Give me the scoop on Agatho. A Sicilian by birth, Agatho was a Benedictine monk prior to being pope. He was gifted in business, and as a result served as the Church’s treasurer for a time. Having been born sometime before the year 600, Agatho was advanced in years (some even say he was over …
Give me the scoop on Adeodatus II. Adeodatus II was a Roman by birth, and is only sometimes called “Adeodatus II,” since Pope St. Adeodatus I is sometimes referred to as “Deusdedit” (read here for why). Prior to being pope, he was a monk of the Abbey of St. Erasmus in Rome. Elected on April 11, …
Give me the scoop on Donus. A Roman by birth, Donus ascended to the Chair of Peter four months and 17 days after the death of St. Adeodatus II. Not much is known about his life or papacy. Donus welcomed back the archbishop of Ravenna – located in northern Italy along the Adriatic Sea – …
Give me the scoop on Vitalian. Little is known about St. Vitalian’s life prior to his election on July 30, 657. Once in the Chair of Peter, Vitalian did quite a bit in his decade and a half as pope. He reconciled a dispute over the date of Easter with the Church in England and …
Give me the scoop on Eugene I. Eugene was a Roman whose father’s name was Rufianus. He served as a priest for most of his adult life and was known for being a gentle, holy, and charitable man. The circumstances around his election were, shall we say, irregular. Eugene definitely was elected during his predecessor’s …
Give me the scoop on Martin I. A native of Tuscany and of noble birth, Martin was known from an early age for being very intelligent and a standout student. As his life went on, he became highly educated and was also acclaimed for his charity to the poor. Prior to being pope, Martin followed …
Give me the scoop on Theodore I. Theodore’s father had been a bishop and was a native of Jerusalem, but Theodore himself was born Greek. The vacancy after John IV’s was short, since papal elections were now confirmed by the Exarch (the emperor’s representative) in Ravenna instead of having to come all the way from …
Give me the scoop on John IV. John was a Dalmatian by birth, born in the region bordering the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Croatia. No word on whether he had a spotted pet as a child. John was serving as an archdeacon in Rome at the time of his election. After a four-month vacancy following …
Give me the scoop on Severinus. Severinus, a Roman, was likely an old man by the time he reached the papacy. He took the Chair of Peter on May 28, 640, but reigned a mere 66 days, dying in office on August 2. One of his sole acts as pope was building the apse in the old …
Give me the scoop on Honorius I. Breaking the trend of popes taking foreeeever to take office, Honorius I was elected just two days after the death of Boniface V. In his almost 13 years as pope, Honorius was plenty busy. Dwindling Byzantine power in the West meant that the pope had to take charge …