The Twelve Greek Popes of the Catholic Church

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There person been 12 Greek Popes successful the past of the papacy, the Pope being the caput of the Catholic Church, with Saint Peter considered to beryllium its archetypal leader.

Saint Peter is acknowledged by some the Catholic and Orthodox Churches arsenic the starring Apostle. In the Catholic tradition, helium is besides regarded arsenic the archetypal Pope, portion successful the Orthodox Church, helium is recognized arsenic the archetypal bishop. It is estimated that his enactment of the recently established Christian Church started betwixt 30 to 33 CE and ended with his death.

Before the Great Schism of 1054, Christianity was a unified body, with bishops and patriarchs overseeing assorted regions crossed the Roman Empire. The Church recognized Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Jerusalem arsenic large centers of authority.

The Pope of Rome, arsenic the bishop of the imperial capital, held a salient relation successful the aboriginal Church, though it was a clip of corporate leadership, with each patriarchs sharing influence. These aboriginal Greek Popes, similar those who followed aft Saint Peter, were portion of this unified Christian body, starring a Church that, contempt determination differences, remained doctrinally and institutionally united.

The conception of the “Catholic” Church, meaning the cosmopolitan Church, was understood successful this context, arsenic determination was nary part betwixt what we present notation to arsenic Catholic and Orthodox; each Christians were portion of 1 Church.

The archetypal Greek Pope of Rome was Pope Telesphorus, crowned successful 126. The past was Pope Zachary (r. 741-752). More than fractional of the Greek Popes were natives of Magna Graecia (Greater Greece).

Pope St. Telesphorus

Pope St. Telesphorus (Τελέσφορος) was the archetypal Greek Pope and served from 126 to 137. Although immoderate theologians reason that helium was Italian, helium was calved successful the tiny municipality of Terra Nova which is adjacent to the Greek-speaking country of Calabria, a portion that is portion of Magna Graecia, a wide country inhabited by Greeks who had been settling determination since the 8th period BCE.

His sanction is Greek, and means idiosyncratic who accomplishes a goal. Early books notation to him arsenic a hermit who preferred to unrecorded successful quality alternatively of successful the bustle of Rome. He believed that his clip successful seclusion would assistance him assistance others.

In Rome helium had to combat heretics who did not judge that Jesus was the Son of God, nor the communicative of the Virgin Mary. He besides celebrated Easter connected a Sunday, and not connected the time corresponding to the Jewish calendar.

Pope Telesphorus is attributed with introducing Midnight Mass astatine Christmas and the Gloria.

According to the grounds of St. Irenaeus, Pope St. Telesphorus suffered martyrdom.

Pope Telesphorus was succeeded by different Greek pope, namely Pope Hyginus (Χυγίνος)(137-142). He was calved successful Athens, spent his aboriginal beingness successful Achaea successful the Peloponnese, and past moved to Rome.

He was the archetypal pope to modulate the solemnisation of Easter connected Sunday successful each churches of the empire. He besides faced heretics who didn’t judge Jesus Christ was the lad of deity and the Virgin Mary was his mother, particularly 1 Cerdo who was excommunicated from the Church.

When Pope Hyginus died helium was buried adjacent to St. Peter’s tomb connected Vatican Hill.

Pope St. Eleutherius

The 13th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church was Eleutherius (Ελευθέριος) (174-189). His papacy extended to 15 years, 1 of the longest successful his era. He was calved successful Nicopolis of Epirus and aboriginal moved to Rome wherever helium started arsenic a deacon nether Pope Anicetus.

The lone papal decree attributed to the Greek Pope from Nicopolis was that Christians should not crook down nutrient offered to them oregon nutrient that was disposable to them arsenic each food came from God.

Some deliberation that helium died arsenic a martyr, others deliberation that helium died of earthy causes, but with problems stemming from his suffering astatine the hands of his opponents. The Church had Eleutherius buried connected Vatican Hill adjacent to immoderate of the different aboriginal popes.

Pope St. Anterus

The 4th Greek Pope and the 19th of the Roman Catholic Church was Pope Anterus (Ανθηρός), besides calved successful the Greek Calabria portion of Italy.

As pope, Anterus began gathering documents called the Acts of Martyrs. These documents contained testimonies from witnesses who were oculus witnesses of the martyrdom of popes and different individuals.

Pope Anterus served for lone 43 days, from November 21, 235 to January 3, 236. He astir apt died during the prosecution of Christians ordered by Emperor Maximinus the Thracian. He was buried successful the papal crypt of the Catacomb of Callixtus successful Rome.

Pope St. Stephen I

Pope Stephen I (Στέφανος A’) was calved to Greek parents who moved to Rome earlier his birth. After receiving his call, helium joined the Church and served successful antithetic roles. Pope Lucius I noticed his dedication, made him a bishop, and chose him arsenic his successor. He served from 254 to 257.

The Greek Pope believed that each radical needed and deserved assistance from the Church. He utilized Church funds to assistance radical surviving successful Syria and different regions, sending generous donations to rebuild their churches.

Pope Stephen I is not celebrated arsenic a martyr by the Catholic Church. However, fable has it that arsenic helium was holding Mass connected August 2, 257, men of the Emperor Valerian—who had resumed the persecution of Christians—entered the religion and beheaded him.

Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church canonized Stephen I.

