Give me the scoop on Symmachus. Our 51st pope was a convert to the faith, having been baptized in Rome after being born on the island of Sardinia. Within days of Anastasius II’s death, a majority of clergy in Rome called upon Symmachus and said, “you’re next.” Much of Symmachus’ papacy was wrapped up in …
IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH “Be not deceived, my brethren: If anyone follows a maker of schism [i.e., is a schismatic], he does not inherit the kingdom of God; if anyone walks in strange doctrine [i.e., is a heretic], he has no part in the passion [of Christ]. Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that …
Give me the scoop on Anastasius II. Just the second pope of the first 50 to not be recognized as a saint, Anastasius II was the son of a priest (remember, they could still be married back then) and was elected pope on November 24, 496. The Acacian Schism (over Christ’s two natures) continued to …
Give me the scoop on Gelasius I. Gelasius was the third and final pope to hail from North Africa, though he was, at the same time, a Roman citizen. He was a particularly gifted writer, having been charged with compiling church documents for his predecessor, Felix III, and (once he was pope) was in fact …
First of all, what’s with the name confusion? You’ll recall that during the papacy of Pope Liberius (352-366) a rather popular antipope also claimed to hold the Chair of Peter for 10 years. Since said antipope was known as Felix II, it’s been a bit easier to refer to the real second Felix as “Felix …
Give me the scoop on Simplicius. A native of Tivoli (a region in Central Italy), St. Simplicius was elected pope on March 3, 468 following his predecessor’s death, after serving as a priest under both Hilarius and Leo the Great. He dealt with a number of heresies, chief among them being Eutchyianism (a form of …
Give me the scoop on Hilarius. St. Hilarius, a native of Sardinia, was elected shortly after the death of St. Leo, having first served as a deacon under the great pope. His papacy was wrapped up in handling big-time political disorganization in Gaul and Spain, writing encyclicals on various church disciplines, handling disputes in a …
Give me the scoop on Leo the Great. Pope St. Leo, one of the best-known popes from the first millennium – perhaps all of papal history – was a native of Tuscany, and initially served as a deacon under Pope St. Celestine I. He’s one of just three popes to be called “The Great” (four …
Give me the scoop on Sixtus III. St. Sixtus III was elected pope on July 31, 432, after being prominent among his fellow clergymen in Rome for many years. Sixtus apparently corresponded regularly with St. Augustine, with the latter writing to Sixtus multiple times – first worried that Sixtus sided with the Pelagian heresy, then …
Give me the scoop on Celestine I. Prior to being elected on September 10, 422, St. Celestine I lived in Milan and worked for St. Ambrose. He’s also mentioned by Innocent I (Pope #40) in the year 416 as “Celestine the Deacon”. St. Augustine was very fond of Celestine, having written him a letter after …