Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 18: Celestine IV

Born Goffredo Castiglione, Celestine doesn't enter the historical record until he became chancellor of the church in his native Milan. He was made a cardinal in 1227, and alternated between diocesan work and diplomatic work representing the church in the ongoing struggle between the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, and the Lombard League (which had its own factions at odds with each other over supporting either the emperor or the pope).

This political turmoil dominated the election of 1241, with the small college of cardinals (numbering no more than 14) further limited by two of their number being held captive by Frederick. The group was split on the topic of how the new pope should deal with Frederick, and was unable to get to a two-thirds vote for a candidate. 

The cardinals had been confined to a Roman monastery by Senator Matteo Rosso Orsini, and the conditions didn't help matters. The space was hot, but with a leaky roof that let the rain in, and the amount of food on hand was minimal. The conditions were blamed for the death of one cardinal, and likely contributed to the death of Celestine.

Already one of the oldest cardinals (he was over 60!), his age and deteriorating health was thought to have contributed to his election (the cardinals looking to kick the can down the road... but not that far down). Elected on October 25, Celestine lasted all of 17 days before dying prior to his coronation. The one thing that he appeared to have been able to do during his time in office? Excommunicate Matteo Rosso Orsini. Whether it was for the lack of food or drippy ceiling was not recorded.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 19: Valentine

Valentine became pope upon the death of Eugene II, who rumor suggested was actually Valentine's father or his lover. Still, the rumors didn't stop the people, clergy, and nobles of Rome from making him pope in 827. As we've seen with other popes, the election process at this point was nothing like it is today, so it's not unusual that Valentine was made pope without a formal vote among the cardinals.

What was unusual was that Valentine took office without being ordained. This was the first time in recorded history that the new pope hadn't been made a priest beforehand (Valentine had served in various diaconate roles prior to his election). Perhaps less unusual is that Valentine was made pope over his own objections, whatever they may have been.

If those objections were health-related then the crowd should have paid heed, as Valentine died roughly 40 days after becoming pope. There's no record of anything that Valentine did while pope, but his election did illustrate the growing power of Roman nobility over papal elections. 

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 17: Stephen IV

We've read about a couple of popes who served under the Byzantine papacy, when the emperor in Constantinople had the ultimate say on whether or not someone could become pope. Today we get the first example of a pope from the Frankish papacy, a similar arrangement but with the emperor of the Franks being the arbiter of who got the position. Though, as in Stephen's case, it wasn't always that ironclad.

Stephen was born in Rome to a family that provided a couple of previous popes, and he grew up in and around popes at the Lateran Palace. He was made a deacon by Leo III, and became pope upon Leo's death in 816. Stephen was said to be popular among Romans, and that the city's nobility acted quickly so that the current Frankish emperor, Louis the Pious, couldn't interfere.

For all that this could have caused conflict, Stephen forestalled any problems by notifying Louis of his election, and suggesting a meeting at the emperor's convenience. That meeting went pretty well, as Stephen pledged fealty to Louis, and crowned him as emperor (thus giving his rule added authenticity). Louis, for his part, reaffirmed the privileges of the Roman church and strengthened the claim of the pope to rule over the Papal States.

Stephen was reform-minded, and got Louis to agree to implementing some monastic reforms. Upon returning to Rome, Stephen reversed some of his predecessor's policies and held the traditional ordination of priests and bishops that December. But that was about it, as Stephen died in January 817, only serving about six months. 

There's also a perfunctory story within a story with regards to Stephen. Up until 1961, this Stephen was known as Stephen V. Turns out in 752, the pope-elect Stephen II died of a stroke before he was consecrated. Under the rules of the time he did not count as a pope as he hadn't been consecrated, but a change in canon law to say that the papacy started at election put Stephen II back in line. He was included in the list of popes until 1961, when he was dropped again, causing Stephen V to become Stephen IV.

Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 16; Sisinnius

Sisinnius served during that period where the Byzantine empire exercised control over who could serve in the post.  He was one of the many popes of the period who originally came from the east (Syria in this case). Not much is known about his pre-papal life, though there's an assumption that he came from a relatively poor background based on the low amount of donations made to him at at his coronation.

