Pope John XV

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
See also: Pope John numbering
For the Coptic pope, see Pope John XV of Alexandria.
Bishop of Rome
ChurchCatholic Church
Papacy beganAugust 985
Papacy endedMarch 996
PredecessorJohn XIV
SuccessorGregory V
Personal details
Born
Rome, Papal States
DiedMarch 996
Rome, Papal States
Other popes named John
Pope John XV is mentioned in the Dagome iudex, one of the earliest written records of the nation of Poland.

Pope John XV (

kings of France and the Holy See
.

Early life

John XV was the son of Leo, a Roman presbyter. Before he became pope in August 985, John was cardinal-priest of St. Vitalis.[1]

Pontificate

John XV's venality and nepotism allegedly made him very unpopular with the citizens of Rome.

Empress Theophanu in Rome from 989 to 991 restrained Crescentius' ambition.[2]

John was a patron and protector of the reforming monks of

Richard the Fearless of Normandy.[1]

French dispute

During this papacy, a serious dispute arose over the deposition in 991 of Archbishop

Gerbert of Aurillac.[3] At the synod, Bishop Arnulf of Orléans
accused Pope John XV:

Are any bold enough to maintain that the priests of the Lord all over the world are to take their law from monsters of guilt like these—men branded with ignominy, illiterate men, and ignorant alike of things human and divine? If, holy fathers, we are bound to weigh in the balance the lives, the morals, and the attainments of the humblest candidate for the priestly office, how much more ought we to look to the fitness of him who aspires to be the Lord and Master of all priests! Yet how would it fare with us, if it should happen that the man the most deficient in all these virtues, unworthy of the lowest place in the priesthood, should be chosen to fill the highest place of all? What would you say of such a one, when you see him sitting upon the throne glittering in purple and gold? Must he not be the "Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God and showing himself as God"?[4]

The proceedings of the Synod of Reims were repudiated by Rome, although a second synod had ratified the decrees issued at Reims. John XV summoned the French bishops to hold an independent synod outside the French king's realm at

Emperor Otto III.[3]

First canonization

At a Roman synod held in the Lateran on 31 January 993, John XV solemnly canonized Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg, an event which the pope announced to the French and German bishops in a papal bull dated 3 February. This was the first time in history that a solemn canonization had been made by a pope.[5]

Death

In 996, Otto III undertook a journey to Italy to obtain an imperial coronation from the pope, but John XV died of fever in March 996, while Otto III lingered in Pavia until April 12 to celebrate Easter. The emperor then elevated his own cousin Bruno to the papal dignity under the name of Gregory V.

References

  1. ^ a b c "John XV".
  2. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "John XV.". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 435.
  3. ^ a b c Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Pope John XV (XVI)." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 27 September 2017
  4. ^ Schaff, Philip; Schley Schaff, David (1885). History of the Christian Church. Charles Scribner & Sons. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  5. ^ Luscombe, David and Riley-Smith, Jonathan. 2004. New Cambridge Medieval History: C.1024-c.1198, Volume 4.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pope John XV (XVI)". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Further reading

  • Franz Xaver Seppelt: Geschichte der Päpste. Vol. 2. 2nd edition, Kösel Verlag, Munich, 1955, pp. 381ff.
  • ISBN 3-88309-035-2
    .
  • Wolfgang Huschner: Giovanni XV (985-996). In: Massimo Bray (ed.): Enciclopedia dei Papi. Volume 2: Niccolò I, santo, Sisto IV. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2000, pp. 102–107 (treccani.it)

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Pope
985–996 		Succeeded by
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