In sources prior to the 1960s, this pope is called Stephen VI andPope Stephen IV is called Stephen V; seePope-elect Stephen for a detailed explanation.
Pope Stephen V (Latin:Stephanus V; died 14 September 891) was thebishop of Rome and ruler of thePapal States from September 885 to his death on 14 September 891.[1] In his dealings withPhotius I of Constantinople, as in his relations with the young Slavic Orthodox church, he pursued the policy ofPope Nicholas I.
Stephen V was elected to succeedAdrian III on the account of his holiness on May 17, 885, but was not accepted by theHoly Roman EmperorCharles III the Fat. However, he was consecrated in September 885 without waiting for the imperial confirmation. The emperor sent a legate to overthrow him, but when he found with what unanimity he had been elected, he let the matter rest.[1]
Stephen was called upon to face a famine caused by a drought and by locusts, and as the papal treasury was empty he had to fall back on his father's wealth to relieve the poor, to redeem captives, and to repair churches.
In 887/8, Stephen wrote that Christian slaves of Muslims, who were mutilated by their captors, could become priests. He also excused them if they murdered during their captivity.[8]
^Roger Collins (1 Jan 2009).Keepers of the Keys of Heaven: A History of the Papacy. Basic Books. p. 170.ISBN9780786744183.
^Francis Dvornik.The Photian schism: history and legend. CUP Archive. p. 229.
^Greville Stewart Parker Freeman-Grenville; Stuart Christopher Munro-Hay (26 January 2006).Islam: An Illustrated History. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 46.ISBN9781441165336.
^David Thomas; Barbara Roggema; Juan Pedro Monferrer Sala (21 March 2011).Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History. Volume 3 (1050-1200). BRILL. p. 48.ISBN9789004195158.
