Saint Vitalian

Constans II Constant II Byzantine emperor, promoter of the Monothelite heresy and persecutor of the Church. , that ardent supporter of the Monothelite heresy, the same who had sent Po pe Saint Martin t pape saint Martin Martyr pope sent into exile by Constans II. o die of hunger in Crimea, reigned in Constantinople. This tyrant, as cruel on his own as several Neros, and execrated by his people, wanted to abandon Constantinople, expel the Lombards from Italy, and re-establi sh t Rome Birthplace of Maximian. he seat of the empire in Rome, saying that the mother deserved more consideration than the daughter. Therefore, when, following custom, Pope Saint Vitalian informed him of his election, the deceiver welcomed the Roman embassy very well and even offered as a gift to the church of Saint Peter a book of Gospels covered in gold, enriched with precious stones: it was, on the part of the Monothelite hypocrite, a sign of adherence to the Catholic faith. This took place in 657, the year of Saint Vitalian's elevation. Pursuing his design, Constans prepared an expedition, and in 662 embarked with all his treasures for Italy: he wanted to take his family, but the Byzantines opposed it. This refusal did not hold him back for a moment: he climbed onto the deck of his ship, spat against the city, and immediately set sail. He arrived in Rome on July 5 of the year 663 and stayed there for a few days. The Pope went to meet him up to two leagues from the city and led him to the church of Saint Peter, where, continuing to hide his bad intentions, he left a rich gift. He visited several other churches and left offerings everywhere. On the twelfth day of his arrival, he took leave of the Pope. Until then, he had given only signs of devotion and pious liberality. But having learned that the Lombards had just beaten his rearguard in Naples, he lost hope of settling in Italy. Then, stripping off the sheep's clothing he had donned to deceive the Westerners, before leaving he plundered the churches, took back the gifts he had offered, and carried off everything most precious in the city: it had been proposed to him to adorn the Pantheon, arranged as a church; but Constans II preferred to strip it of all the metal tiles with which it was covered. One thus saw a Roman emperor commit more violence than could be reproached to the Goths and the Vandals. Immediately, he had all these riches transported to Syracuse. Such conduct could only strengthen the power of Syracuse Birthplace of the saint. the Popes in Italy.

The justice of God was to weigh heavily upon Constans II as upon all princes who have persecuted the successors of Peter. On July 15 of the year 668, the emperor, going to the baths of Daphne in Syracuse, met his death at the hand of an obscure bath attendant who, pretending to take a vessel to pour water for him, struck him on the head with it and fled. As the emperor delayed too long, those who were outside entered and found him dead. His successor, Constantin e Pogonatus, had Constant Pogonat Successor of Constans II, favorable to the Pope. the greatest veneration for the holy Pope: he had his name, which the Monothelites had erased, restored to the diptychs.

Emperor Constans II, while appearing to fear the Lombards, did not seem to dread another danger that would one day threaten his successors in their own capital: we mean Muhammad and his doct rine; h Mahomet Prophet of Islam, mentioned in the false accusation of apostasy. is doctrine which was so fatal to that of Jesus Christ. The Muslims, who caused so many evils to the Holy See, made great progress under the pontificate of Vitalian: they came as far as Sicily, from which they took half the inhabitants to Damascus (663). But let us breathe a little longer: we shall have only too many occasions to lament the misfortunes that brought about the Crusades, cost us Saint Louis, and covered the Christian world with ruins.

The pastoral care that occupied Saint Vitalian most particularly, and which, moreover, produced happy results, was to revive the religion in England which was falling into decline. As there was a great shortage of sacred ministers in that country, Vitalian sent there th e great Theodore Théodore de Tarse Sent by Vitalian to become Primate of England. of T arsus and Ad Adrien, abbé Abbot sent to England to restore monastic discipline. rian, an abbot: the former to be primate of the Church of England, and the latter to restore monastic discipline. Finally, having shone and having occupied the pontifical see for fourteen years and five months, he passed from this life to God, in the year of Our Lord 671, and was buried at the Vatican.

Six letters from Saint Vitalian remain: four relate to the case of John, Bishop of Lappa in Crete. This Jean, évêque de Lappe Cretan bishop unjustly deposed and reinstated by Vitalian. prelate having been deposed without cause by his metropolitan, the latter had him imprisoned and condemned by a conventicle that was at his discretion, without even wishing to allow John to appeal to the Pope. The Bishop of Lappa, having finally been able to escape, came to Rome where a council assembled by Saint Vitalian quashed the proceedings of the metropolitan of Crete and restored the innocent man to all his rights.

It is said that it was in his time that the use of organs began in churches, and that he himself introduced them to Rome: but this fact is not proven. What is certain is that Saint Vitalian applied himself with the greatest care to maintaining the traditions of Gregorian chant.

In terms of scholarship, Vitalian could be compared to the most learned pontiffs: he was inferior to none in his zeal to propagate religion and in his courage to defend it.

Cf. History of the Roman Pontiffs, by the Chevalier Artaud de Montor.