Catelinus was born inRome to adistinguished family. His father, Anastasius, was avir illustris, a high-ranking member of theRoman Senate.[2] He may be identical with the subdeacon John who made a collection of extracts from theGreek Fathers and completed the translation of theVitae patrum into Latin whichPope Pelagius I had begun.[3]
Catelinus waselected to succeed Pelagius I and wasconsecrated aspope on 17 July 561. He took the name John on his accession to the papacy.[4]
John's pontificate is characterized by two major events over which he had no control. The first was the death of EmperorJustinian I in 565, after which theEastern Roman Empire turned its attention from Rome and the rest of Italy to pressing problems in theBalkans, from theAvars,Persians and theArabs.[5] The other major event was theLombard invasion of Italy, which began in 568. Much of northern Italy was overrun, as well as the central spine of the peninsula, making a shambles of the imperial administration. The Lombards threatened the survival of Rome itself, besieging it repeatedly. Their entrance reintroduced theArian belief, which threatened the predominance ofTrinitarian Christianity.[6]
As the Lombards poured south intoItaly, the newly appointed governorLonginus sat powerless inRavenna, unable to stop them. Pope John took it upon himself to go toNaples, where the former governorNarses was preparing to return to the imperial capital,Constantinople, and beg him to take charge. He had been recalled by the new emperor,Justin II, in response to Italian petitions over his oppressive taxation. Narses agreed to this, and returned to Rome. However, popular hatred of Narses was then extended to John for inviting him back. This unrest reached such a pitch that the pope was forced to retire from Rome and take up residence at thecatacombs along theVia Appia two miles outside the city. There he carried out his duties, including the consecration of bishops.[6]
One recorded act of Pope John involved two bishops, Salonius of Embrun and Sagittarius of Gap, who had been condemned in a synod at Lyons (c. 567). This pair succeeded in persuading KingGuntram of Burgundy that they had been condemned unjustly, and appealed to the pope. Influenced by Guntram's letters, John decided that they should be restored to their sees.[1]
John III died on 13 July 574 and was succeeded byBenedict I.
