Pope-elect Stephen
Pope-elect Stephen | |
|---|---|
| Bishop-Elect of Rome | |
| Native name | Stephanus |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Rome (elect) |
| See | Holy See (elect) |
| Appointed | 22 March 752 |
| Predecessor | Zachary |
| Successor | Stephen II (as Pope) Celestine II (as Pope-elect) |
| Previous post(s) | Cardinal-priest of San Crisogono (745–752) |
| Orders | |
| Created cardinal | 745 by Zachary |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Died | 25 March 752 Rome, Kingdom of the Lombards |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Other popes named Stephen | |
Pope-elect Stephen (Latin: Stephanus; 7th or 8th century — 25 March 752), before 1961 previously known as Pope Stephen II, was a Roman cardinal-priest and presbyter selected on 22 March 752 to succeed Pope Zachary. Because he died before his episcopal consecration, Stephen is merely considered a pope-elect rather than a legitimate pope.
He is one of two 'popes-elect' of the Catholic Church, the other being Celestine II.
Life
[edit]Stephen was born in Rome (then part of the Exarchate of Ravenna) in the Byzantine Empire, and was baptised into the state religion of Christianity. Later in life, he was ordained as a priest, serving as a presbyter.
In 745, Stephen was made a cardinal-priest by Pope Zachary, one of the twenty-two cardinals he created. His titular church was San Crisogono.
Election to the Papacy and death
[edit]Zachary died in mid-March 752. On the night of 22 March, Stephen was unanimously selected to become the new pope, settling into the Lateran Palace. However, he reportedly felt unwell the following day.
Stephen suffered a stroke while ordering household chores from family members on 25 March. He died the following day at the Lateran Palace, 26 March, before his consecration as bishop of Rome.[1][2] He would be succeeded by Stephen II the following day.
According to the canon law of the time, a pope's pontificate started upon his consecration.[3] Later canon law considered that a man became pope the moment he accepted his election, and Pope-elect Stephen was then anachronistically called Pope Stephen II. The pope currently acknowledged as Pope Stephen II was, in turn, called Pope Stephen III, with all subsequent popes by this name ascending in number.[4]
Stephen was buried in the atrium of the Old St. Peter's Basilica; however, his tomb was destroyed during its demolition.
Legacy
[edit]Cardinal Teobaldo Boccapecci was elected Pope in 1124, taking the name Celestine II; however, he resigned before his consecration due to political infighting and to prevent a schism. He is often acknowledged as 'Pope-elect Celestine II'.
His name was removed from the list of popes in the Annuario Pontificio in 1961. He was originally included in the Annuario from the sixteenth century onwards.[5] Despite the Catholic Church omitting him from this list, he is often acknowledged by modern historians as a pope.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Horace Mann, "Pope Stephen II" in Catholic Encyclopedia (New York 2013)".
- ^ History's great untold stories: larger than life characters & dramatic ... By Joseph Cummins. National Geographic Books. p. 13.
- ^ Annuario Pontificio 2012 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2012 ISBN 978-88-209-8722-0), p. 11*
- ^ For example, see Rev. Joseph Deharbe, S.J., A Full Catechism of the Catholic Religion (translated by Rev. John Fander; 1863), p. 60-61.
- ^ Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes (Harper Collins 2013 ISBN 978-0-06228834-9), p. 121
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