modelled on the Universities of Alexandria and Nisiba (in Mesopotamia), but this never became a reality owing to the war between Justinian and the Goths. When the King of the Ostrogoths in Ravenna asked him to go to talk Justinian out of his projected invasion of Italy, Agapitus went at great personal cost and risk to Constantinople, but was unsuccessful in excommunicating the heretical bishop of Constantinople, but was unsuccessful in dissuading Justinian from his war. He was successful in excommunicating the heretical bishop of Constantinople, Anthimius and consecrating his successor Menas (536-552). He died in Constantinople on April 22, 536, and his body, in a leaden coffin, was taken back to Rome. Roman.
58. St Silverius, 536-537. Accused wrongfully by Justinian?s General Belisarius who occupied Rome in December 536 of being pro-Goth, he was deposed and exiled to Patara, a sea-port in Anatolia (Turkey). The local bishop went indignantly to Constantinople and told Justinian that while there were many kings in the world there was only one Pope and that the Pope should be reinstated. The emperor relented and ordered that Silverius be taken back to Rome and given a fair trial. When Silverius arrived in Rome he found that a new Pope, Virgilius, had been illegally appointed. He sent him off to the island of Palmaria in the Gulf of gaeta. Here, he was forced to abdicate, and died shortly afterwards of hardship and starvation. He was buried on the island, much venerated as a martyr for the Catholic faith. From Frosinone, Italy, son of Hormisdas.
59. Virgilius, 537-555. Having been appointed as the creature of the Empress Theodora a heretical opponent of the Council of Chalcedon, he agreed if appointed Pope to support her plans. Despite his early avarice, and complicity in denial of a fair trial to Silverius, he became the lawful Pope on the latter?s death in 537, and almost immediately he changed from a subservient tool of the Empress, into a champion of Catholicism against the monophysite heretics. His character was so vacillating however, that he was obliged to go to Constantinople in 544 and sign decrees condemning heretics long since dead, who had eventually died after making their peace with the Church. Virgilius fled from the Emperor to Chalcedon in 551. The great St Benedict, father of western monasticism, died during his pontificate. He died in Syracuse, the first Pope since St Peter not to be canonized. Roman.
60. Pelagius I, 556-561. He did much to restore the judicial system in Italy after the terrible wars. Active in relieving poverty and ransoming prisoners of war. He overhauled the papal finances, and reorganized Papal estates in Italy, Gaul, Dalmatia and North Africa earmarking their income for the poor of the various regions. As a deacon he had made a translation of the fifth century Sayings of the Fathers. He did much to attack simony, and to ensure a high standard of monastic life. Roman.
61. John III, 561-574. During his reign much of Italy was invaded by the Lombards (568). The situation in Africa for Catholics improved with the death of Justinian. The Lombards met with little resistance as they moved south. Roman.
62. Benedict I, 575-579. His reign saw the worst effects of the Lombard invasions ? with Rome besieged in 579. He ordained Gregory I a deacon. He died during the terrible siege of the city, despite his efforts to get help from imperial troops in Constantinople, and to have grain ships sent from Africa, the situation worsened. Roman.
63. Pelagius III, 579-590. Elected during the siege, he appealed to the Franks for help against the Lombards. His appeal fell on deaf ears. During his pontificate, the Visigoths in Spain converted to Catholicism under King Reccared (586-601). He objected to the title of ?Ecumenical Patriarch? adopted by the bishop of Constantinople as infringing papal supremacy. When plague ravaged Rome as a result of flooding of the Tiber in November 589, he died as one of its first victims. Goth.
64. St Gregory the Great,590-604. Born in Rome in 540, became chief magistrate of Rome, afterwards renouncing his legal profession to found a monastery in his former palace. He disposed of his family?s estates, extending as far as Sicily, founding six monasteries. Pope Pelagius made him papal nuncio in Constantinople in 579. He did not want to by the Pope, and even asked the Emperor not to accept his nomination. As Pope he busied himself with charitable and administrative tasks, setting the city and the Church and order. He drew up codes for the election and conduct for bishops, enforced clerical celibacy and deposed offending priests and prelates. He achieved peace with the Lombards, kept up a correspondence with the ferocious Queen Brunhilda. He sent St Augustine and 40 monks to England to convert the English in 596, and in 601 sent additional monks as bishops of London (Mellitus) and York (Paulinus) and sent the pallium to Augustine the first archbishop of Canterbury. He continued to object to the use of the title ?Ecumenical Patriarch? by the non-Apostolic See of Constantinople and when the Emperor objected that it was ?just a title? argued that St Peter?s commission from Christ made all Churches, including Constantinople (only founded in 395 as ?Byzantium?) subject to the authority of Rome and its Pope. He interested himself in liturgy, especially in music and set up a school of singers. More than 850 letters of his have survived and his book on Pastoral ministry ?Pastoral Care? translated into Anglo-Saxon by King Alfred became a textbook for bishops and priests. He was always sickly, and died during a famine in 604. His epitaph proclaims him as ?God?s Consul?. Patrician Roman.
© Annals Australia 0