Were There Any Greek Popes?

St. Sixtus II (r. 31 August 257 – 6 August 258)

St. Sixtus II – also called Xystus – was doubtless born in Athens and is remembered as a philosopher-pope and conciliator throughout one of many Church’s darkest hours. He assumed the papacy throughout a quick lull in Valerian’s persecutions and sought to heal divisions, significantly these left by his predecessor’s stance on the rebaptism of heretics.

Although described within the “Liber Pontificalis” as a former thinker, some students imagine this can be a case of mistaken id. Nonetheless, his mental tone and pastoral moderation mirror a considerate, peace-seeking chief.

Sixtus’ preach lasted lower than a 12 months. In August 258, Valerian renewed his persecution, outlawing Christian worship in cemeteries and ordering the execution of clergy. Sixtus was seized whereas preaching within the Catacombs of St. Callixtus and was executed on the spot with six of his deacons. 4 days later, his loyal deacon St. Lawrence was martyred as effectively.

He’s honored within the Roman Canon of the Mass and commemorated on 7 August (Catholic) and 10 August (Orthodox).

St. Zosimus (r. 18 March 417 – 26 December 418)

St. Zosimus, the forty first Bishop of Rome, was born in Mesoraca, Calabria – a part of southern Italy’s Greek-speaking heartland. His Hellenic roots tied him to the broader cultural world of early Christendom, which had turn out to be the Roman Empire’s official faith beneath Constantine the Nice (r. 306–337), the primary Roman emperor to transform to Christianity.

However, Zosimus’ transient papacy was marked by turbulence. He succeeded Pope Harmless I and shortly confronted main controversies, together with disputes with Gallic bishops, tensions with the African Church, and the theological storm surrounding Pelagianism – a doctrine denying authentic sin and emphasizing human free will. Initially sympathetic, Zosimus later condemned the motion beneath strain from African bishops and emperor Honorius (r. 393–423).

He additionally issued disciplinary decrees, together with a ban on clergy frequenting taverns and a proper prescription of the maniple vestment for deacons. Recognized for his combative temperament, he fiercely defended papal authority however struggled with diplomacy.

Zosimus died all of a sudden in 418 and was buried within the Basilica of Saint Lawrence Exterior the Partitions. His feast is commemorated within the Roman Catholic Church on December 26.