Pope Adeodatus I

Pope Saint
Adeodatus I
Papacy began 19 October 615
Papacy ended 8 November 618
Predecessor Boniface IV
Successor Boniface V
Orders
Created cardinal 15 October 590
by St. Gregory I "The Great"
Personal details
Birth name Deusdedit, son of Stephen
Born Rome, Byzantine Empire
Died (618-11-08)8 November 618
Rome, Byzantine Empire
Other popes named Adeodatus
Papal styles of
Pope Adeodatus I
Reference style His Holiness
Spoken style Your Holiness
Religious style Holy Father
Posthumous style Saint

Pope Adeodatus I (570 – 8 November 618), also called Deodatus I or Deusdedit,[1] was Pope from 19 October 615 to his death in 618. He was the first priest to be elected pope since John II in 533. The first use of lead seals or bullae on papal documents, (leading to the term "papal bull"), is attributed to him. His feast day is 8 November.

Biography

He was born in Rome, the son of a subdeacon. He served as a priest for 40 years before his election and was the first priest to be elected pope since John II in 533. Adeodatus represents the second wave of anti-Gregorian challenge to the papacy, the first being that of Sabinian. He reversed the practice of his predecessor Boniface IV of filling the papal administrative ranks with monks by recalling the clergy to such positions and by ordaining some 14 priests, the first ordinations in Rome since Pope Gregory.[2]

According to tradition, he was the first pope to use lead seals (bullae) on papal documents, which in time came to be called "papal bulls".[3] One bulla dating from his reign is still preserved, the obverse of which represents the Good Shepherd in the midst of His sheep, with the letters Alpha and Omega underneath, while the reverse bears the inscription: Deusdedit Papæ.[4]

In August 618, an earthquake struck Rome, and later an outbreak of leprosy, during which Adeodatus led the effort to care for the poor and sick.[5] He died 8 November 618. There was a vacancy of one year, one month, and 16 days before his successor was consecrated.[6]

His feast occurs 8 November.[4] He is also a saint in the Orthodox Church as one of the pre-Schism "Orthodox Popes of Rome".[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ In Latin, the name "Deodatus" means Given by God, while "Deusdedit" means God Has Given; both are now considered variants of the same name)
  2. ↑ Jeffrey Richards, The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979), p. 262
  3. ↑ “Pope Saint Adeodatus I”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 27 July 2012
  4. 1 2  Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope St. Deusdedit". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  5. ↑ "Pope St. Deusdedit", Faith ND, Notre Dame University
  6. ↑ Richards, Popes and the papacy, p. 263
  7. ↑ Philips, Fr Andrew. "The Holy Orthodox Popes of Rome". orthodoxengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Boniface IV		 Pope
615–618		 Succeeded by
Boniface V
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.