Sisinnius was elected in October 707 but didn't take office until January 708, due to the wait for approval by the emperor. This delay didn't help Sisinnus at all, as he was described as being old and suffering from gout. The gout got worse after he took office, to the point that he couldn't feed himself using his hands. He did consecrate a bishop or two, and announced plans to reinforce the Roman city walls, but he died before much of what he planned could be done, lasting only 20 days in office.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes: 

Day 15: John XVII

Rome around the turn of the millennium was caught in a conflict between the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto III, and a group of local nobles. Otto struggled to retake the city for the empire, holding it on and off while the Crescentius family would rule in other times as consul.

The popes at this point didn't have much power, and owed their throne either to Otto or whatever Crescentius was in power. So it was in 1003 when John Sicco, a Roman, was named by John Crescentius to succeed Sylvester II, who had been made pope at Otto's behest.

About the only thing we know about John XVII is that he authorized a mission to eastern Europe that also sought to evangelize among the locals. John served as pope for about 10 months before dying in November 1003. 

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 14: Severinus

Severinus was elected to the papacy in 638, but his pontificate didn't start until 640. Why? This was during a period when the Byzantine empire controlled the papacy, with new popes needing to be approved by the emperor. And in this case, the emperor Heraclius wouldn't sign off on Severinus.

He refused to do so because Severinus wouldn't support a theological doctrine that Heraclius devised claiming that Jesus only had one nature. Heraclius was trying to end a dispute over that topic that was threatening a schism in the larger church, and getting the new pope on board would more or less settle the question.

Except that Severinus refused to sign on, as he supported the idea that Jesus had separate human and divine wills. This led to a period where the emperor's representative in Rome tried to force Severinus' hand by locking up the papal treasury, looting whatever wasn't nailed down, and getting local officials on his side. Still, Severinus wouldn't budge.

The papal legates in Constantinople continued to negotiate with Heraclius, and eventually struck upon a solution that wouldn't require Severinus to approve Heraclius' doctrine. Heraclius approved Severinus as pope, and the "already an old man" (according to Wikipedia; Severinus was younger than I am now when he was elected) took office...

Only to die two months later, after having to wait out a delay of over a year and a half.  It's not clear how he died, but I suppose it's a good sign that no one seems to have suggested he was poisoned. And for all of the hullabaloo over the human and/or divine will of Jesus, the Third Council of Constantinople came down on the side of two wills in 681, the position almost all Christian churches hold today.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 13: Agapetus I

Not a great deal is known of Agapetus' early life, other than that his father was apparently a Roman priest named Gordianus, and it's possible that he was related to two earlier popes (celibacy was not required for priests until the 11th century).

Agapetus was made pope in 535, and apparently spent most of his time making decisions over various theological issues (which I guess makes sense for a pope). Late in that year he left on a mission to Constantinople, at the behest of the Ostrogoth leader Theodahad, to ask Byzantine emperor Justinian I to put off a looming invasion of Italy.

That mission was a failure, as Justinian refused to put off the invasion as preparations were too far along to put it off. Agapetus was able to settle a controversy over the patriarchy of Constantinople, and became the first pope to consecrate the holder of that office.

Agapetus died on the way back to Rome, succumbing to an illness picked up while traveling. He served only 10 months.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 12: Sixtus II

A few days ago we looked at Pope St. Lucius, who may or may not have been martyred during the persecutions under the Roman emperor Valerian. In Sixtus II, we have a case of a short-time pope who was definitely martyred during these persecutions.

Sixtus is believed to have been a Greek who studied philosophy, but it's possible that he's been confused with Xystus, and author who was one of his contemporaries. 

Sixtus served just under a year, and used his time to restore relations between the Roman church with African and Eastern churches that had been broken by Pope Stephen I due to heresy. He may have been able to do much more, but Sixtus was one of the first Christian leaders killed after Valerian ordered the execution of high-ranking church figures in 258. Sixtus was killed along with six of his deacons.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 11: Pius III

Francesco Todeschini was born into the Piccolomini family of Siena through his mother (you may recognize that name from the Piccolomini Library that's part of Siena's cathedral). Francesco's uncle Aeneas Silvius took Francesco into his household and granted him use of the family name. Both the connection to his uncle and the use of the Piccolomini name helped him greatly, as Francesco was able to study canon law at Perugia and became provost of a church in Germany, an office previously held by Aeneas.

