Died: 532 A.D.
pronounced BAWN-ih-fuss (not “bony-face”)
Give me the scoop on Boniface II.
Boniface II was the first pope in history to be of Germanic ancestry, having been a descendent of the Ostrogoths. As we read yesterday, Boniface II was serving under Pope St. Felix IV when he was suddenly nominated as the next successor of Peter. After Felix’s death, only a minority of clergy supported Boniface, with the rest opting for a man named Dioscorus.
The two were elected on the same day – September 22, 530 – marking the seventh time the Church dealt with the pope-antipope conundrum. Boniface was able to remain pope, however, due to the untimely death of Dioscorus just 22 days later and subsequent pledges of obedience from all who voted for him.
From Dioscorus’ death, Boniface reigned for almost exactly two more years, dying on October 17, 532.
What was he known for?
Boniface II was known for being a pope for the poor. Among his acts of charity was the support of Rome’s suffering faithful, who he aided especially during a year of famine.
What else was going on in the world at the time?
In Constantinople (now Istanbul), construction was begun on the great Hagia Sophia (Greek for “Holy Wisdom”). When completed in 537, it was a basilica of the Church and seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople for nearly a thousand years, before being conquered and made into an imperial mosque for almost 500 years. It had existed as a museum for 85 years, until President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last year made the controversial decision to convert it back into a mosque.
Coming tomorrow….Pope John II
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SOURCES (and further reading)
John, E. (1964). The Popes: A concise biographical history. New York: Hawthorn Books.
Pope Boniface II – http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02660a.htm
Pope Boniface II – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_II
Hagia Sophia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia
Sent by Matthew Sewell