Pope Adeodatus I (570 – 8 November 618), also called Deodatus I or Deusdedit, was the

bishop of Rome A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

from 19 October 615 to his death. He was the first priest to be elected pope since

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

in 533. The first use of lead seals or '' bullae'' on papal documents is attributed to him. His feast day is 8 November.

Biography

Adeodatus was born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, the son of a subdeacon named Stephen. He served as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

for 40 years before his election and was the first priest to be elected pope since

in 533.

Pontificate

Almost nothing is known about Adeodatus I's pontificate. It represents the second wave of opposition to

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...

's papal reforms, the first being the pontificate of Sabinian. He reversed the practice of his predecessor,

Boniface IV Pope Boniface IV ( la, Bonifatius IV; 550 – 8 May 615) was the bishop of Rome from 608 to his death. Boniface had served as a deacon under Pope Gregory I, and like his mentor, he ran the Lateran Palace as a monastery. As pope, he encouraged m ...

, 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 Gregory's pontificate. According to tradition, Adeodatus was the first pope to use lead seals (''bullae'') on papal documents, which in time came to be called " papal bulls". 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. In August 618, an earthquake struck Rome, followed by an outbreak of scabies. Adeodatus died 8 November 618, and was eventually succeeded by

Boniface V Pope Boniface V ( la, Bonifatius V; died 25 October 625) was the bishop of Rome from 23 December 619 to his death. He did much for the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England, and enacted the decree by which churches became places of sanctuary. ...

. His feast day is 8 November. He is also a saint in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

as one of the pre- Schism "Orthodox Popes of Rome".

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adeodatus 01 618 deaths Italian popes 7th-century archbishops Popes of the Byzantine Papacy Italian Roman Catholic saints Papal saints 7th-century Christian saints Popes Year of birth unknown 7th-century popes Eastern Orthodox saints Burials at St. Peter's Basilica

Biography

Pontificate

See also

References

External links