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Pope Adeodatus I

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Pope Saint

Adeodatus I
Bishop of Rome
Seal of Adeodatus; he was the first pope to use lead seals. This design features the Alpha and Omega, the Good Shepherd and the text deusdedit pape.[1]
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy began19 October 615
Papacy ended8 November 618
PredecessorBoniface IV
SuccessorBoniface V
Orders
Created cardinal15 October 590
by Gregory I
Personal details
Born
Rome, Byzantine Empire
Died(618-11-08)8 November 618
Rome, Byzantine Empire
Other popes named Adeodatus

Pope Adeodatus I (570 – 8 November 618), also called Deodatus I or Deusdedit, was the bishop of Rome from 19 October 615 to his death. He was the first priest to be elected pope since John II in 533. The first use of lead seals or bullae on papal documents is attributed to him. His feast day is 8 November.

Biography

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Adeodatus was born in Rome, the son of a subdeacon named Stephen. He served as a priest for 40 years before his election and was the first priest to be elected pope since John II in 533.[2]

Pontificate

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Almost nothing is known about Adeodatus I's pontificate.[2] It represents the second wave of opposition to Gregory the Great's papal reforms, the first being the pontificate of Sabinian. He reversed the practice of his predecessor, Boniface IV, of filling the papal administrative ranks with monks by recalling the clergy to such positions and by ordaining some 14 priests, the first ordinations in Rome since Gregory's pontificate.[3][2] According to tradition, Adeodatus was the first pope to use lead seals (bullae) on papal documents, which in time came to be called "papal bulls".[4] One bulla dating from his reign is still preserved, the obverse of which represents the Good Shepherd in the midst of His sheep, with the letters Alpha and Omega underneath, while the reverse bears the inscription: Deusdedit Papæ.[5]

In August 618, an earthquake struck Rome, followed by an outbreak of scabies. Adeodatus died 8 November 618, and was eventually succeeded by Boniface V.[2] His feast day is 8 November.[5] He is also a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church as one of the pre-Schism "Orthodox Popes of Rome".[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church. (1913:760). United States: Encyclopedia Press.
  2. ^ a b c d Attwater, Aubrey (1939). A Dictionary of Popes: From Peter to Pius XII. p. 66. ISBN 0199295816.
  3. ^ Jeffrey Richards, The Popes and the Papacy in the Early Middle Ages (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979), p. 262
  4. ^ “Pope Saint Adeodatus I”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 27 July 2012
  5. ^ a b Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope St. Deusdedit" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  6. ^ Philips, Fr Andrew. "The Holy Orthodox Popes of Rome". orthodoxengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
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Wikisource has the text of a 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article about Pope Adeodatus I.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Pope
615–618 		Succeeded by
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