Things really took off for Francesco once his uncle became Pope Pius II, though Pius II didn't seem particularly disposed to grant Francesco favors. He did make Francesco a cardinal, though, with Francesco becoming the Archbishop of Siena and Cardinal Protector of England and Germany.

Pius II died in 1464, but Francesco didn't receive serious consideration for pope until the conclave of 1492. When the next conclave was held in 1503, the Italian Wars were in full swing, and armies from France, Aragon, and the Papal States were all threatening Rome. Rather than antagonize any particular faction, the conclave opted to vote for a senior member of the Curia who was unrelated to the factions at war: Francesco Todeschini.

Francesco took the name Pius III in honor of his uncle Pius II. However, he was too ill to attend the vote that elected him, which boded poorly for his papacy.  He took an unusual step of holding a consistory prior to his coronation, and laid out plans to bring peace and reform the church, which suggests he knew he didn't have a lot of time to work with. 

Pius III had an operation on his leg not long after his election to address an ulcer, but it wasn't successful. The ulcer went septic, and Pius died less than a month later. He held the papacy for 26 days.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 10: Boniface VI

The late 9th century was a turbulent time for the papacy, as it became involved in controversies involving the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Holy Roman Empire, and the throne of France. Pope Formosus was involved in all of these, and after his death the successor to his successor, Stephen VI, had Formosus exhumed and put on trial in the infamous Cadaver Synod 

But what of the successor to Formosus?

It's not clear why Boniface was elected pope, or what his role was in the church prior to election, or if he even had a role. Some sources credit him with being a subdeacon or a priest, but it's possible he held no clerical position prior to his election. He's also said to have been around 90 when he became pope. So it could just be that the cardinals, in a time of public unrest, decided to put someone on the throne of St. Peter who (a) wasn't involved in the various power plays going on at the time, and (b) wasn't going to be in the position long.

If that was the thinking, the cardinals got more than they bargained for in terms of a short reign. Boniface ruled for just 15 days, with him either dying (of gout or by poison at the behest of the future Stephen VI) or being forced out (also by Philip and/or his supporters). Bonfiace served the second-shortest reign as pope. Who had the shortest reign? You'll just have to keep reading!

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 9: St. Lucius I

We don't know much about Lucius, other than he served in 253 and 254, and was banished from Rome for part of his papacy due to an ongoing persecution by the Roman emperor Gallus. The assumption is that he was let back in after Valerian succeeded Gallus. 

There is some dispute as to whether or not Lucius was martyred. His death was attributed to a persecution started by Valerian, but Lucius was already dead when the persecution is believed to have started. 

Lucius was one of the popes buried in the tomb of Callixtus, but his relics wound up both in Santa Cecilia in Rome and in a cathedral in Copenhagen (the story goes that his skull drove a group of demons out of Roskilde). But it turns out the skull in question may actually belong to the Norwegian king Sigurd the Crusader. Both skulls were in the Danish national museum for a time, and apparently got swapped out when Lucius' skull was sent back to the cathedral.

Lucius was also made a saint at some point, likely due to his assumed martyrdom, but it's not clear when he was canonized.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 8: Innocent IX

Born Giovanni Facchinetti (apparently not his actual last name, but what he was called based on his father's nickname), the future Innocent IX earned a doctorate in both civil and canon law before opting to join the priesthood. He quickly moved up the ranks - thanks in no small part to working for an influential cardinal named Alessandro Farnese - and would be made a bishop in 1560.

Six years later, Pope Pius V sent him to Venice as papal nuncio, where he worked to support the alliance between the Papal States and Spain against the Ottoman Empire. which would lead the Holy League defeating the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto.

Giovanni returned to Rome in 1575, looking to stay put so he could both further his career and improve his health. He would become a cardinal in 1584, and was an important figure in the administration of Pope Gregory XIV.

When Gregory died in 1591, the Spanish cardinals, perhaps remembering Giovanni's work in Venice, got behind him as their candidate for the papacy. He was elected on the third ballot (even though the Spanish had a majority of the voting cardinals) and took the name Innocent to honor Innocent III.

