Pope Eugene I ( la, Eugenius I; died 2 June 657) 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 10 August 654 to his death. He was chosen to become

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

after the deposition and banishment of Martin I by Emperor Constans II over the dispute about

Monothelitism Monothelitism, or monotheletism (from el, μονοθελητισμός, monothelētismós, doctrine of one will), is a theological doctrine in Christianity, that holds Christ as having only one will. The doctrine is thus contrary to dyothelit ...

Unusual election

Eugene was a Roman from the Aventine, son of Rufinianus. He was brought up in the Church's ministry, and was already an elderly priest when a dispute flared up between the

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

in Rome, which opposed the monothelite teachings, and the imperial government in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, which supported it. As a result,

Pope Martin I Pope Martin I ( la, Martinus I, el, Πάπας Μαρτίνος; between 590 and 600 – 16 September 655), also known as Martin the Confessor, was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 649 to his death 16 September 655. He served as Pope Theodore I's ...

was deposed by Emperor Constans II and carried off from Rome on 18 June 653, eventually ending up banished to Cherson. Little is known about what happened in Rome after Martin's departure, but it was typical in those days for the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

to be governed by the archpriest and archdeacon. Martin hoped that a successor would not be

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

while he lived, but the imperial court exerted pressure on Rome through the

exarch of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna ( la, Exarchatus Ravennatis; el, Εξαρχάτο της Ραβέννας) or of Italy was a lordship of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) in Italy, from 584 to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the ...

. On 10 August 654, Eugene was appointed the new pope. Martin, though disappointed, seems to have acceded. The imperial government believed that Eugene would be cooperative and ratified his election.

Pontificate

As pope, Eugene consecrated twenty-one bishops for different parts of the world and received the youthful

Wilfrid Wilfrid ( – 709 or 710) was an English bishop and saint. Born a Northumbrian noble, he entered religious life as a teenager and studied at Lindisfarne, at Canterbury, in Francia, and at Rome; he returned to Northumbria in about 660, and ...

on the occasion of his first visit to Rome (c. 654). Eugene I showed greater deference than his predecessor to the emperor's wishes and made no public stand against the

of the

patriarchs of Constantinople This is a list of the Patriarchs of Constantinople. Bishops of Byzantium (until 330) *1. St. Andrew the Apostle (38), founder *2. St. Stachys the Apostle (38–54) *3. St. Onesimus (54–68) *4. Polycarpus I (69–89) *5. Plutarch (89–10 ...

. One of the first acts of the new pope was to send

legates A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the office ...

to Constantinople with letters to Emperor Constans II informing him of his election and professing his faith. The legates were deceived, or bribed, and brought back a synodical letter from Patriarch Peter of Constantinople (656–666), while the emperor's envoy, who accompanied them, brought offerings for

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

and a request from the emperor that the pope would enter into communion with the patriarch of Constantinople. Peter's letter proved to be written in a difficult and obscure style and avoided making any specific declaration as to the number of "wills or operations" in

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. When its contents were read to the clergy and people in the church of St. Mary Major in 656, they not only rejected the letter with indignation, but would not allow the pope to leave the basilica until he had promised that he would not on any account accept it. The imperial officials were furious at this harsh rejection of the wishes of the emperor and patriarch. Constans threatened to dispose of Eugene just as he had disposed of Martin, but was preoccupied by defending the empire from the

Muslim conquests The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests ( ar, الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, ), also referred to as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. He estab ...

Death and legacy

Eugene I died on 2 June 657, before Constans II could act against him. He was buried in

Old St. Peter's Basilica Old St. Peter's Basilica was the building that stood, from the 4th to 16th centuries, where the new St. Peter's Basilica stands today in Vatican City. Construction of the basilica, built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero, began dur ...

. He was acclaimed a saint, his day being 2 June. He is commemorated as the patron and namesake of the Cathedral of Saint Eugene in the

Diocese of Santa Rosa in California The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California ( la, Diœcesis Sanctae Rosae in California) is a diocese, or ecclesiastical territory, of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States, named in honor of S ...

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Saints.SQPN: Pope Eugene ICatholic Online: Pope Eugene I
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eugene 01 657 deaths Popes Italian popes Popes of the Byzantine Papacy 7th-century archbishops Italian Roman Catholic saints Papal saints 7th-century Christian saints Burials at St. Peter's Basilica Year of birth unknown 7th-century popes