Pope Felix IV
Encyclopedia
Pope Saint Felix IV was pope
from 526 to 530.
He came from Samnium
, the son of one Castorius. Following the death of Pope John I
at the hands of the Ostrogoth
King Theodoric the Great
, the papal voters gave in to the king's demands and chose Cardinal Felix as Pope. Felix's favor in the eyes of the king caused him to push for greater benefits for the Church.
He was elected after a gap of nearly two months after the death of John I.
Imperial edict passed granting that cases against clergy should be dealt with by the Pope.
He defined church teaching on grace and free will in response to a request on opposing Semi-Pelagianism, of Faustus of Riez
, in Gaul
.
Felix attempted to designate his own successor: Boniface
. The reaction of the Senate was to forbid the discussion of a pope’s successor during his lifetime, or the acceptance of such a nomination.
The majority of the clergy reacted to Felix's activity by nominating Dioscorus
as Pope, and a minority for Boniface.
Felix built the Santi Cosma e Damiano
in the Imperial forums
.
(Note on numbering: When numbering of the Popes began to be used, Antipope Felix II
was counted as one of the Popes of that name. The second true Pope Felix
is thus known by the number III, and the true third Pope Felix was given the number IV. It also affected the name taken by Antipope Felix V
, who would have been the fourth Pope Felix.)
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
from 526 to 530.
He came from Samnium
Samnium
Samnium is a Latin exonym for a region of south or south and central Italy in Roman times. The name survives in Italian today, but today's territory comprising it is only a small portion of what it once was. The populations of Samnium were called Samnites by the Romans...
, the son of one Castorius. Following the death of Pope John I
Pope John I
Pope Saint John I was Pope from 523 to 526. He was a native of Siena or the Castello di Serena, near Chiusdino. He is the first pope known to have visited Constantinople while in office....
at the hands of the Ostrogoth
Ostrogoth
The Ostrogoths were a branch of the Goths , a Germanic tribe who developed a vast empire north of the Black Sea in the 3rd century AD and, in the late 5th century, under Theodoric the Great, established a Kingdom in Italy....
King Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
, the papal voters gave in to the king's demands and chose Cardinal Felix as Pope. Felix's favor in the eyes of the king caused him to push for greater benefits for the Church.
He was elected after a gap of nearly two months after the death of John I.
Imperial edict passed granting that cases against clergy should be dealt with by the Pope.
He defined church teaching on grace and free will in response to a request on opposing Semi-Pelagianism, of Faustus of Riez
Faustus of Riez
Saint Faustus of Riez was an early Bishop of Riez in Southern Gaul , the best known and most distinguished defender of Semipelagianism.-Biography:...
, in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
.
Felix attempted to designate his own successor: Boniface
Pope Boniface II
Pope Boniface II was pope from 530 to 532.He was by birth an Ostrogoth, the first Germanic pope, and he owed his appointment to the influence of the Gothic king Athalaric. Boniface was chosen by his predecessor, Pope Felix IV, who had been a strong adherent of the Arian king, and was never elected...
. The reaction of the Senate was to forbid the discussion of a pope’s successor during his lifetime, or the acceptance of such a nomination.
The majority of the clergy reacted to Felix's activity by nominating Dioscorus
Antipope Dioscorus
Dioscorus was a deacon of the Alexandrian and the Roman church from 506. In a disputed election following the death of Pope Felix IV, the majority of electors picked him to be Pope, in spite of Pope Felix's wishes that Boniface succeed him...
as Pope, and a minority for Boniface.
Felix built the Santi Cosma e Damiano
Santi Cosma e Damiano
The basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano is a church in Rome, Italy, located in the Roman Forum. It is one of the ancient churches called tituli, of which cardinals are patrons as deacons: the Cardinal Deacon of the Titulus Ss. Cosmae et Damiani is Giovanni Cheli...
in the Imperial forums
Imperial forums
The Imperial Fora consist of a series of monumental fora , constructed in Rome over a period of one and half centuries, between 46 BC and 113 AD. The forums were the center of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire.The Imperial forums, while not part of the Roman Forum, are located relatively...
.
(Note on numbering: When numbering of the Popes began to be used, Antipope Felix II
Antipope Felix II
Antipope Felix II was installed as Pope in 355 after the Emperor Constantius II banished the reigning Pope, Liberius, for refusing to subscribe the sentence of condemnation against Saint Athanasius. In May 357 the Roman laity, which had remained faithful to Liberius, demanded that Constantius, who...
was counted as one of the Popes of that name. The second true Pope Felix
Pope Felix III
Pope Saint Felix III was pope from March 13, 483 to january 3, 492. His repudiation of the Henoticon is considered the beginning of the Acacian schism.-Biography:...
is thus known by the number III, and the true third Pope Felix was given the number IV. It also affected the name taken by Antipope Felix V
Antipope Felix V
-External links:*...
, who would have been the fourth Pope Felix.)