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When John I died in the prison where Theodoric had confined him, both the clergy and the laity were unwilling to oppose the king of the Visigoths. Theodoric's choice for John's successor, the cardinal-priest Felix of Samnium, was therefore selected as the next pope. He was consecrated in mid-July of 526. Theodoric died in late August, leaving his grandson, the minor Athalric, as his heir, and Athalric's mother Amalasuntha as regent for the boy.
Since Amalasuntha was kindly-disposed toward Catholics, the rest of Felix' pontificate was a productive one, relatively free from fear of secular powers. Felix called the second Council of Orange in 529, where he put an end to a controversy over the the nature and efficiency of grace by condemning Semi-Pelagianism. He also converted two adjacent pagan temples in Rome, given the papacy by Amalasuntha, into the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian.
In the hopes of avoiding a disputed succession, Felix deliberately named the archdeacon Boniface as his successor. He is sometimes numbered as Felix III, due to the fourth-century antipope Felix II (who is not always counted in the papal chronology).
Important Dates
Elected: July 12, 526
Died: Sept. 22, 530
On the Web
Felix (4) IV
Brief look at the pontificate of Felix at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library.Pope Felix IV
Concise bio at Wikipedia.Pope St. Felix IV
Substantive biography by J. P. Kirsch at the Catholic Encyclopedia.
In Print
The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.
Lives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to John Paul II
by Richard P. McBrienChronicle of the Popes: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Papacy over 2000 Years
by P. G. Maxwell-Stuart
Related Resources
The Papacy
Index of sites regarding the Popes and the political entity of the Papal States, their impact on medieval culture, and the schisms they endured and overcame.Early Europe
Directory of sites that offer useful resources for the study of Europe in Late Antiquty, or shortly after the fall of Rome.
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