John II
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533.01.02 to 535.05.08
Pope #56
Boniface II (530-532)
Agapetus I (535-536)
Mercurius
in Rome
535.05.08
Pope John II
Biography:
Born in Rome. Son of Projectus. He is the first pope to have changed his name upon election. His birthname was "Mercurius", in honour of the Roman pagan god, Mercury. He chose his new name after Pope John I.Simony and Corruption
The Gothic court then passed a law against anymore simony in papal elections. King Athalaric even ordered that this decree be engraved in marble and placed in the court of St. Peters. In addition, he ordered that if any more disputed papal elections should be brought to Ravenna, then a charge of 3000 solidi would have to be paid to the court. This amount would then be donated to the poor.
Election
He was elected pope on 2 Jan 533. Prior to his election, he was a priest in charge of St. Clemente's Basillica on the Caelian Hill. He immediately gained favour with the Arian King Athalaric. The year following his election, emperor Justinian I sent him a profession of faith along with several gifts including a gold chalice embedded with valuable gems.Synod of Marseilles (533)
The adulterous behaviour of Contumeliosus, Bishop of Riez, became so well-known, John II ordered the bishops of Gaul to convene a synod regarding the bishop, and appointed St. Caesarius, Bishop of Arles to oversee it. The synod found many charges of adultery and theft of church property. John II then ordered that the bishop be confined to a monastery and a new bishop appointed. However, 2 years later, Pope Agapetus I (535-536) would cancel John II's decision, and order a new trial with his delagates.Synod of Rome (534)
In 534, John presided over an assembly of Roman clergy to discuss the charges of heresy over the Acoemetae, or "Sleepless" Monks of Constantinople, by emperor Justinian I. The monks supported the Nestorian doctrine that Jesus' divinity was bestowed upon him at some time after conception. They defended their arguement by citing Pope Hormisdas' (514-523) condemnation of the Scythin monks in 522, for their teaching that "one of the Trinity suffered in the flesh" (unus de Trinitate passus est). His condemnation of this statement, they argued, showed that Hormisdas supported that Mary could not have been mother of God, since Jesus did suffer in the flesh.At the synod, John II and the bishops took the position of Justinian. John II then wrote a letter to the emperor on 25 Mar 534, and to the Roman senators, laying down the true doctrine as the emperor had defined, and not Pope Hormisdas. He further warned them not to communicate with the "Sleepless Monks", which he ordered excommunicated.
Council of Carthage (535)
After the defeat of the Arian Vandals in 533 by Emperor Justinian I, the Catholic bishops of the region held a council in Carthage, where they ruled that those bishops who lapsed into Arianism but now repented, should not be allowed to keep their office. The decision was given to Pope Agapetus I, as John II died suddenly.Homosexuality
In dealing with the growing number of cases of pederasty among the bishops and clergy throughout the empire, emperor Justinian I, in 528, outlawed Homosexuality, and made castration the punishment for sodomy.Death
He died on 8 May, 535, after only 2 years as pope. He was buried in St. Peter's Basilica, and is not regarded as a saint by the church.Rulers & Events:
526-534: King of Italy, Athalaric
527-565: Eastern Roman Emperor, Justinian I
534-536: King of Italy, Theodahad
534: Vandals Kingdom defeated by the Romans
535: Synod of Clermont forbids Jews from public office
