Pope Celestine II (Latin:Caelestinus II; died 8 March 1144), bornGuido di Castello,[1] was head of theCatholic Church and ruler of thePapal States from 26 September 1143[2] to his death on 8 March 1144.
He participated in thepapal election of 1143, the first undisturbed papal election that Rome had seen for eighty-two years,[8] and was elected pope two days after the death of Innocent II,[9] on 25 September 1143,[1] taking the name of Celestine.[8]
Celestine II governed theCatholic Church for only five months and thirteen days from his election until his death on 8 March 1144. Upon his accession he wrote toPeter the Venerable and the monks ofCluny, asking them to pray for him, while he was congratulated byArnulf of Lisieux.[10] Regardless of the brevity of his reign, he was prepared to chart a very different course from that of his predecessor. He was opposed to Innocent II's concessions to KingRoger II of Sicily[11] and refused to ratify theTreaty of Mignano ("a foolish policy, which he survived – just – long enough to regret"[12]). He was in favor of thePlantagenets' claim to the English throne, and was therefore opposed to KingStephen of England. To emphasise this shift, he refused to renew the legatine authority that Innocent II had granted to King Stephen's brother,Henry of Blois.[11] Celestine also favored theTemplars, ordering a general collection for them, as well as theHospitallers, giving them control of the hospital of Saint Mary Teutonicorum inJerusalem.[13]
The principal act of hispapacy was the absolution ofLouis VII of France.[11] King Louis had refused to accept the nomination ofPierre de la Chatre as thearchbishop of Bourges, who went to see Innocent II to have his nomination confirmed.[14] When Pierre returned toFrance in 1142, Louis refused him permission to enter his episcopal city, causing Pierre to flee to the court of CountTheobald II of Champagne. Innocent responded by placing France under aninterdict.[14] For two years, the various parties remained at loggerheads whileBernard of Clairvaux attempted to mediate the dispute.[15] With the election of Celestine, both Bernard and Theobald appealed to the pope, while Louis sent ambassadors to have the interdict lifted.[16] Louis agreed to accept Pierre as the legitimate archbishop of Bourges, and in return, Celestine removed the sentence of interdict.[13]
Celestine died on 8 March 1144[1] in the monastery of Saint Sebastian on thePalatine hill and was buried in the south transept of theLateran.[13] Celestine'sheraldic badge was alozengy shield of argent and gules.[9]
^According to Mann (pg. 104), there is a local tradition that Celestine II, when he became pope, presented the cathedral in Città di Castello with a sculptured silver altar-front.
^J.M.Brixius,Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130–1181, Berlin, 1912, p. 35 no. 19
^J.M.Brixius,Die Mitglieder des Kardinalkollegiums von 1130–1181, Berlin, 1912, p. 35 no. 19 and p. 43 no. 23, indicates that Guido del Castello andGuido S.R.E. indignus sacerdos were two different persons; but see L. Spätling,Kardinal Guido und seine Legation in Böhmen-Mähren (1142–1146) in:Mitteilungen des Instituts für österreichische Geschichtsforschung, Wagner'sche Universitäts-buchhandlung, 1958, p. 310
