Pope Simplicius (died 2 or 10 March 483) was the
bishop of Rome from 468 to his death. He combated the
Eutychian heresy, ended the practice of consecrating
bishops only in December, and sought to offset the effects of
Germanic invasions.
Election
Simplicius was born in
Tivoli, Italy, the son of a
citizen named Castinus.[1] After a vacancy of 10 days following the death of
Pope Hilarius, Simplicius was consecrated on 25 February 468.[2]
Pontificate
Simplicius defended the decisions of the
Council of Chalcedon against the
Eutychian heresy. When the Eutychians rose up in Antioch and installed Petrus Mongus, Simplicius made repeated complaints for action to
Basiliscus and
Leo I, emperors of the
Eastern Roman Empire, for the restoration of the Catholic bishop; he did the same when Petrus Fullo usurped the seat of the
patriarch of Alexandria. He rehabilitated Patriarch Timotheos Solofaciolus.[3] In 478, Simplicius held a synod in Rome, which pronounced anathemas against eastern heretical bishops Peter Fullo, John of Apamea, and Paul of Ephesus.[4] Simplicius worked to maintain the authority of
Rome in the West.[1] He named Zeno, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville) as Papal Vicar in Spain.[5]
In 482, Bishop Gregory of Modena was consecrated a bishop against his will by Archbishop Joannes I of Ravenna. This brought the archbishop a sharp rebuke from Pope Simplicius.[6]
According to the Carolingian liturgist
Amalarius of Metz, Pope Simplicius was the first pope to carry out consecrations at any other time than in December before Christmas. He began to confer
holy orders in February as well.[7]
Simplicius is credited with the construction of a church named
Santa Bibiana, in memory of the virgin and martyr
St. Bibiana. He also dedicated the Church of
San Stefano Rotondo on the Celian Hill, the church of S. Andrea near S. Maria Maggiore, and a church dedicated to Saint Lawrence in the Campo Verano.[8] He labored to help the people of
Italy against the marauding raids of barbarian invaders. He saw the
Heruliian mercenaries revolt, depose
Romulus Augustulus, the last emperor of the
Western Roman Empire, and proclaim
Odoacer king of Italy in 476.[9] Odoacer made few changes in the administration in Rome, leaving the city firmly in the hands of its bishop, Simplicius.
Death and aftermath
He was buried in the Basilica of St. Peter on 2 March 483. Rome was without a pope for six days.[10] Since 1971,[11] St. Simplicius's
feast day is celebrated on 10 March.[12][1]
^
abcJ. P. Kirsch, "Simplicius, Pope St."
Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. XIV. New York: Appleton. 1912. pp. 2–3.
^Thiel, p. 174 §1. Jaffḗ, Regesta pontificum Romanorum, p. 77. The date is calculated, from his date of death and the length of his reign, fifteen years and seven days.
^Karl Joseph von Hefele (1895). W. R. Clark (ed.).
A History of the Councils of the Church, from the Original Documents. Vol. IV. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. pp. 26–29. In a letter which Thiel (pp. 189-192) dated to October 477, Pope Simplicius wrote to the Patriarch Acacius about what he thought should be done about the heretic bishops.
^Duchesne, Liber Pontificalis, p. 249. "Hic sepultus est in basilica beati Petri apostoli, vi non. martias. Et cessavit episcopatus dies vi." Thiel, p. 174 §1. Jaffé, Regesta pontificum Romanorum I, p. 80. Loomis, p. 107.
^Pennacchio, Maria Cristina (2000).
"Simplicio, santo": "La sua memoria liturgica, indicata dal Martyrologium Romanum al 2 marzo, dal 1971 viene celebrata il 10 marzo."
^Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001
ISBN88-209-7210-7) [page needed] The date of 10 March is also a calculated one; it begins with a calculated date for the death of Pope Hilarius (29 February), and then adds the ten days of the Sede Vacante reported in the Liber Pontificalis. See Duchesne, pp. 247-248.
Sources
Duchesne, Louis (1886).
Le Liber pontificalis (in Latin). Vol. Tome premier. Paris: E. Thorin. pp. 249–251.
Loomis, Louise Ropes, ed. (1916).
The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis). Records of Civilization: Sources and Studies. Vol. I. To the pontificate of Gregory I. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 105–107.
Opera Omnia, edited by J.-P. Migne, Patrologia Latina, with analytical indexes. This link also holds the "Vita Operaque" section of the Liber Pontificalis.
Pennacchio, Maria Cristina (2000).
"Simplicio, santo". Enciclopedia dei Papi (2000). (in Italian)