Pope Sixtus II

Greek Pope St. Sixtus II (Σίξτος Β’) was calved successful Greece, astir apt successful Athens, and served for a small nether a twelvemonth (August 31, 257-August 6, 258), becoming a martyr for his presumption and his beliefs. Like his predecessor, helium was Pope astatine the clip of the Emperor Valerius’ reign.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, Sixtus II was besides a philosopher. From the opening of his word helium had to woody with heretics, but helium decided to bring them unneurotic alternatively of trying to person them to the Church’s teachings.

Roman Emperor Valerian was against the Christians and accrued the persecution they suffered. He forbade them to stitchery successful cemeteries and ordered the decease of those who were caught there.

Pope Sixtus II was 1 of the fewer martyred popes who did not talk retired against their decease sentences. His beheading took spot successful the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, which is apt wherever his tomb is.

The Greek Orthodox Church honors Sixtus II with a feast time connected August 10.

Pope St. Zosimus

Pope Zosimus (Ζώσιμος) was different Greek Pope calved successful Magna Graecia, successful Calabria specifically, who served from March 417 until December 418, during a turbulent clip for the Church.

He was known for his cantankerous temper successful controversies implicit Gaul, Africa and Rome. He is also known for issuing a decree forbidding clergy members to sojourn taverns. He was besides progressive successful the contention with the Pelagians, a heresy the followers of which believed that humans, by divine grace, person escaped volition to execute quality perfection.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, Pope Zosimus made the decree for deacons of the religion to deterioration the maniple.

When Pope Zosimus died unexpectedly helium was buried successful the sepulchral Basilica of Saint Lawrence extracurricular the Walls.

Pope St. Theodore I

Greek Pope Theodore I was the bishop of Rome from November 24, 642 until his decease successful May 14, 649. His ancestors were of Greek descent but lived successful Jerusalem. Pope Theodore was bully with the poor, offering goods and wealth to them and gathering churches.

Like respective of his predecessors, helium had to woody with a heresy called the Monothelites, who believed that Jesus Christ had lone 1 will. Also, helium would not officially admit his modern workfellow the Patriarch Paul successful Constantinople due to the fact that Paul had been elected successful an uncanonical procedure.

The Greek Pope was beloved by the religion and is remembered to this time for his kindness and generosity to the mediocre radical of Rome. The Greek Orthodox Church has fixed him a feast time connected May 18th.

Pope Theodore I died abruptly and was buried astatine St. Peter’s Basilica successful Rome.

Pope Conon

Pope Conon (Κόνων) was the 83rd Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek Pope, who was calved successful Thracia, served from October 21, 686 to September 21, 687.

Conon moved to Rome wherever helium became a clergyman and past a missionary bishop. The 680s was a turbulent decennary due to the fact that countless radical from the eastbound moved to Rome to flight tyrannical rulers.

When Pope John V died successful August 686 2 abstracted factions emerged, backing antithetic imaginable leaders of the Catholic Church. One broadside included the subject and called for the assignment of a clergyman named Theodore. The different faction was chiefly composed of the clergy who favored the candidacy of an archpriest named Peter. Eventually the 2 sides agreed to a compromise, namely Conon.

Pope Conon supported Justinian II successful lowering the taxes for mean citizens. When helium died, helium was buried astatine the Patriarchal Basilica of St. Peter.

Pope John VI

Pope John VI (Ιωάννησ ΣΤ’) was a Greek calved successful Ephesus. He was the lone Pope successful past to travel from Asia Minor. The Greek Pope succeeded Pope Sergius I and his papacy began connected October 30, 801 and ended connected January 11 805. His word was marked by important governmental and subject changes successful Italy successful which helium was involved.

When the Byzantine commandant Theophylactus invaded the Italian mainland from Sicily, Pope John VI instantly intervened, forbidding him to usage unit against the Romans.

Likewise, erstwhile Lombard Duke Gisulf of Benevento crossed into Roman territory and took captives, the Greek Pope intervened and persuaded Gisulf to retreat his forces and instrumentality home. Then the Pope sent priests to the Lombard campy and offered a ransom to Gisulf for the merchandise of the Roman captives.

Pope John VI died of earthy causes owed to aged age.

Pope John VII

Pope John VII (Ιωάννης Ζ’), the 86th Pope of the Catholic Church, was a autochthonal Greek calved successful Calabria. He was Bishop of Rome from March 1, 705 until October 18, 707. His begetter worked for the Byzantine emperor, making him the archetypal ever Pope calved to a Byzantine official.

His papacy was marked by his bully relations with the Lombards who ruled overmuch of Italy, and his shaky relations with Byzantine Emperor Justinian II.

The Greek Pope was a well-educated man. After his predetermination helium had respective rivals to contend with. There were 3 contenders to power Italy: the Lombards, the Byzantines, and the Church. He managed to person bully relations with the Lombards only.

Relations with Byzantium and the Church soured astatine the Quinisext Council erstwhile Pope John VII refused to ratify the canons, receiving harsh disapproval from Byzantium.

Pope John VII died and was buried successful the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary which had been added connected to St. Peter’s.

Pope St. Zachary

Pope St. Zachary (Ζαχαρίας) was the past Greek Pope and reigned from December 741 to March 752. He was calved to a household of Greek root successful the Calabrian municipality of Santa Severina.

Pope Zachary reigned astatine a hard time, erstwhile Italy was invaded by barbarians portion trying to support bully relations with the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire.

This Greek Pope was palmy successful establishing bully diplomatic relations with each parties. Church historiographer Johann Peter Kirsch said of Zachary: “In a troubled epoch Zachary proved himself to beryllium an excellent, capable, vigorous, and charitable successor of Peter.”

When Pope Zachary died, helium was buried astatine St. Peter’s Basilica.

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