Innocent started his tenure by supporting Spain (payback, one supposes) against France in that country's Wars of Religion, and he named a couple of cardinals (one of which was his grandnephew). In December, he decided to make a pilgrimage to all seven of Rome's pilgrimage churches, even though he wasn't feeling well. And as you might have expected, his condition worsened afterwards, and he died a couple of weeks later, having served for about two months.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 7: Benedict XI

Nicola Boccasini was destined for the clergy, if for no other reason than money. His mother was a laundress for the Dominican friars of Treviso, and one of them left her and her kids a sum of money, with half pledged to Nicola if he became a Dominican. At 14 he joined the local order, and would spend many of the following years in Venice and Milan, where he both taught his fellow brothers and served as lector.

He would go on to be elected the provincial prior of Lombardy, giving him responsibility over all of the convents in that region. He would later be elected the master of his order, where one of his rulings forbade any Dominican from doubting the legitimacy of Pope Boniface VIII's election. 

And as one good turn deserves another, Boniface made Nicola a cardinal. He served as a legate to both Hungary and France, and when Boniface was seized by troops loyal to French king Philip IV (whom Boniface had sort of excommunicated), Nicola was one of two cardinals also captured while defending the pope. All were released after three days, but confinement didn't appear to agree with Boniface (he was likely beaten), and he died about a month later.

Nicola was elected pope on the first ballot of the ensuing conclave, as he was considered unlikely to further antagonize Philip. Not being Roman also helped, as he didn't have a natural allegiance to any of the parties involved in that conflict. He reversed Philip's excommunication, but then excommunicated everyone involved in the abduction of Boniface. 

Benedict died just eight months into his papacy, with rumors that he was poisoned by a French minister of state that he excommunicated over the Boniface affair (there's no evidence either way).  The ongoing dispute between the papacy and the French throne led Benedict's successor, Clement V, to move the papal court to Avignon, where it stayed for most of the 14th century.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 6: Marcellus II

Unlike Silverius, Marcellus II was well-suited to becoming pope. His father was friends with Clement VII, which got a pre-papal Marcellus a job at the Vatican, and he would later become secretary to Paul III. While in that role he was also made a cardinal, served as nuncio to Spain, and was one of the three presidents of the Council of Trent.

Marcellus was seen as a potential successor to Paul III, but the disfavor of the Holy Roman Emperor and a bout of malaria took him out of the running. When Paul's successor, Julius III, died in 1555, Marcellus was elected after four days of wrangling between factions supporting the French and the HRE. He opted to keep his birth name, and is the last pope to have done so.

Marcellus was keen to implement reforms, but quickly took ill due to the combined strains of Holy Week duties, the conclave, and the coronation ceremonies. He did manage to address the ambassadors of France and Spain on maintaining peace, and implemented some cost-saving measures to help the Vatican finances. But 22 days into his reign he suffered a stroke and died. 

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 5: St. Silverius

Silverius became pope under difficult political circumstances. The Ostrogoth leader Theodahad wanted a pope who was pro-Goth, and not finding someone he liked among the existing possibilities, he had Silverius elected and consecrated in 536. Prior to becoming pope, Silverius was a subdeacon, a position that does not usually lead directly to the throne of St. Peter.

Less than a year later, the Byzantine general Belisarius entered Rome, and while Silverius apparently welcomed his arrival Belisarius had him removed from office and banished (along with a number of senators, all of whom were adjudged as conspiring with the Goths).

Things did not improve for Silverius when he was returned to Rome for trial. He was instead put into the custody of his replacement, Vigilius, who promptly had him banished to an uninhabited island off the west coast of Italy, where he starved to death some months later.

Silverius was acclaimed a saint by the 11th century. One miracle attributed to him involved a fishing boat from Ponza that he saved from sinking during a storm. Not surprisingly this made Silverius a big deal on Ponza, and when a number of people from there settled in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, they brought their saint with them. Today, there's a San Silverio feast every June 20, but it's now held out of a church in Yonkers.

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 4: Conon

Conon was a seventh century pope, originally from Greece but educated in Sicily and made a priest in Rome (many Sicilian clergy wound up in Rome in this period due to Muslim raids on the island). His election as pope was seen as a compromise between military and clerical factions in Rome, and was likely helped by a large contingent of eastern Christians then resident in Rome.

There's not a lot of historical record for what Conon did during his time in office, though he did receive a group of Irish missionaries lead by Kilian, whom he made bishop. He was also apparently on good terms with the emperor, Justinian II. 

The Catholic Encyclopedia says Conon died of a long illness. 

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 3: St. Anterus

Anterus is the earliest-serving pope to have served for less than a year. He took the throne on November 21, 235, and died on January 3, 236.  There's some disagreement as to the manner of his death, whether it was natural or a martyrdom as part of persecutions carried out by Emperor Maximinus. Those thinking he was martyred attribute it to Anterus' appointment of notaries to collect stories of martyrs, which were then archived at the Vatican. Not surprisingly, Anterus didn't do much during his time in office, naming one bishop and not much else.

Regardless of how he died, Anterus was the first pope interred in a crypt overseen by the future pope (and saint) Calixtus, which became the final resting place for most (if not all) of the third century popes. What are believed to be his ashes were rediscovered some time later and reinterred at San Silvestro in Rome. Anterus was made a saint at some point, though it's not clear why (other than potentially being a martyr).

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 2: Leo XI

Part of the surprise over John Paul I's short run as pope came from the length of time between his papacy and the most recent one to last less than a year. For that you have to go all the way back to 1605, when Leo XI was on the throne for all of 26 days.

Leo was born Alessandro de'Medici, and as you might expect from that last name he was related to other popes (most notably Leo X, who was his grand-uncle). As you might also expect, his election involved significant politicking, as the Italian and French cardinals allied to vote for him over the objection of Spain's King Philip III. 

Similar to William Henry Harrison a couple of centuries later, Leo got sick after spending a significant amount of time outside while being installed into office. In this case, it was the ceremony marking his taking possession of the Basilica of St. John Lateran (which is the seat of the Bishop of Rome, one of the pope's many titles). Leo spiked a fever the following day, and never recovered. 

 Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

Day 1: John Paul I

Might as well start with the person most people would think of when taking about short-term popes. 

Born Albino Luciani in Forno di Canale, he spent his pre-papal career in the Veneto, the northeast Italian region with Venice as its major city. At the time of his election he was the patriarch of Venice and cardinal-priest of San Marco in Rome. Prior to his election, he'd stated several times that he didn't want to be pope, and would reject the office if elected. But when the event actually happened, he said he felt obligated to serve.

For a short-reigning pope, John Paul set a number of firsts. He was the first pope to use a double name, which he adopted as a way of honoring both John XXIII and Paul VI, who had named him a bishop and cardinal. He was also the first pope to use a regnal number while being the first of his name. Previously, the first pope of a given name just used the name, no number or reference to being 'the First.' He was also the first pope to refused to be crowned (opting for a less regal inauguration), and the first to use the first person when speaking in public (though his speeches were often rewritten in more formal language for publication).

The latter firsts were part of his desire to humanize the papacy, which one expects would have been supported by his personal warmth and good nature, as evidenced by his quickly becoming known as "the smiling pope."

But 34 days into his papacy, John Paul died of an apparent heart attack. The surprise at his passing, and some ill-advised moves by the Vatican (such as not admitting that his death was discovered by a nun, fearing scandal over a woman being in the pope's bedroom) led to a number of conspiracy theories regarding his death, mostly involving financial irregularities with the Vatican Bank. 

With Ash Wednesday tomorrow, it's time to focus on what's really important in the coming season: this year's Lentorama. Here's what we've had so far:

2006: Saint of the Day
2007: The Non-Canonized Catholic Person of the Day 
2008: 40 Days, 40 Churches
2009: Great (?) Moments in Catholics on Television
2010: Two Millenia of Pointy Hats 
2011: Better Late than Never
2012: Know Your Dioscese
2013: There's a Name for That 
2014: We're Ready for Your Closeup, Your Holiness 
2015: sede vacante
2016: #Lent
2017: Lenten Observers of Instagram
2018: Second String Saints 
2019: Resurrect My Globe! 
2020: 40 Days of Food 
2021: Take Your Holiday to Go 
2022: It Happened on Easter Day
2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

2024: Clerical Crime Solvers

I thought for this year we'd take a turn back towards the Vatican, so I give you:

Lentorama 2025: Perfunctory Popes

40 days worth of popes who didn't last more than a year. Expect a lot of sudden diseases and martyrdoms.